Archive
Children’s rights activist and trailblazing lawyer Marian Wright Edelman was born on June 6, 1939, in South Carolina. After graduating from Spelman…
On May 22, 1967, in New York City, Langston Hughes, renowned poet, playwright, and columnist, passed away due to complications from prostate…
Christopher Wallace, who would go on to be known as the rapper Notorious B.I.G., was born on May 21, 1972, in Brooklyn,…
Brown v. Board of Education centered on Linda Brown, a young Black student denied admission to her neighborhood elementary school in Topeka,…
Representative John Conyers Jr. was born on this day, May, 16, 1929. A Detroit Democrat who represented the 14th Congressional District, Conyers entered the…
Although blocked by white Southerners from being seated in the U.S. Senate, Pinchback was named acting governor from December 9, 1872, to…
On May 6, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower put his signature on the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The significant legislation ushered in federal…
Raised by former slaves who had fled to Canada via the Underground Railroad, McCoy went on to patent nearly 60 inventions.
On May 1, 1901, professor, poet, and literary critic Sterling A. Brown was born in Washington, D.C. He is best known for his work…
On April 29, 1899, Duke Ellington, an accomplished jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader, was born in Washington, D.C. Over a career spanning…
Collaborating with luminaries such as Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong, her influence extended far beyond her own recordings. Rainey's music inspired the likes of…
Renowned as one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar," alongside B.B. King and Freddie King, he is celebrated for his…