Black History Knowledge
Black History Knowledge — September 5
What happened on this day. These are the September 5 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.
1859 — Harriet Wilson publishes Our Nig, the first novel by a Black American woman
On September 5, 1859, Harriet E. Wilson’s Our Nig was published in Boston, making her the first African American to publish a novel in North America. The book’s unsparing account of Northern racism was nearly lost to history until scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. rediscovered it in 1981.
1960 — Wilma Rudolph wins the 200 meters for her second gold
On September 5, 1960, Wilma Rudolph won the 200-meter final at the Rome Olympics, her second gold medal of the Games. Days later she anchored the winning relay to become the first American woman to win three gold medals at a single Olympics.
1960 — Cassius Clay wins Olympic boxing gold
On September 5, 1960, eighteen-year-old Cassius Clay of Louisville won the light-heavyweight gold medal at the Rome Olympics. The young champion, who would take the name Muhammad Ali, returned home to a segregated city that celebrated his medal while refusing him service at its lunch counters.
