Nov. 2, 1920: The Ocoee Massacre
More than fifty African Americans killed in the Ocoee Massacre after going to vote in Florida.
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Period: 1920
Prosperity, Depression, & World War II: 1920 – 1944
Nov. 9, 1938: Pogromnacht in Germany and Austria
Violent anti-Jewish demonstrations in Europe in which hundreds of synagogues were destroyed; 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses, homes, and schools were plundered; 91 Jews were murdered; and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
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Nov. 30, 1924: Shirley Chisholm Born
Born on this day, Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress
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Sept. 23, 1926: John Coltrane Born
John Coltrane was born. Also born #tdih: Mary Church Terrell (1863), Ray Charles (1930), and Bruce Springsteen (1949).
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Sept. 29, 1943: Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary Hunger Strike
Conscientious objectors began a hunger strike at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary.
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Oct. 2, 1937: Parsley Massacre
Under the orders of U.S.-backed Dominican dictator President Rafael Trujillo, the execution of more than 20,000 Haitians began in what is now known as the Parsley Massacre at Massacre River.
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Oct. 3, 1935: Ethiopia Invaded by Italy
Ethiopia was invaded by Fascist Italy under Benito Mussolini.
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March 7, 1932: Hunger March Against Ford Motors
A hunger march by unemployed workers against Ford Motors.
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Ben Fletcher: The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Peter Cole. 2021. 352 pages.
This biography details the life of Black IWW organizer Ben Fletcher and the working class struggles he took part in.
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This biography details the life of Black IWW organizer Ben Fletcher and the working class struggles he took part in.
Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando
Picture book. Written by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, illustrated by Magdalena Mora, and translated by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite. 2022. 40 pages.
The story of a boy and his family who leave their beloved home to avoid being separated by the government during the Mexican Repatriation.
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The story of a boy and his family who leave their beloved home to avoid being separated by the government during the Mexican Repatriation.
April 17, 1944: Modjeska Simkins Challenges SC Governor to a Debate
Prompted by South Carolina’s all-white political primary system, civil rights advocate Modjeska Monteith Simkins wrote a letter to Governor Olin D. Johnston of South Carolina challenging him to a debate on white supremacy.
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Dec. 30, 1936: First Sit-Down Strike Begins in Flint
The Flint sit-down strike represented a shift in union organizing strategies from craft unionism (organizing white male skilled workers) to industrial unionism (organizing all the workers in an industry). The sit-down strike changed the balance of power between employers and workers.
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Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad
Book — Non-fiction. By Matthew Delmont. 2024. 400 pages.
Accounts from the Black press, Black workers and veterans, and civil rights activists, will help teachers and students tell a fuller, truer, and more historically useful story of World War II.
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Accounts from the Black press, Black workers and veterans, and civil rights activists, will help teachers and students tell a fuller, truer, and more historically useful story of World War II.
Fall, 1922: Mary McLeod Bethune Confronts Klan to Defend Black Voting Rights
Mary McLeod Bethune faced off against the Ku Klux Klan in defense of Black voting rights in Daytona, Florida.
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How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee
Picture Book. By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. 2023. 40 pages.
The story of eighth grader MacNolia Cox, the first African American to win the Akron, Ohio, spelling bee, and the racism she faced during her journey to compete at the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
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The story of eighth grader MacNolia Cox, the first African American to win the Akron, Ohio, spelling bee, and the racism she faced during her journey to compete at the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
July 4, 1940: Black World’s Fair Held in Chicago
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ending of slavery in the United States, the Black World’s Fair, also known as the American Negro Exposition, was held at the Chicago Coliseum from July through September 1940.
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Oct. 12, 1925: U.S. Fights Panama Renters’ Strike
Protesting rising rents and unsanitary conditions, tenants in Panama City, Panama were met with swift force and violence by U.S. soldiers, with six killed during the weekend.
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The Heroes We Need Today: Teaching About the Radical Ida B. Wells
Teaching Activity. By Matt Reed. Published by Rethinking Schools. 2023.
This mixer activity helps students uncover the radical legacy of Ida B. Wells.
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This mixer activity helps students uncover the radical legacy of Ida B. Wells.
Jan. 10, 1942: Lee Street Massacre
A month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Black soldiers on R&R in the town of Alexandria, Louisiana were attacked by local and military police, with dozens murdered and countless others injured in this brutal instance of Jim Crow violence.
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Aug. 1, 1944: Racist Wildcat Strike Shuts Down Philadelphia
Not wanting Black coworkers to be given the same positions and pay, a contingent of Philadelphia Transit Company (PTC) workers staged a wildcat strike and withheld their labor.
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When the Mapou Sings
Book — Fiction. By Nadine Pinede. 2024. 432 pages.
This story blends first love and political intrigue with a quest for justice and self-determination in 1930s Haiti.
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This story blends first love and political intrigue with a quest for justice and self-determination in 1930s Haiti.
Simulating Redlining: When “Race Was the Real Currency”
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools.
A high school social studies teacher describes a classroom simulation where students experience the effects of decades of racist federal housing policies.
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A high school social studies teacher describes a classroom simulation where students experience the effects of decades of racist federal housing policies.
Nov. 21, 1922: Ricardo Flores Magón Assassinated at Leavenworth Prison
Mexican anarchist, organizer, and journalist Ricardo Flores Magón was imprisoned for “seditious conspiracy” and assassinated while imprisoned in the United States.
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Abolishing Fossil Fuels: Lessons from Movements That Won
Book — Non-fiction. By Kevin A. Young. 2024. 264 pages.
Offers lessons for building a multiracial, working-class climate movement that can win a global green transition that’s both rapid and equitable.
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Offers lessons for building a multiracial, working-class climate movement that can win a global green transition that’s both rapid and equitable.
Nov. 21, 1927: Columbine Mine Massacre
In the midst of the 1927–1928 Colorado Coal Strike, police indiscriminately opened fire on hundreds of coal miners and their families who were picketing the Columbine Mine.
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