The 1896 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson made segregationist laws permissible anywhere in the United States as long as railroads, streetcars, and other public conveyances provided equal accommodations for blacks and whites. The decision, which served as the constitutional underpinning for the … Read MoreNashville Streetcar Boycott (1905-1907)
Pearl High School, the most prominent black high school in Nashville, Tennessee, for nearly one century, opened its doors in the fall of 1883 on South Summer Street (now Fifth Avenue South). The first public school for blacks in Nashville, it was named after Joshua … Read MorePearl High School (1897-1983)
Walden University was a historically black co-educational college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1865 as a school for freedmen under the sponsorship of northern Methodist Episcopal Church missionaries. In late 1865, the Reverend A.A. Gee and others began classes for freedmen in Andrew … Read MoreWalden University (1865-1925)
Clark Memorial United Methodist Church is the oldest black United Methodist Church (UMC) in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1865 the Methodist Episcopal Church sent Bishop Davis W. Clark to Nashville to reorganize the Negro mission at Andrew Chapel, located on Franklin Street in South Nashville. The … Read MoreClark Memorial United Methodist Church (1865– )
Dr. Charles Victor Roman was an author, physician, historian, medical school professor, and civil rights activist. He was also the first physician of African ancestry from North America to receive training in both ophthalmology and otolaryngology. Roman was born on July 4, 1864, in Williamsport, … Read MoreCharles Victor Roman (1864–1934)
“Image Ownership: Keith Allison” Steve LaTreal McNair was an American football quarterback who played for the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen years with two teams, the Houston/Tennessee Oilers which were renamed the Tennessee Titans, and the Baltimore Ravens. McNair was born on February 14, … Read MoreSteve LaTreal McNair (1973–2009)
“Image Ownership: Fair Use” George Edward Curry was an American journalist who was considered by many of his colleagues the “dean of black press columnists” because of the number of his weekly commentaries which enjoyed wide syndication. Curry was born on February 23, 1947, in … Read MoreGeorge Edward Curry (1947–2016)
The Greensboro Sit-Ins were non-violent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, which lasted from February 1, 1960 to July 25, 1960. The protests led to the Woolworth Department Store chain ending its policy of racial segregation in its stores in the southern United States. The Greensboro … Read MoreGreensboro Sit-Ins (1960)
Allen Ezail Iverson is an American retired professional basketball player who played fourteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played both the point guard and shooting guard positions during his playing time in the NBA. Iverson was born on June 7, 1975, in … Read MoreAllen E. Iverson (1975- )
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)
