Black History Knowledge — August 29

What happened on this day. These are the August 29 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1957 — Strom Thurmond ends record filibuster against civil rights

On Aug 29, 1957, South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond ended a twenty-four-hour, eighteen-minute filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The Senate passed the bill the next day, enacting the first federal civil rights law since Reconstruction despite its limited enforcement provisions.

1962 — Mal Goode breaks network television’s news color barrier

On Aug 29, 1962, ABC hired Mal Goode as the first Black correspondent for a major American television network. Assigned to cover the United Nations, he later reported on the Cuban Missile Crisis and helped open network journalism to Black voices and perspectives.

2005 — Hurricane Katrina devastates the Gulf Coast

On Aug 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the northern Gulf Coast, and levee failures flooded much of New Orleans. Black residents and neighborhoods were among those most harmed by the flooding, displacement, and unequal emergency response and recovery.