Black History Knowledge — July 3

What happened on this day. These are the July 3 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1776 — African Lodge organized under Prince Hall

On July 3, 1776, African Lodge was organized in Boston with Prince Hall as worshipful master, according to the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. This became a foundation for Prince Hall Freemasonry, one of the oldest Black fraternal traditions in the United States.

1917 — White mobs continue terror in East St. Louis

On July 3, 1917, racial violence continued in East St. Louis as white mobs attacked Black residents and destroyed homes and property. The violence followed the July 2 outbreak and became part of a massacre that deeply shaped Black protest and organizing later that month.

1964 — Lester Maddox violently refuses Black customers after the Civil Rights Act

On July 3, 1964, one day after the Civil Rights Act became law, three Black ministerial students tried to eat at Lester Maddox’s Pickrick restaurant in Atlanta. Maddox and supporters carrying axe handles forced them away, showing how enforcement of civil rights law would still require direct struggle.