Black History Knowledge — May 29

What happened on this day. These are the May 29 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

May 29, 1851 — Sojourner Truth delivers her women’s rights speech in Akron, Ohio

Category: Abolition / Black Women’s Rights / Women’s Rights Movement

Sojourner Truth spoke at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. The speech later became widely known as “Ain’t I a Woman?” though the most famous wording comes from a later version.

Why it matters: Truth’s speech brought Black womanhood directly into the public conversation about rights, labor, race, gender, and humanity.

May 29, 1901 — Granville T. Woods patents an overhead conducting system for electric railways

Category: Black Inventors / Transportation / Electrical Engineering / Urban Infrastructure

Granville T. Woods received a patent connected to overhead electric railway systems. Woods was one of the most important Black inventors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in electrical and transportation technology.

Why it matters: Woods’s inventions helped shape modern transit and communication systems. This entry gives May 29 a strong Black innovation lane and connects Black invention to the everyday infrastructure of cities.

May 29, 1973 — Tom Bradley is elected mayor of Los Angeles

Category: Black Mayors / Urban Politics / Los Angeles History

Thomas Bradley was elected Los Angeles’s first Black mayor.

Why it matters: Bradley’s election changed the political identity of Los Angeles and showed the rise of Black urban political power after the Civil Rights era.

Wear the history: Sojourner Truth — from the Black Knowledge Wear collection.