Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — June 15
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What happened on this day. These are the June 15 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1864 — Congress moves toward equal pay for Black Union soldiers
On June 15, 1864, Congress acted to equalize the pay of Black and white Union soldiers after Black troops had been paid less for the same service. This was not only a military issue; it was a fight over the value of Black labor, sacrifice, and citizenship.
1920 — Three Black men are lynched in Duluth, Minnesota
On June 15, 1920, Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie were lynched by a white mob in Duluth, Minnesota, after false accusations. This event belongs in the Knowledge track because it is a racial terror lynching, and it also reminds us that lynching was not only a Southern crime.
1921 — Bessie Coleman earns her pilot’s license
On June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman earned her pilot’s license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in France. Because American flight schools refused to train Black women, Coleman went overseas and became the first African American woman to earn a pilot’s license.
Wear the history: Bessie Coleman — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.
