December 12, 1870 Five years after slavery is abolished, South Carolina laborer Joseph Rainey becomes the first Black person to serve in the U.S. House […]
Category: This Week in Black History
This Week in Black History
December 2, 1980 Narrowly surviving a contentious fight in the Democratic caucus, California Assemblyman Willie Brown takes his bid to become the state’s first Black […]
This Week in Black History
November 27, 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers hurler Don Newcombe becomes the first player to win baseball’s Cy Young Award, signifying him as the best pitcher in […]
This Week in Black History
November, 18, 1992 The film “Malcolm X,” directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett, is released in the United States. The […]
This Week in Black History
November 11, 1978 Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” reaches the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it her first No. 1 pop hit. Written by Jimmy […]
This Week in Black History
November 6, 1962 Augustus Freeman (Gus) Hawkins of Los Angeles is elected to the U.S House of Representatives, becoming the first Black Congress member west […]
This Week in Black History
October 31, 1950 Earl Lloyd becomes the first Black player in the NBA, taking the court for the Washington Capitals. Two other Black players were […]
This Week in Black History
October 21, 1968 Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, is named chief executive and chairman of […]
This Week in Black History
October 13, 1966 Legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix plays his first concert as the Jimi Hendrix Experience with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell […]
This Week in Black History
October 9, 1975 Former all-star outfielder Frank Robinson is named manager of the Cleveland Indians, becoming the first Black manager of a major league team. […]