A Day In Black History

Houston Chronicle On a day when everything seemed imperfect and the Lions had their backs against the wall heading into the fourth quarter, they responded with a 92-73 come-from-behind win over Lancaster for the Class 4A state championship on Saturday at the Erwin Center. Read more

VIA:  History.Com On January 18, 1958, hockey player Willie O’Ree of the Boston Bruins takes to the ice for a game against the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first black to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in 1935 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, O’Ree was the son of a civil engineer, in one […]

VIA:  ICDC.Com THE FBI’S COVERT ACTION PROGRAM TO DESTROY THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY INTRODUCTION In August 1967, the FBI initiated a covert action program — COINTELPRO — to disrupt and “neutralize” organizations which the Bureau characterized as “Black Nationalist Hate Groups.” 1 The FBI memorandum expanding the program described its goals as: 1. Prevent a […]

VIA:  JackieRobinson.Com 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 only black family on their block, and the prejudice they encountered only strengthened their bond. From this humble beginning would grow the first […]

VIA:  TheKennedyCenter.Org (singer; born February 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Most Americans best remember Marian Anderson for her conscience-grabbing concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, 1939 after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall, an arena that, from 1935 to 1952, opened its doors to white artists only. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, appalled […]

VIA:  RedHotJazz.Com Mamie Smith was the first to record blues songs in 1920 with her versions of Perry Bradford’s “Crazy Blues”, and “It’ s Right Here for You” on Okeh Records. The record was a wild success, selling over a million copies in less than a year, and finally ending up selling over two million […]

In the summer of 1908, the country was shocked by the account of the race riots at Springfield, Illinois. Here, in the home of Abraham Lincoln, a mob containing many of the town's "best citizens," raged for two days, killed and wounded scores of Negroes, and drove thousands from the city. And because of this the NAACP was born.

In 1928 Oscar DePriest became the first African American congressman elected to the House of Representatives from a northern state and a national symbol for racial pride. Read more on Oscar DePriest here.

On July 2, 1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. See his remarks on this historic day here.

On October 1, 1962 James Meredith became the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi. See the historical footage from this day here.

Remember Rodge from "What's Happening", and Thelma from Good Times? Well here is a gallery that pays tribute to those lost but not forgotten African American TV Sitcoms.

 Black music is in fact America's original music, and the Spirituals-Blues-Jazz-Gospel-Charleston-Twist-HipHop gift is the foundation not only of  rhythm and blues but also of Broadway and The Grammys. Check out three of the most major moments in Black Music History.