TIMELINE OF BLACK HISTORY AND EXCELLENCE
Civil Rights-Black Nationalism Movements
Untold Stories
MEET OUR TRAILBLAZERS
Photo by: NBA Photo Archives
1950- The National Basketball Association diversified its league with the induction of Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, and Nathaniel Clifton, the first African American players to join the NBA. Through a journey marked by racial discrimination and public ridicule, the three athletes remained cohesive and supportive of one another, going on to make pivotal contributions to their respective teams, win championships, and earn titles. Their courage and talents made it possible for future Black professional basketball players, such as Ray Allen, to join the NBA. Allen acknowledges that Cooper, Lloyd, and Clifton blazed the trail for him and others to pursue their NBA careers and showed them that inclusivity helps all people access the American Dream.
Photo by: The Guardian
1955- 15-year-old, high school student, Claudette Colvin was brutalized and apprehended by law enforcement for refusing to surrender her seat on a city bus to a White passenger. She was among the first Black citizens to defy bus segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama, before Rosa Parks. In the months following her arrest, Colvin remained involved in Civil Rights as an active attendee of local council gatherings for Black youth, where she met and worked with Parks, who facilitated the meetings. In the fall of 2021, Colvin successfully had her prior criminal record expunged in hopes of teaching younger generations of Black Americans to hold on to hope and know they can bring about change in their society.
Photo by: John Melton, The Oklahoma Historical Society, and The Oklahoman
1958-Clara Shepard Luper, a Civil Rights activist and high school teacher, led a group of adolescents in forming sit-ins at an Oklahoma drugstore and other local establishments in an effort to desegregate them. Their actions led to the outlawing of segregation in many public facilities across the state and laid the groundwork for the sit-in movements of the 1960s. Some of Luper's former students say her mentorship in civil rights strategies galvanized them to embark on careers in law enforcement and the U.S. Army.
Photo by: Wikimedia Commons
1960-A group of Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, coordinated a sit-in at a lunch counter in the F.W. Woolworth Department store, where they were initially denied hospitality. In the coming days, thousands of Black and White high school and college students joined the sit-in movement, inspiring other students in surrounding states to follow suit to protest segregation. The extensive media coverage and loss of clientele eventually compelled Woolworth's to desegregate its lunch counters. Current African American students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University say the Greensboro sit-ins taught them that they can also make change in the world through stability and uniformity.
Photo by: Ernest C. Withers
1960-In Fayette County, Tennessee, Black tenant farmers relocated to a formation of tents on a vacant property, known as Tent City, after being ordered out of their homes by White landlords for trying to sign up to vote. This led the federal government to pass new laws protecting ​Black Americans' right to vote. The number of Black voters in the region increased tremendously following the passage of this legislation. Recently, the history of Tent City has been widely recollected during election years, as voter suppression tactics have been implemented at the state and federal levels.
1966-David L. Horne, a junior Psychology student at the University of Florida, collaborated with other Black students on campus to develop the institution's first official Black Student Union. UF's Black Student Union soon became a catalyst for promoting unity among Black students, hosting African American speakers, and encouraging the administration to increase the number of Black staff and to expand academic resources for Black students on campus.
50 years later, UF's BSU is still running strong, as its members participate in community philanthropy projects, host connectivity meetings and events, and further education about Black history.
1966-My father, Joseph Green, a then-junior at John Marshall High School in Chicago and defensive back for the school's football team, is honored as 'The Most Valuable Defensive Back' and featured in the Chicago Tribune. He was born in Mississippi during the Jim Crow Era as the 11th of 18 children and spent much of his childhood picking and chopping cotton alongside his siblings for 11 hours a day, earning money to help my grandparents. After moving to Chicago at 15, my father pursued his passion for sports in high school and earned a college football scholarship. He went on to earn a Bachelor's in Physical Education from McPherson College and a Master's in Sociology from Drake University. My father has encouraged youth over the years to prioritize their education over athletics, as he often says, Athletics is with you a fraction of your life. Your education is with you all your life." -Joseph Green
Photo by: Joseph Green
Photo by: Florida Alligator
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Photo by: Searchlight Pictures
1969-Thousands of Black residents in Harlem, New York, assembled at the city's Mount Morris Park throughout the summer to enjoy the Harlem Cultural Festival, also known as the "Summer of Soul." Prominent Black musicians and Civil Rights icons, such as Nina Simone, the 5th Dimension, Stevie Wonder, and Mahalia Jackson, spoke, performed, and empowered audiences to embrace their Black identity and heritage. This festival was instrumental in inspiring Black Americans to love themselves and continue to fight for equality after years of oppression. Footage from the festival failed to sell in 1969. Subsequently, it remained in a basement for half a century until filmmaker Ahmir Thompson, also known as Questlove, decided to use the footage to put together a documentary. Questlove communicates the importance of sharing the stories of Black Americans and celebrating Black history, especially since racial disparities are still pervasive in modern society.
Photo by: Constantine Manos (Magnum Photos)
1971- Rev. Jesse Jackson founded the organization People United to Save/Serve Humanity, also known as Operation PUSH. PUSH benefited the Black community by providing educational resources for youth, helping African Americans secure and maintain employment and homeownership, and awarding grants to reputable Black individuals throughout the country. This entity was also notable for employing mechanisms, such as boycotts, to help people of color overcome job discrimination. Oliver Speller, an African American educator at Kenwood Academy in Chicago and a former next-door neighbor of Jackson's, says Operation PUSH incentivized him to co-found Rise Up, which guides young Black males on how to become leaders. In addition to serving in hierarchical roles within the program, members also volunteer in the community, record podcasts, and produce media content. They say Rise Up has provided them with solidarity, helped them cultivate communication skills, and prepared them for their educational and professional ambitions.
Small Title
Photo by: Getty Images
1972-Shirley Chisholm, who was the first African American woman to serve in Congress, enters the U.S. presidential race, making history again as the first Black female to run for President. Throughout her campaign, she consistently conveyed that women should be assessed by their strengths and merit, and not considered inferior to their male counterparts. As the daughter of parents who immigrated from Barbados, Chisholm shattered the glass ceiling in 1968, becoming the first Black female Congresswoman in the U.S., representing New York's 12th congressional district. Chisholm paved the way for future Black female politicians, including Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who says she's always revered the late congresswoman for her allegiance to peace and rightfulness.
Photo by: United Press International (UPI)
1977- President Jimmy Carter appointed Patricia Roberts Harris as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Although Harris had served on committees under previous administrations in the 1960s, she was the first Black woman chosen to hold a cabinet role. During her tenure as Secretary of HUD, Harris made a conscious effort to improve many Black communities across the nation, investing significant funds to improve the quality of housing projects and the neighborhoods as a whole. In 1965, Harris was also the first African American female to become a U.S. ambassador. Her alma mater, Howard University has since founded the Harris Public Service Program to commemorate her legacy, educate students about public policy, and inspire them to contemplate getting involved in public service.
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Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, (2024). The Summer Harlem Sang Out. https://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/news/detail/harlem-cultural-festival
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Brown University. (2022). In campus discussion, Questlove talks 'Summer of Soul,' preserving Black history https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-11-12/questlove
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Waters, D. (2017). David Waters: Keep 'Tent City' story in history classes​ https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/columnists/david-waters/2016/10/17/waters-keep-tent-city-story-in-state-history-class/91992972/
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