Black History Knowledge — August 28

What happened on this day. These are the August 28 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1833 — Slavery Abolition Act receives royal assent

On Aug 28, 1833, Britain’s Slavery Abolition Act received royal assent, providing for emancipation across much of the British Empire beginning the following year. The law excluded some territories, compensated enslavers instead of the enslaved, and forced many adults into an apprenticeship system before full freedom.

1955 — Emmett Till is abducted and murdered in Mississippi

On Aug 28, 1955, white men abducted and murdered fourteen-year-old Emmett Till while he was visiting relatives in Mississippi. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral, forcing the nation to confront the brutality of racist violence and helping energize the Civil Rights Movement.

1963 — March on Washington brings a quarter-million people to the capital

On Aug 28, 1963, approximately 250,000 people gathered for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The demonstration united civil rights and labor demands and became the setting for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.