Black History Knowledge — July 31

What happened on this day. These are the July 31 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1874 — Patrick Francis Healy is made full president of Georgetown

On July 31, 1874, the acting portion of Patrick Francis Healy’s title was removed, making him full president of Georgetown University. Healy, born to an enslaved mother and a white father in Georgia, became the first Black president of a predominantly white American university, though Georgetown did not fully acknowledge that identity for many years.

1963 — Wendell Gunn is denied admission in Alabama

On July 31, 1963, Florence State College, now the University of North Alabama, denied admission to Wendell Wilkie Gunn because he was Black. Gunn challenged the denial and became the school’s first Black student later that year.

1966 — Chicago Freedom Movement marchers face violence in Marquette Park

On July 31, 1966, Black and white civil rights demonstrators marched into Chicago’s Marquette Park area as part of the Chicago Freedom Movement’s fight against housing discrimination. White mobs attacked the marchers with bricks, bottles, and fire, showing how violently many Northern neighborhoods resisted open housing and Black mobility.