Black History of February

February
Feb. 1. 1960:
4 North Carolina A&T students stage a sit-in in a dime store which began the 1st of the historic 1960s sit-ins in Greensboro, N.C.
Feb. 1, 1865:
John S. Rock, 1st Black to practice before U.S. Supreme Court.
Feb. 1, 1902:
Langston Hughes, poet & author, is born. (1902-1967)
Feb. 1, 2003:
Michael P. Anderson, Astronaut, dies in Columbia Shuttle explosion with 7 other astronauts.


Feb. 2. 1915: NAACP picketed the opening of D.W. Griffin's "Birth of a Nation." for its racist content.*
Feb. 2. 1902: Birth of author Langston Hughes
Feb. 2. 1897: The Ice Cream Scoop was patented by Alfred L. Cralle.
Feb. 3. 1870: 15th Amendment ratified (Black's right to vote)
Feb. 3. 1965:
Geraldine McCullough wins Widener Gold Medal for Sculptor
Feb. 3. 1874:
Blanche K. Bruce elected to U.S. Senate.
Feb. 4. 1845:
Fairbanks was sentenced to 15 years for successfully assisting 3 runaway slaves.*
Feb. 4. 1864:
24th Amendment abolished the Poll tax
Feb. 4. 1999:
Unarmed street vendor, Diallo, shot 41 times by 4 NY police officers
Feb. 4. 1967:
Peabody Fund set up by George Peabody giving $1 million to aid in Black education
Feb. 4. 2007:
For the first time, the opposing teams of The Superbowl Championships of the National Football League are both lead by two Black coaches, Lovie Smith (Chicago Bears) and Tony Dungy (Indiapolis Colts)
Feb. 5. 2003:
Russell Simmons calls for boycott of Pepsi Products for pulling rapper's ad campaign because of his explicit lyrics, but uses dysfunctional family, The Osbournes, instead.
Feb. 5, 1934:
Birth of Henry "Hank" Aaron, Home Run King of Major League Baseball.
Feb. 6. 1961:
Jail-In Movement established in Rock Hill, SC.
Feb. 6, 1820:
First organized emigration of Black Americans back to Africa from New York to Sierra Leone
Feb. 6, 1867:
Peabody Fund established to promote Black education in the South.
Feb. 7. 1867:
Fredrick Douglas w/ Black delegation saw Pres. A. Johnson at the White House.
Feb. 7, 1945:
Irwin C. Mollison is appointed by President Harry Truman as the judge of the U.S. Customs Court.
Feb. 7. ????:
Freedman's Aid Society (originally founded as the Fugitives' Aid Society) formed promoting the education among Blacks.
Feb. 8. 1925:
Marcus Garvey enprisoned
Feb. 8. 1951:
Pvt. Edward O. Clearborn receives Distinguished Service Cross.
Feb. 8. 2001:
Robert Wilkerson, "Angola Three" released after 29 years in solitary confinement for a crime he didn't commit.
Feb. 9. 1965:
Martin Luther King Jr. meets Pres. L. Johnson at the White House.
Feb. 9. 1906:
Death of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, 1st poet to use Black dialect in his work.
Feb. 9. 1971:
Leroy Satchel Paige is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Feb. 10. 1817:
Birth of Frederick Douglass, Abolitionist/Publisher
Feb. 10. 1966:
Andrew Brimmer becomes 1st Black to serve on the Federal Reserve Board
Feb. 11. 2003:
After protest threats, Pepsi backs down & offers to partner up with Russell Simmon's & Ludacris' fundraisers which support creative arts in inner city communities.


