Chicago physician Dr. Mae Jemison becomes the first African-American woman in space when the space shuttle Endeavour lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center and […]
Category: This Week in Black History
This Week in Black History, Sept. 5, 1960
A young boxer named Cassius Clay won the gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the Summer Olympics in Rome. Clay would later become […]
This Week in Black History
August 30, 1967The U.S. Senate confirms the appointment of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson. Marshall, who argued before the […]
This Week in Black History: Edith Simpson becomes first Black U.S. delegate to the United Nations
On August 24, 1950, Edith Sampson made history by becoming the first Black person appointed as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations. A Chicago […]
This Week in Black History: George Olden becomes first Black designer of a U.S. postage stamp
August 16, 1963: In a historic moment for American art and Black achievement, television and advertising executive George Olden became the first Black person to […]
This Week in Black History: Arnette Rhinehart Hubbard becomes first woman president of National Bar Association
On July 31, 1981, Arnette Rhinehart Hubbard, a Chicago-based attorney, made history by becoming the first female president of the National Bar Association (NBA). Founded […]
This Week in Black History: Jackie Robinson’s Hall of Fame tribute on July 23, 1962
When Jackie Robinson entered baseball’s Hall of Fame on July 23, 1962, he did more than seal his place among the sport’s legends. He became […]
This Week in Black History: 54th Massachusetts’ charge at Fort Wagner reshaped Black history and the Civil War
On July 18, 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, one of the first United States Army units composed entirely of free Black men, made […]
This Week in Black History: Martin Luther King Jr. leads 60,000 at Chicago Freedom Movement rally
On July 10, 1966, an estimated 60,000 people filled Chicago’s Soldier Field for the largest northern civil rights rally of its era, answering the call […]
This Week in Black History: Serena Williams makes history at Wimbledon, inspiring a new generation
On July 6, 2002, the tennis world witnessed a defining moment in Black history and sports when former Compton resident Serena Williams captured her first […]