Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — August 22
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What happened on this day. These are the August 22 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1791 — Haitian Revolution begins in Saint-Domingue
On Aug 22, 1791, enslaved people in northern Saint-Domingue launched an uprising that grew into the Haitian Revolution. Their struggle destroyed French colonial slavery and led to independent Haiti in 1804, the world’s first Black republic.
1964 — Fannie Lou Hamer challenges segregation before the Democratic Party
On Aug 22, 1964, Mississippi sharecropper and voting-rights organizer Fannie Lou Hamer testified before the Democratic National Convention’s Credentials Committee. Her televised account of intimidation and police brutality challenged the seating of Mississippi’s all-white regular delegation and demanded full Black political representation.
1989 — Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton is killed
On Aug 22, 1989, Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, was shot and killed in Oakland, California. With Bobby Seale, he built an organization that confronted police brutality and created community programs including free breakfasts and health clinics.
Wear the history: Huey P. Newton — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.
