March 20, 1948 Los Angeles actor James Baskett becomes the first Black man to receive an Academy Award when he wins an honorary Oscar for […]
Category: This Week in Black History
This Week in Black History
March 17, 1999 Maurice Ashley becomes the first Black person to become a chess grandmaster. The rank is conferred by the International Chess Federation to […]
This Week in Black History
March 9, 1966 Andrew Brimmer becomes the first Black governor of the Federal Reserve Board. He was appointed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. For more […]
This Week in Black History
March 5, 1770 Massachusetts sailor Crispus Attucks is shot to death by British Redcoats. The event, later known as the “Boston Massacre,” effectively launches the […]
This Week in Black History February 26, 1988
Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to medal at a Winter Olympics when she wins the bronze medal in women’s figure skating at Calgary, […]
This Week in Black History
February 16, 1970 Joe Frazier knocked out Jimmy Ellis in the second round of their fight at Madison Square Garden to become the world heavyweight […]
This Week in Black History
Feb. 12, 1909 Educator W.E. B. DuBois is one of 60-plus activists who form the NAACP to fight for racial equality for Black Americans. As […]
This Week in Black History
February 3, 1989 Former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Bill White is named president of the National League, becoming the first African American to lead […]
This Week in Black History
January 29, 2009 President Barack Obama signs his first bill as president of the United States. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 revised […]
This Week in Black History
January 19, 1969 Jefferson High School and UCLA graduate Ralph Bunche, the first African American to win the Nobel Prize for his efforts to establish […]