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Beginning of World War II and the Tuskegee Airmen Case
By World War II, more than 3 million African Americans signed up to fight during the conflict, of which nearly half a million saw action in battle. According to the War Department, African-American and white soldiers were separated into two different units. The Tuskegee Airmen became the first African-American airmen in the U.S. Armed Forces and had engagements against German and Italian troops. -
Jackie Robinson's stardom
Jackie Robinson joined the Kansas City Monarchs in 1947. In those days segregation also affected the sport in a big way, since there were two leagues depending on your race. Robinson was signed to an MLB contract. Robinson not only became the first black person to play in the Major Leagues, but he also became a star. This generated a great impact on the sports society and it began to normalize that the races came together, not only in baseball, but also in basketball and tennis. -
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This was done in Paris, France, but generated great impact in the United States. It is also important to mention that a year earlier the Cold War had begun, so it would have a great impact on it. -
The European Convention on Human Rights is adopted by the Council of Europe.
The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, better known as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), was adopted by the Council of Europe on November 4, 1950 and entered into force in 1953. -
Rosa Parks' Montgomery Bus Boycott
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks entered a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The driver urged her to leave her seat for a white man. Rosa refused knowing that there would be consequences. She was arrested and fined, soon after which a boycott of the bus service in the city took place against the racial segregation of which millions of African-Americans across the country were victims. -
Faubus vs Eisenhower
However, President Dwight Eisenhower removed all doubts in 1957 by setting an example. Orval Faubus, Governor of Arkansas, mobilized the National Guard to prevent nine African-American students from entering the school. Faubus made the determination to close the schools, but a court eventually overturned his decision. Apart from the war against socialism there was also the Cold War, and it was in this decade that the United States tested a hydrogen bomb in the Marshall Islands. -
March on Washington: "I have a dream".
August 28, 1963, became one of the defining moments in the struggle for civil rights. Some 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., the state capital, in a peaceful march for jobs and freedom. The closing speaker was Martin Luther King, who delivered an eloquent speech that went down in history with the famous phrase "I have a dream". -
Selma's march to Montgomery
A year later, Martin Luther King made Selma, a town in the state of Alabama, his main target. Only 2 percent of the town's African Americans were registered to vote, while the Governor of Alabama was staunchly opposed to anti-segregation measures. A young African-American man was killed by law enforcement officers at a demonstration in Marion. On March 7, the demonstrators were again met by law enforcement, who responded by using whips and gas canisters against the crowd. -
The assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis
On April 4, 1968, the city of Memphis witnessed a horrific event that would change history for the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King was assassinated, which generated great commotion because a white man was the main suspect. This came about while there was a lot of movement in the southern part of Vietnam. -
Force in motion
In this decade, the movement gained considerable strength due to the events of the past decade. The same happened at the international level. Although the movement gained strength, no major events took place. We could also see how the United States and the Soviet Union had several approaches. -
United States and the Soviet Union
The United States and the Soviet Union sign agreement at the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. -
Shirley Chisholm's candidacy for the presidency
In the 1970s, the struggle for racial equality coincided with a new trend that also sought equal rights for all people. At a time when the two converged, Shirley Chisholm emerged as the standard-bearer who brought the two together with the greatest possible goal: the Presidency of the United States. -
The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR)
The ACHPR article states that "freedom of conscience and profession, and the free practice of religion shall be guaranteed. -
War conflict
Yuri Andropov announces an increase in the number of missiles aimed at the United States. -
The Oprah Winfrey Show is born
One African-American woman managed to break down all barriers and become an indispensable figure for many American families: Oprah Winfrey. In 1984, she was part of a talk show in Chicago until two years later she got her spot on the programming grid. The Oprah Winfrey Show was born and the public was about to experience a revolution at the hands of an African-American woman who could speak naturally and fluently about a wide variety of current affairs. -
The end of the Cold War
In 1991, the cold war ended. The 45-year confrontation between the West and the USSR ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. -
The Los Angeles Riots
An African-American citizen caused a disturbance in 1992, and the police took somewhat aggressive action against him. The images were recorded and went around the world, while tension grew in Los Angeles, where the African-American community had long been denouncing police brutality and abuses of authority committed by officers against black people. -
Million Man March
With an unwavering desire to bring together as many African-American men as possible, Louis Farrakhan organized in October 1995 one of the largest demonstrations the city of Washington DC has ever seen. His purpose was clear: to demonstrate, out of a sense of solidarity and personal responsibility, a renewed spirit of black men for the betterment and empowerment of black men in society.