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Desegregation of the U.S. military
On July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, creating the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services. The order mandated the desegregation of the U.S. military. -
Brown v. Board of Education Case
On May 17, 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education case was five cases merged into one. The Supreme Court decided to end racial segregation in public schools. Many schools, however, still remained segregated. State-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was therefore unconstitutional. -
Emmett Til murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman
On August 28, 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago was brutally murdered in Mississippi for allegedly flirting with a white woman. His murderers were acquitted, and the case was brought to international attention in the civil rights movement after Jet magazine published a photo of Till’s beaten body at his open-casket funeral. -
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Her defiant stance prompts a year-long Montgomery bus boycott. -
nonviolent protests against racial discrimination and segregation
On January 10 - 11, 1957, Sixty Black pastors and civil rights leaders from several southern states, including Martin Luther King Jr., met in Atlanta, Georgia to coordinate a nonviolent protest against racial discrimination and segregation. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) was created. -
The “Little Rock Nine”
On September 4, 1957, Nine Black students known as the “Little Rock Nine” were blocked from integrating into Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. President Dwight D. Eisenhower eventually sent federal troops to escort the students, however, they continued to be harassed. -
Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1957
On September 9, 1957, Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 into law to help protect voter rights. The law allows federal prosecution of those who suppress another’s right to vote. (Black people can vote.) -
Ruby Bridges, first student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans
On November 14, 1960, Six-year-old Ruby Bridges is escorted by four armed federal marshals as she becomes the first student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Her actions inspired Norman Rockwell’s painting The Problem We All Live With (1964). -
The Freedom Riders
Throughout 1961, Black and white activists, known as freedom riders, took bus trips through the American South to protest segregated bus terminals and attempted to use “whites-only” restrooms and lunch counters. The Freedom Rides were marked by horrific violence from white protestors, they drew international attention to their cause. -
The "Children’s Crusade"
The Children's Crusade, or Children's March, was a march by over 5,000 school students in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2–10, 1963. Law enforcement brought out water hoses and police dogs. Journalists documented the young demonstrators getting arrested and hosed down by the Birmingham police, causing national outrage. Eventually, an agreement was made to desegregate lunch counters, businesses, and restrooms and improve hiring opportunities for Black people in Birmingham. -
“I Have A Dream” Speech
On August 28, 1963, approximately 250,000 people took part in The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream” speech as the closing address in front of the Lincoln Memorial. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, preventing employment discrimination due to race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. Title VII of the Act establishes the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help prevent workplace discrimination. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
On August 6, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to prevent the use of literacy tests as a voting requirement. It also allowed federal examiners to review voter qualifications and federal observers to monitor polling places. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder in 1969. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
On April 11, 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, providing equal housing opportunity regardless of race, religion, or national origin. -
1st Black woman elected to Congress
On January 21, 1969, New York Representative Shirley Chisholm was sworn in as the first Black woman elected to Congress. Serving seven terms, she was a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and Women's Caucus, and ran for president in 1972, the first Black woman to campaign for a major party nomination. -
1st Black Miss America
On September 17, 1983, New York’s Vanessa Williams is crowned the first Black Miss America at age 20. On July 23, 1984, she gave up her crown following Penthouse magazine’s announcement it would publish nude photos of her. -
Martin Luther King Jr sculptor by John Wilson was unveiled
On January 16, 1986, The Martin Luther King Jr sculptor by John Wilson was unveiled in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, on what would have been King's 57th birthday. It’s the first statue of a Black American to appear in the building. Four days later, on January 20, the first national Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. -
1st Black woman to fly in space
On September 12, 1992 Jemison and six other astronauts went into space on the space shuttle Endeavor. This voyage made Jemison the first African American woman in space. -
1st Black Woman to be Awarded Nobel Prize
On October 7, 1993, Toni Morrison is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Black woman to earn the honor. -
Barack Obama is elected the 44th president
On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, becoming the nation's first Black American to lead the nation. A Harvard Law School graduate, Illinois state senator, and U.S. senator serving Illinois, he was reelected in 2012. -
Trayvon Martin - #BlackLivesMatter
On February 26, 2012, George Zimmerman shoots Black high school student Trayvon Martin, claiming self-defense. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder April 11, and on July 13, a jury finds him not guilty. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter is first used following the acquittal. -
Michael Brown & Tamir Rice - Police Brutality
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teen, is shot dead by white police officer Darren Wilson, setting off weeks of protests. A grand jury, on November 24, chooses not to indict Wilson, spawning more protests and rioting. In November, Tamir Rice, a Black 12-year-old playing with a toy gun, is killed by a white police officer in Cleveland, Ohio. No officers are charged in the shooting. -
Eric Garner - "I can't breathe"
On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner died after being put in a chokehold by New York City police, following suspicion he was selling untaxed cigarettes in Staten Island. Video is captured with Garner saying "I can't breathe," which becomes a rally cry for criminal justice and police brutality reform. -
Colin Kaepernick
On September 1, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, takes a knee during the national anthem for the first time before a game with the San Diego Chargers. He pledges to donate $1 million to help stop police brutality and the oppression of Black people and people of color. Several other players join him in the protest amid mass criticism, including that of presidential candidate Donald Trump. -
The National Museum of African American History and Culture opens
On September 24, 2016, The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened as the newest Smithsonian Institution museum along Washington, D.C.’s National Mall. Established by Congress in 2003, it's home to 36,000-plus artifacts chronicling African American culture, history, and life. -
2020 Black Lives Matter Movement
In 2020, on February 23, Ahmaud Arbery, 25, is out jogging when he is chased and gunned down in Georgia by a white father and son. On May 25, George Floyd, 46, dies after being pinned to the ground with a knee pressed to his neck by a Minneapolis police officer for eight minutes and 46 seconds. The killings result in global demonstrations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as changes to both federal and state policing laws. -
Kamala Harris 1st female and 1st black vice president
On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris is sworn in as the first female vice president, also making her the first Black and South Asian American to hold the position. The daughter of immigrants—an Indian mother and Jamaican father—she previously served as the first Black female attorney general of California and was the second Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.