Black History Knowledge — July 22

What happened on this day. These are the July 22 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1847 — Green Flake and other enslaved Black pioneers enter Salt Lake Valley

On July 22, 1847, Green Flake, Oscar Crosby Smith, and Hark Lay Wales, three enslaved African American pioneers connected to the Latter-day Saint migration, entered the Salt Lake Valley ahead of Brigham Young’s main party. Their labor helped prepare the first settlement, yet their stories were long pushed to the margins of western history.

1862 — Lincoln reads preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to Cabinet

On July 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln read a draft of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to his Cabinet. Though he waited for a Union military victory before announcing it publicly, this meeting marked a major turn toward making emancipation a central Union war aim.

1939 — Jane Bolin becomes first Black woman judge in the United States

On July 22, 1939, Jane Matilda Bolin was sworn in as a judge of New York City’s Domestic Relations Court. She became the first Black woman judge in the United States and later used her position to challenge discriminatory policies in child welfare and family court work.