Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — August 5
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What happened on this day. These are the August 5 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1864 — Black sailors fight in the Battle of Mobile Bay
On August 5, 1864, Union naval forces defeated Confederate defenses in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Black sailors served across the Union fleet, and men including William H. Brown and James Mifflin later received the Medal of Honor for courage while carrying ammunition under heavy fire.
1962 — Nelson Mandela is arrested in apartheid South Africa
On August 5, 1962, South African authorities arrested Nelson Mandela at a roadblock near Howick after seventeen months underground. The arrest began the long imprisonment that kept him behind bars for twenty-seven years while he became an international symbol of resistance to apartheid.
1966 — Martin Luther King Jr. is attacked during Chicago open-housing march
On August 5, 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and hundreds of demonstrators marched through Chicago’s Marquette Park to challenge housing segregation. White counter-protesters attacked the marchers with rocks, bottles, and abuse, striking King and exposing the violent resistance to fair housing in Northern cities.
Wear the history: Martin Luther King Jr. — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.
