March 28, 1966 Bill Russell is named head coach of the Boston Celtics, becoming the first African American to coach an NBA team. He would […]
Category: This Week in Black History
This Week in Black History
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 […]
This Week in Black History
March 5, 1770 Massachusetts sailor Crispus Attucks is shot to death by British Redcoats, reportedly becoming the first patriot killed in the cause of U.S. […]
This Week in Black History
Feb. 29, 1940 Los Angeles actress-activist Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win a coveted Academy Award when she captures Best Supporting Actress […]
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 editor […]
This Week in Black History
February 8, 1986 Medical student Debi Thomas becomes the first black skater to win the women’s singles of the U.S. National Figure Skating Championship. She […]
This Week in Black History
January 31, 1988 Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to start in a NFL championship game, is named MVP of Super Bowl XXII in San […]
This Week in Black History
Jan. 23, 1977 Alex Haley’s award-winning narrative “Roots” is adapted for television in a landmark mini-series that would explore black people’s forced journey from Africa […]
This Week in Black History
January 10, 1957 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and 60 other black activists organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a direct action organization aimed at […]
This Week in Black History
January 3, 1973 Yvonne Brathwaite Burke is sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming California’s first African-American congresswoman. She later became the first […]