Black History Knowledge — September 28

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

1868 — The Opelousas massacre devastates Black Louisiana

On September 28, 1868, white vigilantes in Opelousas, Louisiana, began weeks of killing that took the lives of as many as two hundred or more Black residents, one of the deadliest massacres of the Reconstruction era. The slaughter crushed Republican organizing in the parish before the presidential election, showing how thoroughly terror was used to cancel the Black vote.

1895 — The National Baptist Convention is organized

On September 28, 1895, Black Baptist leaders meeting in Atlanta united three organizations into the National Baptist Convention, with Reverend E. C. Morris as president. It became the largest Black religious organization in the world and an enduring center of Black spiritual, educational, and political life.

1961 — Purlie Victorious opens on Broadway

On September 28, 1961, Ossie Davis’s satire Purlie Victorious opened on Broadway starring Davis and Ruby Dee. The comedy skewered plantation mythology and segregation with fearless laughter and was later adapted into the hit musical Purlie.

1972 — The Army clears the Brownsville soldiers

On September 28, 1972, the Secretary of the Army cleared the records of the 167 Black soldiers dishonorably discharged after the 1906 Brownsville affair, acknowledging a historic injustice sixty-six years later. Only one of the falsely accused soldiers, Dorsie Willis, lived to see his name restored.

1976 — Ali and Norton battle a final time at Yankee Stadium

On September 28, 1976, Muhammad Ali retained the heavyweight championship against Ken Norton in a bitterly disputed decision at Yankee Stadium, the last heavyweight title fight held at the famous ballpark. The trilogy between the two Black champions stands among boxing’s fiercest rivalries.