Black History Knowledge — May 31

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

May 31, 1870 — Enforcement Act of 1870 becomes law

Category: Reconstruction / Voting Rights / Federal Protection / Anti-Klan Law

The Enforcement Act of 1870, also known as the First Ku Klux Klan Act or Force Act, was signed to protect Black voting rights and enforce the Fifteenth Amendment.

Why it matters: This is a major Reconstruction entry. It shows that Black voting rights were under attack almost immediately after constitutional protection, and that federal power had to be used to confront racial terrorism and voter suppression.

May 31, 1921 — Tulsa Race Massacre begins

Category: Racial Terror / Black Wall Street / Greenwood / Economic Violence

White mobs attacked the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the most prosperous Black communities in the United States. The massacre unfolded over May 31 and June 1, 1921.

Why it matters: This is one of the most important entries in the entire May archive. Tulsa was not just racial violence; it was economic destruction, memory suppression, and the attempted erasure of Black prosperity.

May 31, 1955 — Brown II orders desegregation with “all deliberate speed”

Category: Supreme Court / Education / Civil Rights Law / School Desegregation

One year after Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court issued Brown II, directing school desegregation to proceed with “all deliberate speed.”

Why it matters: That phrase became one of the most controversial parts of school desegregation history because it gave segregationists room to delay and resist meaningful integration