[wp_ad_camp_1] 1931 – Actor James Earl Jones born Actor James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Tate County, Mississippi. His movie credits include The Hunt for Red October, Roots, Dr. Strangelove and voices in both Star Wars and The Lion King. [wp_ad_camp_2]1931 – Lawrence...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1941 – Charles Drew founds Blood Bank A Black scientist helped save thousands of lives during World War II. Dr. Charles Richard Drew set up and ran the pioneer blood plasma bank in Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. This bank served as one of the models for the system...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1920 – Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Founded Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, founded at Howard University in 1920, incorporated. [wp_ad_camp_2]1776 – Continental Congress approved Washington’s order Continental Congress approved Washington’s order on the enlistment of...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1929 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Born Civil right leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on this date in 1929.  He was born in Atlanta, Georgia and his birth name was Michael King. His father changed both of their before they made a trip to Germany....

[wp_ad_camp_1]1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Founded Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first organization of black Greek sisterhood was founded on this date at Howard University in Washington, D. C. by Ethel Hedgeman (Lyle). [wp_ad_camp_2]1970 – Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1873 – P.B.S. Pinchback Elected to the Senate P.B.S. Pinchback elected to the U. S. Senate. He had previously served as the Governor of Louisiana when then incumbent Governor Henry Warmoth was impeached. Pinchback was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and thus...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1966 – First Black Appointed To a Presidential Cabinet Robert Weaver became the first Black appointed to a presidential cabinet when he was named to serve as the Secretary Department of Housing and Urban Development President Lyndon B. Johnson. The department was newly...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1990 – Lawrence Douglas Wilder of Virginia is Inaugurated as the First Black Governor On this date in 1990, Lawrence Douglas Wilder of Virginia is inaugurated as the first Black to be elected governor in the United States. Wilder was elected in Virginia by a margin of...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1920 – James Farmer Born. James Farmer was born on this date in 1920. Farmer was a Civil rights leader born in Marshall, Texas. He initiated and organized the 1961 Freedom Rides, in which civil rights activists rode interstate buses into segregated states. The United...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1971 – Mary J. Blige Born. Mary J. Blige was born on this date in 1971. She is an award winning musician, the recipient of nine Grammy awards. Mary was born in Savannah, Georgia and moved at an early age with her mother and sister to Yonkers, New York. She dropped out of...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1961 – Riot at the University of Georgia. On this date in 1961, two Black student at the University of Georgia were suspended by the University after a riot erupted protesting their enrollment. Hamilton E. Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault were the first...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1957 – Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was founded in New Orleans, Louisiana by five ministers including Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, Joseph Lowery, Fred Shuttlesworth and C.K. Steele. Dr. King was...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1866 – Fisk University Established. Fisk University, a historically Black university was founded on this day in 1866. It was the first Black institution to gain accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school sits on 40 acres of land in...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1912 – African National Congress Founded. African National Congress was founded on this date in 1912.  The African National Congress is the Republic of South Africa’s governing political party and was originally named the South African Native National...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1955 – Marian Anderson made debut at Metropolitan Opera. Anderson, who made history singing in front of the Lincoln Memorial after being denied the opportunity to sing before an integrated audience at Constitution Hall, became the first Black to sing a the Metropolitan...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1968 – John Singleton Born in Los Angeles California. He attended Pasadena City College and the University of Southern California from which he graduated in 1990. Singleton made his film directorial debut in 1991 with Boyz in the Hood. [ad#336×280]The film depicted...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity founded. Kappa Alpha Psi (ΚΑΨ), a predominantly Black college fraternity was founded on this date. at Indiana University Bloomington. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was founded by Elder W. Diggs, Byron K....

[wp_ad_camp_1]1980 – Rappers Delight Becomes the First Hip Hop Song to Appear in the Top 40. The song, while not the first rap song, was the first huge hit in the nascent genre. It was performed by a group called the Sugar Hill Gang. The group was lined up by Sylvia Robinson who had...

[wp_ad_camp_1]1931 – Alvin Ailey was born on January 5, 1931 in Rogers, Texas. Ailey would become a world renowned dancer and choreographer. After moving to California and studying under Lester Horton, Alvin performed in a number of Broadway shows alongside Diahann Carroll, Pearl...