On this day, April 16 in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia.
On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia. Passage of this law came 8 1/2 months before President Lincoln issued his…
On this day 15th April in 1947 Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color line when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother, Mallie Robinson, single-handedly raised Jackie and her four other children. They were the…
On this day 7th April in 1956, Morocco regained its independence from Spain.
Morocco gained independence from France on March 2, 1956, and from Spain on April 7, 1956. Until the late King Hassan II officially took the throne on March 3, 1961, the country…
On this day, March 26 in 1872, Thomas J Martin was granted a patent for his version of the fire extinguisher.
Thomas J Martin is an African American inventor who improved upon the fire extinguisher with pipe and valves Martin’s invention was listed in the U. S. Patent Office in Washington,…
On this day February 11 in 1990, Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa was released from prison after 27 years.
He was the leader of the movement to end apartheid in South Africa. In 1961, he was arrested for treason, and although acquitted he was arrested again in 1962 for…
On this day, 28th January 1997, apartheid police officers admitted to the killing of Steve Biko before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Four apartheid-era police officers, including police Colonel Gideon Nieuwoudt who appeared before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) admitted their role in the 1977 killing of Steve Biko, the leader…
On this day, 26th January 1947 Nii Kwabena Bonne II organized a boycott of all European goods
Nii Kwabena Bonne II organized a boycott of all European goods in response to their high prices which was having a toll on the living conditions of people in the…
On this Day January 22 1949, Dr. J. Robert Gladden became the first Board-Certified African-American surgeon
Gladden was born Oct. 29, 1911 in Charlotte, N.C. He first entered college at Long Island University, and earned a medical degree from Meharry Medical College. Studying his field at…
On this day, 14th of January in 1904, exactly 117 years ago, Philip Comi Gbeho was born
He was a Ghanaian musician, composer and teacher. He is best known for his composition of the Ghana National Anthem. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Arts…
On this day 18 December in 1865, the US announced to the world the abolishment of slavery.
This followed the formal adoption of the 13th Amendment into the U.S. Constitution, which outlawed slavery in the U.S. This ensured that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within…
On this day December 10,1964 Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights movement and steadfast commitment to achieving racial justice through non-violent action
King accepted the award in Oslo, Norway on behalf of the Civil Rights movement and pledged the prize money to the movement’s continued development. At the age of thirty-five, African…
On this day December 9 in 1961, the United Republic of Tanzania re-gained its independence from their colonial rulers
Independence Day, popularly known as “Siku ya Uhuru” was won by Julius “Mwalimu” Nyerere of the National Union Party (NUP) who also became the 1st president at 59 years old. Tanzania…
On this day 25th November, 1955 the Interstate Commerce Commission banned racial segregation on interstate buses, train lines, and in waiting rooms
The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was a regulatory agency in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The ICC ruled that “the disadvantages to a traveler…
Oliver Tambo
Oliver Reginald Kaizana Tambo, also known as O. R. Tambo, was a South African anti-apartheid politician and revolutionist who served as President of the African National Congress from 1967 to…
On this day 23rd October in 2011, Tunisia held its first free elections since attaining independence in 1956
The elections came just months after a revolution sparked by several months of protests triggered by the self-immolition of a Tunisian merchant by the name of Mohamed Bouazizi. Voter turnout…
On this day, 19th October in 1944, the US Navy accepted black women into the service
Franklin Delano Roosevelt the 32nd president of the USA instructed the Navy to accept African-American women into the WAVES. The first African-American WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) a…
The Demerara Rebellion of 1823
The Demerara Rebellion of 1823 was an uprising involving more than ten thousand enslaved people in the Crown colony of Demerara-Essequibo (now part of Guyana) on the coast of South…
The Independence day of the Democratic Republic of Congo today the 30th of June which happened in 1960
As the various European powers vied for control of the African continent in the late 19th century, the Congo came under the gaze of King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold…
The Independence Day of Seychelles which is celebrated on June 29 to commemorate the country’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1976.
The Republic of Seychelles is an archipelago country in the Indian Ocean, located about 1,500 kilometers east of the East African coast. The first Europeans to set foot on the…
On June 22, 1937, Joe Louis , an African American boxer became heavyweight boxing champion of the world by dethroning James Braddock
On June 22, 1937, James Braddock and Joe Louis clashed for the championship and having an African American in the title match was a huge deal for boxing fanatics. At…