Black History Knowledge — June 9

What happened on this day. These are the June 9 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1948 — Oliver W. Hill is elected to Richmond City Council

On June 9, 1948, attorney Oliver W. Hill was elected to Richmond City Council, becoming the first African American elected to that body since the 1890s. Hill would later become one of the major legal figures in the fight against segregated education.

1963 — Fannie Lou Hamer is arrested and beaten in Mississippi

On June 9, 1963, Fannie Lou Hamer and other civil rights activists were arrested in Winona, Mississippi, while returning from a voter education workshop. Hamer was brutally beaten in jail, an act of state violence that became part of her testimony about what Black citizens endured for trying to organize and vote.

1963 — Charleston demonstrations begin with a prayer march

On June 9, 1963, Charleston’s civil rights demonstrations began with a prayer march after organizers had launched the campaign two days earlier. The campaign targeted segregation and unequal access in public spaces and local businesses, connecting Charleston to the broader wave of direct-action civil rights organizing in 1963.