Category Archives: African-American Civil Rights

Mississippi becomes first Southern state to enact ‘Black Codes’ 160 years ago today (Nov 24 1865)


Video: 'Reconstruction - black codes 14th wques'

(Friday, November 24, 1865) — Mississippi today became the first Southern state to enact laws which came to be known as “Black Codes” aimed at limiting the rights of newly freed blacks. Continue reading Mississippi becomes first Southern state to enact ‘Black Codes’ 160 years ago today (Nov 24 1865)

Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks becomes first woman to lie in honor in U.S. Capitol Rotunda 20 years ago this hour (Oct 30 2005)


Video: 'Ceremony for lying in state of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks'

(Sunday, October 30, 2005, shortly before 8:00 p.m. EDT) — Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, who died Oct. 24, 2005, at the age of 92, tonight became the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Continue reading Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks becomes first woman to lie in honor in U.S. Capitol Rotunda 20 years ago this hour (Oct 30 2005)

Rosa Parks, founding symbol of Civil Rights Movement, dies in Detroit 20 years ago this hour (Oct 24 2005)


Video: 'Rosa Parks - Mini Bio'

(Monday, October 24, 2005, between 7:00-8:00 p.m. EDT)Rosa Parks, a black seamstress whose refusal to relinquish her seat to a white man on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, almost 50 years ago grew into a mythic event that helped touch off the civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s, died today in her apartment on the east side of the Detroit. Continue reading Rosa Parks, founding symbol of Civil Rights Movement, dies in Detroit 20 years ago this hour (Oct 24 2005)

837,000 African-American men gather in Washington for ‘Million Man March’ 30 years ago today (Oct 16 1995)


Video: 'October 16th, 1995: The Million Man March - www.NBCUniversalArchives.com'

(Monday, October 16, 1995, during the Million Man March) — Heeding a call for personal atonement and racial solidarity, hundreds of thousands of African-American men gathered from across the nation in the heart of the capital today to vow stronger leadership in protecting their communities from violence and social despair. Continue reading 837,000 African-American men gather in Washington for ‘Million Man March’ 30 years ago today (Oct 16 1995)

Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ opens on Broadway 90 years ago this hour (Oct 10 1935)


Video: 'Porgy and Bess, 1935 silent home movie'

(Thursday, October 10, 1935, 8:10 p.m. EST) — The George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess, featuring an entire cast of classically trained African-American singers, opened tonight at the Alvin Theatre at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. Continue reading Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess’ opens on Broadway 90 years ago this hour (Oct 10 1935)

Mississippi jury acquits two white men in Emmett Till murder 70 years ago this hour (Sep 23 1955)


Video: 'Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam Acquitted of Emmett Till’s Murder on This Day'

(Friday, September 23, 1955, at 3:43 p.m. CST) — Two Mississippi white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, accused of murdering 14-year-old Chicago African-American Emmett Louis Till after he had supposedly whistled at a white woman were acquitted today in Sumner, Mississippi. Continue reading Mississippi jury acquits two white men in Emmett Till murder 70 years ago this hour (Sep 23 1955)

Emmett Till, 14, abducted, tortured and murdered in Money, Mississippi 70 years ago this hour (Aug 28 1955)


Video: 'Chapter 1 | The Murder of Emmett Till | American Experience | PBS'

(Sunday, August 28, 1955, sometime between 2:00 and 3:30 a.m. CDT)Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago, was abducted this morning from the home of relatives near Money, Mississippi, after an alleged incident involving a white woman at a local grocery store. Continue reading Emmett Till, 14, abducted, tortured and murdered in Money, Mississippi 70 years ago this hour (Aug 28 1955)

Race riots erupt in Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles 60 years ago this hour (Aug 11 1965)


Video: '50 years on, a look back at the Watts riots'

(Wednesday, August 11, 1965, approximately 7:19 p.m. PDT) — The Watts riots, six days of looting and arson (especially of white-owned businesses) that took place in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles, began tonight after a black motorist was arrested for drunk-driving. Continue reading Race riots erupt in Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles 60 years ago this hour (Aug 11 1965)

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Voting Rights Act, orders immediate enforcement 60 years ago this hour (Aug 6 1965)


Video: 'Aug. 6, 1965 | LBJ Signs Voting Rights Act'

(Friday, August 6, 1965, 12:05 p.m. EDT; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1954–68)) — U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed today the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibits racial discrimination in voting, and announced steps to bring about its quick and vigorous enforcement. Continue reading U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Voting Rights Act, orders immediate enforcement 60 years ago this hour (Aug 6 1965)