September 27, 1950 Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first African-American writer to win a Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry, “Annie Allen,” a coming-of-age tale […]
Category: This Week in Black History
This Week in Black History
Sept. 20, 1847 William Leidesdorff is elected to the San Francisco Town Council, becoming one of California’s first black elected officials. He later became the […]
This Week in Black History
September 12, 1992 Chicago physician Dr. Mae Jemison becomes the first African-American woman in space when the space shuttle Endeavour lifts off from Kennedy Space […]
This Week in Black History
September 6, 1866 Abolitionist and newspaper publisher Frederick Douglass becomes the first black person invited to serve as a delegate at a political convention in […]
This Week in Black History
August 30, 1967 The U.S. Senate confirms the appointment of Thurgood Marshall to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Lyndon Johnson. Marshall, who argued before […]
This Week in Black History
August 24, 1950 Chicago attorney and social worker Edith Sampson is named the first black person to be appointed a U.S. delegate to the United […]
This Week in Black History
August 16, 1963 Television and advertising executive George Olden becomes the first black person to design a U.S. postage stamp when he creates a stamp […]
This Week in Black History
August 5, 1965 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law, one of the most far-reaching pieces of civil […]
This Week in Black History
Aug. 5, 1892 Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman gets a pension from Congress for her work as a nurse, scout and spy during the Civil […]
This Week in Black History
July 23, 1962 Georgia native Jackie Robinson, the first black player to play Major League Baseball in the modern era, becomes the first black person […]