Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — September 29
Sep
What happened on this day. These are the September 29 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1864 — Black troops storm New Market Heights
On September 29, 1864, regiments of the United States Colored Troops stormed the Confederate works at New Market Heights outside Richmond, carrying the position at terrible cost. Fourteen Black soldiers received the Medal of Honor for that single morning’s valor, among them Sergeant Major Christian Fleetwood, proving before the nation the courage that slavery’s defenders denied.
1962 — Kennedy federalizes the Guard as the Ole Miss crisis peaks
On September 29, 1962, President John F. Kennedy federalized the Mississippi National Guard and prepared federal forces as Governor Ross Barnett continued blocking James Meredith’s enrollment, while Barnett whipped up a stadium crowd at that night’s Ole Miss football game. The collision came the next evening.
1975 — WGPR-TV becomes the nation’s first Black-owned television station
On September 29, 1975, WGPR-TV Channel 62 signed on in Detroit as the first television station in the United States owned and operated by African Americans. Founded by William V. Banks, the station trained a generation of Black broadcasters, engineers, and producers who moved into stations across the country.
