Category Archives: Black History Knowledge

What happened on this day. These are the May 20 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 20, 1865 — Emancipation is proclaimed in Tallahassee, Florida Category: Emancipation / Local Freedom Traditions / Florida Black History Union Brigadier General Edward McCook formally announced the Emancipation Proclamation from the steps of the […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 19 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 19, 1918 — Mary Turner is lynched in Brooks County, Georgia Category: Lynching / Racial Terror / Black Women’s History Mary Turner was lynched after protesting the lynching of her husband, Hayes Turner. She […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 18 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 18, 1652 — Rhode Island passes an early anti-slavery statute Category: Colonial Slavery / Early Anti-Slavery Law / Black Freedom History Rhode Island passed one of the earliest anti-slavery statutes in the English colonies. […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 17 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 17, 1875 — Oliver Lewis wins the first Kentucky Derby Category: Sports / Horse Racing / Black Athletic Firsts Oliver Lewis, a Black jockey, rode Aristides to victory in the first Kentucky Derby. Many […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 16 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 16, 1927 — Dr. William Harry Barnes becomes the first African American certified by an American surgical board Category: Medicine / Black Physicians / Professional Firsts Dr. William Harry Barnes became board-certified in otolaryngology, […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 15 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 15, 1904 — Sigma Pi Phi, also known as the Boulé, is founded in Philadelphia Category: Black Professional Organizations / Institution Building / Fraternal Leadership Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia by Black […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 14 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 14 into May 15, 1918 — Henry Johnson’s World War I battlefield heroism Category: Military History / Harlem Hellfighters / World War I / Delayed Recognition Henry Johnson served with the 369th Infantry Regiment, […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 13 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 13, 1862 — Robert Smalls commandeers the CSS Planter Category: Civil War / Self-Emancipation / Military History / Black Courage Robert Smalls and a Black crew commandeered the Confederate steamer Planter in Charleston and […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 12 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 12, 1968 — Poor People’s Campaign moves forward in Washington, D.C. Category: Civil Rights / Economic Justice / King Legacy / Poverty The Poor People’s Campaign moved forward after Dr. King’s assassination, bringing poor […]

What happened on this day. These are the May 11 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. May 11, 1963 — Birmingham bombings ignite unrest Category: Civil Rights / Birmingham Campaign / White Supremacist Violence Bombs hit the A. G. Gaston Motel, where civil rights leaders had stayed, and the home of […]