What happened on this day. These are the July 19 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1919 — Washington, D.C. Red Summer violence begins On July 19, 1919, white mobs, including servicemen and veterans, began attacking Black residents and Black neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. during the Red Summer. Black residents organized […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 18 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1863 — 54th Massachusetts leads assault on Fort Wagner On July 18, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the most famous Black regiments of the Civil War, led a dangerous assault on Fort Wagner […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 17 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1862 — Second Confiscation Act expands the path toward emancipation On July 17, 1862, Congress passed the Second Confiscation Act. The law declared that enslaved people connected to Confederate supporters who came under Union control […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 16 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1854 — Elizabeth Jennings Graham challenges streetcar segregation On July 16, 1854, Elizabeth Jennings Graham, a young Black schoolteacher and church organist, boarded a New York City streetcar and refused to leave because of her […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 15 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1870 — Georgia’s readmission follows the fight to reseat Black legislators On July 15, 1870, Georgia was again readmitted to the Union after Reconstruction battles over Black political power. Earlier, white lawmakers had expelled Black […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 14 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1885 — Sarah E. Goode receives cabinet bed patent On July 14, 1885, Sarah E. Goode received a patent for her folding cabinet bed. Widely recognized as one of the first Black women to receive […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 13 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1863 — New York City Draft Riots begin On July 13, 1863, the New York City Draft Riots began. What started as anger over Civil War draft laws quickly became an anti-Black massacre, as white […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 12 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1949 — Frederick McKinley Jones receives mobile refrigeration patents On July 12, 1949, Frederick McKinley Jones received important patents connected to mobile refrigeration. His inventions helped make refrigerated trucking possible, changing food transportation, medicine delivery, […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 11 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1905 — Niagara Movement begins first major meeting On July 11, 1905, Black activists led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter began gathering near Niagara Falls for the first major meeting […]
What happened on this day. These are the July 10 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on. 1893 — Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs landmark heart surgery In July 1893, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed a landmark operation at Provident Hospital in Chicago after James Cornish arrived with a serious stab wound […]