Feb. 11, 1990:
Nelson Mandela, leader of the democracy movement in S. Africa, is released from prison after 27 years.
Feb. 11, 1977:
Clifford Alexander, Jr. becomes first Black Secretary of State.
Feb. 11, 1933:
Birth of Lois Gardella (Aunt Jemina)
Feb. 12. 1809:
Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. Pres. who abolished slavery, is born
Feb. 12, 1973:
Fugitive Slave Law passed by Congress.
Feb. 12, 1909:
Founding meeting NAACP, after the riot in Springfield, Illinois.
Feb. 12, 1926:
Negro History Week was initiated by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
Feb. 13. 1957:
SCLC founded. Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Feb. 13, 1996:
Fugees broke cultural barriers between Black American & Caribbean Blacks with their second album, "The Score."
Feb. 13, 1923:
Organization of the first Black pro basketball team, "The Renaissance"
Feb. 14. 1760:
Richard Allen, Founder of African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Feb. 14, 1867:
Morehouse College in Atlanta is founded.
Feb. 15. 1957:
SCLC founded. Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Feb. 16. 1874:
Frederick Douglas appointed President of Freedman's Bank & Trust Co.
Feb. 17. 1950:
Thomas L. Griffin accepted with L.A. Bar Association.
Feb. 17, 2001:
Death of Khalid Muhammad, former Nation Of Islam minister & Leader of the New Black Panther Party.
Feb. 18. 1688:
Slavery were first protested formally by the Quakers.
Feb. 19. 1790:
George Bridgetower, Violin virtuoso, makes London debut.
Feb. 19, 1919:
William E.B. DuBois organizes first Pan-African Congress in Paris.
Feb. 20. 1895:
Death of Frederick Douglass
Feb. 20, 1997:
Jazz drummer, Tony Williams dies.


Feb. 21. 1965:
Malcolm X, El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, assassinated in Audubon Ballroom, NYC. by 3 alleged Black Muslims.


Feb. 22. 1988: Black rap artists united to boycott the Grammy Award Show after refusing to televise the presentation of the first "Best Rap Category" given to Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
Feb. 22, 1967:
A.C. Powell, Jr. stripped of power.
Feb. 23. 1868:
Birth of Willam E.B. DuBois, Founder of NAACP.
Feb. 24. 1811:
Birth of Daniel A. Payne, Leader in Education of the AME Church.
Feb. 25. 1964:
Muhammad Ali defeats Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight boxing champion.
Feb. 25. 1870:
Mississippi's, Hiram Revels, elected & becomes the first Black in the US Senate.
Feb. 26. 1776:
Phyllis Wheatley's letter answered by George Washington.
Feb. 26, 1877:
Political agreement reached that ended Reconstruction.
Feb. 27, 1844:
The Dominician Republic established
Feb. 27, 1988:
Debi Thomas, Figure Skater, becomes 1st Black to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.
Feb. 27, 1998:
The first real-live Hip Hop tour, The Hard Knock Life Tour, begins.
Feb. 28, 1984:
Michael Jackson wins 8 Grammy Awards revolutionizing pop music.
Feb. 28, 1784:
Poetess, Phillis Wheatley dies
29.

