June 6, 1966: James Meredith and the March Against Fear
Air Force veteran James Meredith began the March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi.
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Theme: African American
African American
June 7, 1892: Homer Plessy Arrested for Violating Louisiana’s Separate Car Act
Homer Plessy was arrested for violating Louisiana’s Separate Car Act.
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June 8, 1961: Freedom Riders Arrested
Freedom Riders traveling from New Orleans, Louisiana to Jackson, Mississippi were arrested in 1961.
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June 10, 1966: Ben Chester White Murdered
Ben Chester White, caretaker on a farm, was brutally murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Natchez, Mississippi.
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June 11, 1965: Chicago School Boycott
More than 100,000 students stayed out of school to protest inequality and segregation in Chicago, Illinois.
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June 13, 1866: 14th Amendment Passed
The 14th Amendment to the constitution was passed, granting citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States.”
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June 12, 1967: Loving Day
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mildred and Richard Loving in the historic Loving v. Virginia case.
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Dec. 23, 1815: Henry Highland Garnet Born
Henry Highland Garnet, abolitionist and minister, called for a militant slave revolt.
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June 17, 2015: Charleston Church Massacre
Nine African American churchgoers were gunned down inside a church in an act of white supremacist terrorism.
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June 18, 1964: St. Augustine Swim-In
Black and white protesters attempted to desegregate a pool in St. Augustine, Florida. The owner dumped acid into the protester-filled pool in an attempt to force them to leave. Police officers eventually dragged protesters out of the pool and took them to jail.
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June 19, 1865: “Juneteenth” Emancipation Day
Juneteenth — June 19th, also known as Emancipation Day — Juneteenth — is one of the many commemorations of people seizing their freedom in the United States.
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June 26, 1959: Prince Edward County Closes Public Schools
Rather than desegregate, the Prince Edward County, Virginia Board of Supervisors refused to appropriate money from the County School Board to the public schools.
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June 25, 2002: Tamir Rice Born
Killed by the police only twelve years later, today Tamir Rice was born.
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COINTELPRO: Teaching the FBI’s War on the Black Freedom Movement
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. Rethinking Schools. 29 pages.
Through examining FBI documents, students learn the scope of the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign to spy on, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt all corners of the Black Freedom Movement.
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Through examining FBI documents, students learn the scope of the FBI’s COINTELPRO campaign to spy on, infiltrate, discredit, and disrupt all corners of the Black Freedom Movement.
June 29, 1820: The Antelope Ship Arrived in Savannah
Two hundred and eighty one Africans aboard The Antelope ship were brought to Savannah by the U.S. Treasury.
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Sept. 14, 2013: Jonathan Ferrell Killed by Police
Jonathan Ferrell was killed by police in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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June 11, 2002: African American Residents in Louisiana Win Their Fight Against Shell Oil
African Ameican residents of Diamond, Louisiana won their relocation fight with Shell Oil.
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July 8, 1876: Hamburg Massacre
During a clear sign of Reconstruction era voter suppression, a Black militia was accused of blocking a road and punished with the Hamburg Massacre.
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July 9, 1868: 14th Amendment Adopted
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted.
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July 10, 1972: Shirley Chisholm at Democratic National Convention
Shirley Chisholm was an historic candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. Chisholm was outspoken on behalf of civil rights legislation, the Equal Rights Amendment, and a minimum family income; she opposed wiretapping, domestic spying, and the Vietnam War.
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July 11, 1905: The Niagara Movement
The Niagara Movement — starting as a conference of Black leaders in upstate New York — was formed, paving the way for the creation of the NAACP.
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July 12, 1964: Henry Dee and Charles Moore Case
The bodies of Charles Eddie Moore and Henry Hezekiah Dee, were found in the Mississippi River. They had been tortured and murdered by the Klan two months earlier.
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July 16, 1854: Elizabeth Jennings Graham
Schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings Graham successfully challenged racist streetcar policies in New York City.
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July 18, 1966: Hough Uprising
Protest and civil unrest broke out in Cleveland following years of escalation of racial tension.
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June 21, 1866: Southern Homestead Act
The Southern Homestead Act of 1866 was signed, providing land to the formerly enslaved, lands which had been stolen from the Native American inhabitants.
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