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Releases and Riots
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Brown vs The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
The Supreme Court ruled that segregating public schools on the basis of race is unconstitutional. -
The Greensboro Sit-In
Displeased with the continued segregation at a local diner, four african-american students sat at the counter of the "whites only" diner and did not move until the store closed. The Greensboro Four returned the next day with more students and again sat at the counter unil closing time. By February 5th, 300 students had joined the peaceful protest and occupied diners across the area. -
Motown Records Founded
Berry Gordy Jr. started the famous Motown label, a branch out of the Tamala Record Company, located in Detroit, Michigan,. -
The Miracle's song "Shop Around" was released
The song "Shop Around" was Motown's first record to sell 1 million copies. It also was the first Motown hit to reach number 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. -
Freedom Riders Last Stop
The Freedom riders were composed of African-Americans and whites who decided to protest segregation by riding on buses and defying the segregation signs. The Freedom Riders were often met with violence, but continued with their cause anyway. However, on May 14, 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama, the first bus that arrived was bombed and the Freedom Fighters that escaped the bombing were brutally beaten, thus ending the rides of the Freedom Fighters, but bringing international attention to their cause. -
Mary Wells appears on American Bandstand
For the first time as a solo act, Mary Wells appeared on the nationally recognized television show American Bandstand. Her appearance was surprising because, though she was at this point an acclaimed artist, she was both a woman and african american. -
Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech
Dr. Martin Luther King's most famous speech was delivered on June 26, 1963 and recorded on the Gordy label, a branch of the Motown brand. -
Civil Rights March at Washington
An estimated 250,000 civil rights activists joined civil rights leaders in their march to protest segregation. Leaders from the "Big 6" -NAACP, SNCC, SLSC, CORE, National Urban League, and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters- banded together for this march. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. This act outlawed discrimination based on race, origin, color, sex, or religion. -
The Temptations- "My Girl"
The Temptations released their single "My Girl" and it quickly rose to the top of the Billboard charts. It reached number one in both R&B and Pop categories. -
Motown UK Tour
After announcing their new label Tamla Motown Records in the UK, many of Motown's most popular acts toured the UK. -
Hough Riot
This race riot in Cleveland, Ohio, lasted until July 23, 1966. -
Race Riot
A race riot broke out in the streets of Lansing, Michigan. -
Motown and Money
By the end of 1966, Motown grossed $20 million dollars and had expanded to employ 450 people. -
Detroit Race Riot
Reportedly the worst race riot of the era, the Deyroit Race riot caused mass destruction of the city and Detroit never really recovered. There were also many more race riots erupting across the nation at this time. -
Marvin Gaye- "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"
Marvin Gaye's rendition of "I heard it through the Grapevine" reached number one on the Billboard Pop charts. At this time, Motown started taking risks with their lyrics and used them to tackle the issues of the era. -
Edwin Starr- "War"
Edwin Starr releases his lyrically loaded song "War." This extremely controversial song highlighted his distaste for thhe war effort and signals a shift of the nations attention away from civil rights and to the war.