Black History of January

January 1. 1808:
Foreign slave trades become illegal
January 2. 1831:
Abolitionist paper, "The Liberator" published for first time.
January 3. 1624:
William Tucker is 1st black child born in America.
January 4. 1943:
Illinois elected William L. Dawson U.S. Representative.
January 4. 1789:
80 Boston Blacks petition legislature to assist them in getting to Africa.
January 4. 1971:
Congressional Black Caucus Organized.
January 5. 1943:
Death of George Washington Carver, Agricultural Scientist.
January 6. 1832:
The organization of New England Anti-Slavery Society.
January 6. 1939:
Blue Note Records, Jazz label, found by Alfred Lion.
January 6. 1773:
Slaves in Massachusetts petitioned for freedom.
January 7. 1955:
Debut of Marion Anderson, first black singer at Metropolitan Opera House.
January 8. 1867:
Congress pass bill conferring the suffrage on Blacks of D.C..
January 8. 1811:
Slave revolt in New Orleans
January 8. 1815:
2 Black regiments in the Battle of New Orleans are honored by President Andrew Jackson.
January 8. 2000:
NAACP rally to boycott South Carolina until the Rebel flag came down from its Statehouse.
January 9. 1967:
Rep. Adam Clayton Powell lost Chair of Congressional Committee.
January 9. 1961:
Black students enrolled at the University of Georgia
January 9. 1866:
Fisk Univ., Nashville, TN, founded
January 10. 1864:
Birth of inventor, George Washington Carver
January 10. 1966:
Julian Bond denied seat in Georgia Legislature.
January 10. 1866:
GA Equal Rights Association was organized.
January 12. 1948:
Blacks receive the Right to study law at state institutions.
January 12. 1952:
First Black student admitted to Univ. of Tennessee.
January 12. 1995:
Quiballah Shabazz (Malcolm X's daughter) arrested for accusations of plotting Farrakhan's assassination
January 13. 1966:
Robert C. Weaver nominated Secretary of HUDD
January 13. 1990:
L. Douglas Wilder inaugurated Governor of Virginia
January 14. 1873:
P.B.S. Pinchback elected to U.S. Senate.
January 15. 1929:
The Birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader

January 16. 1776:
Free Blacks enlisted in military
..

January 17. 1917:
U.S purchased the Virgin Isle.
January 17. 1978:
NASA names astronauts Maj. Frederick D. Gregory, Maj. Guion S. Bluford, Jr., & Dr. Ronald E. McNair for space mission.
January 17. 1999:
Jamal Anderson leads the Atlanta Falcons to SuperBowl XXXIII
January 18. 1987:
Lawrence Taylor leads the New York Giants to victory in the SuperBowl XXI.*
January 18. 1938:
Capt. B. Collins patented portable electric light.
January 18. 1778:
Freed Blacks organized first baptist church in Savannah
January 20. 2009:
President Barack Obama's first inauguration
January 20. 1778:
Organization of African Baptist Church
January 20. 1870:
Hiram R. Revels elected to U.S. Senate.
January 20. 1788:
Andrew Bryan becomes first Black pastor ordained.
January 21. 1824:
Osai Tutu Kwamina defeated British at Assamaka, Ashanti.
January 21. 2001:
New Black Panther Party protested against inaugaration of Pres. George W. Bush.
January 22. 1793:
Benjamin Banneker assisted in planning of Washington, DC. which would lead to him designing the blueprints of the White House.
January 23. 2003:
Actress, Singer, Nell Carter dies.
January 23. 1977:
First episode of Alex Haley's "Roots"



13th Amendment passed to abolish slavery.
January 24. 1885:
Death of Ethnologist, Martin R. Delaney.
January 25. 1863:
Organization of First Black U.S. army regiment.
January 25. 1966:
Constance B. Motley become first female federal judge.
January 26. 1961:
Carl T. Rowan, journalist, appointed Ambassador to Finland.
January 27. 1961:
Debut of Leontyne Price makes her debut at the Opera Metropolitan Opera.
January 28. 1901:
Birth of sculptor, Richard Barthe.
January 29. 1977:
Senate confirms Andrew Young's appointment with the United Nations.
January 30. 1797:
First Black petition to Congress
January 30. 2001:
The Georgia flag changed after complaints of the Confederate symbol



January 30. 2002:
Loretta Flowers becomes first Black to win gold medal in Winter Olympics
January 31. 1962:
Samuel L. Gravely becomes first to command a U.S. warship.
January 31. 1865:
13th Amendment passed by Congress to abolish slavery.

Black History of March

March 1.
1864: Rebecca Lee is 1st Black woman awarded with medical degree. New England Female Medical College, MA.

1867: Howard University in Washington D.C. was chartered
1875: Civil Rights Act passed.
March 2.
1807: Slave trade outlawed by U.S. Congress.
March 3.
1794: The African Methodist Church formed by Richard Allen.
1820: Missouri Compromise
1865: Freedman's Bureau established for Black education.
1877: Garrett Morgan, inventor know for the traffic light & gas mask, is born.
1991: Rodney King was brutally assaulted by 4 white police officers, and caught on video.


