Black History Knowledge — September 11

What happened on this day. These are the September 11 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1851 — Black families resist slave catchers at Christiana

On September 11, 1851, Black residents of Christiana, Pennsylvania, led by William Parker, took up arms to stop Maryland enslaver Edward Gorsuch from seizing four men under the Fugitive Slave Act, and Gorsuch was killed in the confrontation. The federal government charged thirty-eight resisters with treason, but the first jury acquitted in fifteen minutes, and the Christiana Resistance emboldened the antislavery cause.

1959 — Duke Ellington receives the NAACP’s Spingarn Medal

On September 11, 1959, the NAACP presented Duke Ellington its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, for his musical achievements. The award recognized four decades in which Ellington had elevated jazz into America’s most sophisticated art form while carrying Black excellence onto the world’s most prestigious stages.

1960 — Wilma Rudolph anchors a third gold medal

On September 11, 1960, Wilma Rudolph anchored the United States 4-by-100-meter relay team to victory at the Rome Olympics. The win made her the first American woman to earn three gold medals at a single Games and one of the most celebrated athletes in the world.

1999 — Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam title

On September 11, 1999, seventeen-year-old Serena Williams won the U.S. Open, becoming the first Black woman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Althea Gibson in 1958. The victory launched the greatest championship career in modern tennis.