Video: 'Report on Loving Case 1967'
(Monday, June 12, 1967) — The Supreme Court, in Loving v. Virginia, ruled unanimously today that states cannot outlaw interracial marriages. Continue reading Supreme Court strikes down state laws prohibiting interracial marriages 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 12 1967)
Video: 'Martin Luther King Jr. 'Give Us the Ballot' May 17, 1957'
(Friday, May 17, 1957, afternoon EDT) — The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., 28, delivered his first national speech, titled “Give Us the Ballot,” advocating voting rights for African-Americans, during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom gathering at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Continue reading Martin Luther King Jr. delivers first national speech 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (May 17 1957)
Video: 'April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson makes His MLB Debut'
(Tuesday, April 15, 1947, 2:00 p.m. EST) — Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson, 28, became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era today when he made his official debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day at Ebbets Field before a crowd of 26,623 spectators, more than 14,000 of whom were black. Continue reading Jackie Robinson breaks baseball’s color line, debuts with Dodgers this hour 70 years ago#OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 15 1947)
Video: 'Eyes On The Prize - (Part 10) The Promised Land 1967–1968' (Apr. 4, 1967, at 5:17)
(Tuesday, April 4, 1967, evening EST; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968) and during the Vietnam War, part of the Indochina Wars and the Cold War) — Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. denounced the war in Vietnam tonight, delivering “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” one of his most dramatic and controversial speeches, before 3,000 people at Riverside Church in New York City. Continue reading King denounces Vietnam War at Riverside Church 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Apr 4 1967)
Video: 'Lurleen Wallace 1966 Campaign for Governor and Inaugural'
(Monday, January 16, 1967) — Lurleen Wallace became Alabama’s first woman governor today, replacing her term-limited husband, George Wallace, and immediately pledged that she would carry on his fight against racial integration and “federal bureaucracy” while he sought the presidency. Continue reading George Wallace’s wife Lurleen replaces husband as Alabama governor 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Jan 16 1967)
Video: 'Browder v Gayle: The Most Important Civil Rights Case You Never Heard Of'
(Tuesday, November 13, 1956; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — In Browder v. Gayle, the U.S. Supreme Court today struck down state and municipal laws requiring segregation of races on public city and state buses in Montgomery, Alabama, leading to the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott on Dec. 20, 1956, after 381 days. Continue reading U.S. Supreme Court rules segregated public transportation unconstitutional 60 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 13 1956)
Video: '‘The biggest news in the country!’ / Lawrence O’Donnell, Edward Brooke'
(Tuesday, November 8, 1966, during the United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1966) — Edward W. Brooke today became the first black candidate to be elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote by defeating former Governor Endicott Peabody with 1,213,473 votes to 744,761. Continue reading Edward Brooke becomes first African-American elected to U.S. Senate by popular vote 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Nov 8 1966)
Video: 'The Black Panther Party Documentary'
(Saturday, October 15, 1966) — The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense), a revolutionary black nationalist and socialist organization, was founded today by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. Continue reading Black Panther Party founded in Oakland 50 years ago #OnThisDay #OTD (Oct 15 1966)
Video: 'James Meredith Shot During the March Against Fear'
(Monday, June 6, 1966, 4:15 p.m. CST/6:15 p.m. EDT; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — James Meredith, the African-American who desegregated the University of Mississippi in 1962, was shot in the back today as he walked along United States Highway 51 two miles south of Hernando, Mississippi. Continue reading James Meredith shot and wounded during civil rights walk into Mississippi 50 years ago this hour (June 6 1966)
Video: 'Robert F. Kennedy: Day of Affirmation Address in South Africa (aka 'Ripple of Hope') - FULL'
(Monday, June 6, 1966, evening SAST; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY) addressed members of the National Union of South African Students tonight at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, on the University’s “Day of Reaffirmation of Academic and Human Freedom.”
In the speech, Kennedy talked about individual liberty, apartheid, and the need for civil rights in the United States at a time when the American civil rights movement was ongoing.