March 4.
1865: Second Inaugural Address, by Abraham Lincoln, blaming slavery for the cause of Civil War.
March 5.
1770: Crispus Attucks is killed in Boston Massacre, marking the start of American Revolution.
March 6.
1857: U.S. Supreme Court ruled against citizenship for Blacks in the Dred Scott Decision.
2002: Shauntay Hinton becomes Miss USA. (3 out of 4 Finalist were Black)
March 7.
1527: Estevanica, pioneer, explored southwestern US for Spain
1942: 5 Black students receive their "wings" at Tuskeegee Institute, becoming the first Black pilots.

March 8.
1876: U.S. Senate refused to seat P.B.S. Pinchback.
March 9.
1961: Clifton Wharton appointed Ambassador to Norway by Pres. Kennedy.
1997: The death of Christopher Wallace, "The Notorious B.I.G.", Rapper shot in LA.
March 10.
1910: "The Pittsburg Courier" founded & published by Robert L. Vann.
March 11.
1968: Senate passes Civil Rights Bill of '68, containing housing and anti-riot measures.

1959: Broadway opens Lorraine Hansberry's play, Raisin In The Sun.
March 12.
1791: Benjamin Banneker, with Pierre Charles L'Enfant, commissioned to layout D.C.

1770: William Kitchen, a slave receives an army paycheck.
1773: Jean Baptiste Pointe de Sable founded settlement now known as Chicago, Illinois
March 13.
1794: Eli Whitney patent cotton gin, based on the ideas & plans of a slave.
1865: The Confederate Army allowed slaves to be soldiers.
2001: Hip Hop Hall of Fame holds a four-day conference.
March 14.
1821: African Methodist Episocopal Zion Church founded.
N/A: Negus Menelik captures throne of Abyssinia, Ethiopia.

March 15.
1947: John Lee, first Black commissioned officer in the Navy is assigned for duty.
March 16.
1827: Freedom Journal, first Black paper, founded & published by John Russwurm & Samuel Cornish.

March 17.
1806: Birth of Norbert Rillieux, Engineer & Scientist (known for sugar refining).
March 18.
1947: Louis Lautier becomes first Black congressional newsman.
March 19.
1794: Jay's Treaty in effect.
1883: Jan Matzeliger invented first machine to manufacture entire shoes.
March 20.
1852: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published
1957: Birth of director, Spike Lee

March 21.
1960: Sharpville Massacre, South Africa where 56 people were killed
1492: Pilot, Alonzo Pietro sailed with Christopher Columbus
1990: Nambia gained its independence.
March 22.
1965: Civil Rights March - From Selma to Montgomery.

March 23.
1870: 15th Constitutional Amendment ratified. (Blacks Right to Vote)
March 24.
2002: At the Oscars, Hallie Berry & Denzel Washington wins (Will Smith also nominated) & Sidney Poiter receives Lifetime Achievement Award.

March 25.
1916: Maj. James E. Walker took command of D.C. National Guard 12 days before WWI.
1931: 9 Black kids were sentenced to death for Communist accusations stating they raped 2 white women on an Alabama freight train.
1975: Salem poor honored by postage stamp.
March 26.
1780: Seven Blacks challenged taxation without representation.
1995: Rapper, Eric "Easy E" Wright, of NWA dies after contracting the AIDS Virus.
March 27.
1501: African seaman, soldiers & explorers brought to America.
March 28.
1914: Track record was set by Sol Butler.
1804: Ohio passed law restricting the movement of Blacks.
March 29.
1815: Napoleon abolished slave trade.
March 30.
1867: Augusta Institute opened in Atlanta. (later became Morehouse College)
March 31.
1880: J.E. Walker born, Founder of Universal Life.


Here's January & February for those that missed it.