The following are short descriptions of major events which have contributed to the shaping of African American history. These encyclopedia entries serve as a starting point for much more inclusive descriptions and discussions that appear in other sources. For additional information please consult the print or website sources cited in the entry.
The Albany Movement was a desegregation campaign formed on November 17, 1961, in Albany, Georgia. Local activists from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Ministerial Alliance, the Federation of Woman’s Clubs, and the Negro … Read MoreThe Albany Movement (1961–1962)
The Pearsall Plan was North Carolina’s response to the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. Most southern states, including Alabama, Virginia, and South Carolina, immediately and defiantly resisted the ruling, … Read MoreThe Pearsall Plan (1956-1966)
The Nashville Sit-Ins were among the earliest non-violent direct action campaigns that targeted Southern racial segregation in the 1960s. The sit-ins, which lasted from February 13 to May 10, 1960, sought to desegregate downtown lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. The protests were coordinated by the … Read MoreNashville Sit-Ins (1960)
In mid-July 1963, approximately 200 African American youth met in downtown Americus, Georgia, to peacefully protest local segregation. After sanctioning violent attacks by a white mob, police moved in to arrest the young protesters. While some protesters were shortly released, 35 African American girls found … Read MoreThe Leesburg Stockade “Stolen Girls” (1963)
Freedom Summer (June-August, 1964) was a nonviolent effort by civil rights activists to integrate Mississippi’s segregated political system. It began late in 1963 when the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) decided to recruit several hundred northern college students, … Read MoreFreedom Summer (1964)
Memorial Day is time to remember and honor the troops who have defended the principles underlying the foundations of the United States of America, in conflict after conflict. There were individuals in each of the conflicts who overcame great obstacles to serve and to be … Read MoreMemorial Day: A History of Honor and Service by Black Troops
The race riot in Washington, D.C. was one of more than twenty that took place during the “Red Summer” of 1919. Lasting a total of only four days, this short-lived riot was more accurately described as a “race war” taking place in the nation’s capital. … Read MoreWashington, D.C. Race Riot (1919)
The Knoxville Race Riot in Knoxville, Tennessee, was one of several race riots that took place in the “Red Summer” of 1919. The so-called “Red Summer” of 1919 was a series of violent riots, predominantly whites against blacks, which lasted from May until October of … Read MoreKnoxville Race Riot (1919)
The race riot of Charleston, South Carolina in 1919 was a part of a series of race riots that year, known as the “Red Summer.” The migration of blacks out of the south, the end of World War I, the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the … Read MoreCharleston, South Carolina Race Riot (1919)
When the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect January 1, 1863 African American soldiers in the Union Army had been fighting the Confederacy along the South Carolina coast for nearly a year. On January 1, these soldiers assembled with their families to celebrate. Their commander, Colonel … Read MoreJanuary 1, 1863: When New Year’s Day Meant Freedom
