The death of Freddie Gray in 2015 while in police custody brought increased attention to the national debate on interactions between law enforcement and African Americans and inspired the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. Freddie Gray Jr. was born on August 16, 1989, in Baltimore, … Read MoreFreddie Gray Jr. (1989-2015)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" The shooting death of twelve-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014 brought increased attention to the national debate on interactions between police officers and African Americans. Tamir Elijah Rice was born to Samaria Rice and Leonard Warner on June 15, 2002, in Cleveland, … Read MoreTamir Elijah Rice (2002–2014)
The choking death of Eric Garner on video in 2014 helped bring the debate on interactions between white police officers and unarmed African Americans to the national forefront. Eric Garner was born on September 15, 1970, in New York City, New York. Garner, whose mother … Read MoreEric Garner (1970–2014)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" With his death in 2014, eighteen-year-old Michael Brown’s name became synonymous with the growing Black Lives Matter movement and a nationwide debate about unarmed black men being fatally shot by law enforcement. Michael Brown Jr. was born on May 20, 1996, … Read MoreMichael Brown Jr. (1996–2014)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" With his tragic death in 2012, seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin became the first catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement. Trayvon Benjamin Martin was born to Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin in Florida on February 5, 1995. Fulton and Martin separated … Read MoreTrayvon Benjamin Martin (1995–2012)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Marcus Foster was an educator who gained national prominence for educational excellence while serving as a principal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and as the first black superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District in California. Known as a titan in the areas … Read MoreMarcus A. Foster (1923–1973)
"Image Ownership: Public Domain" Clementa Carlos "Clem" Pinckney, was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) pastor, South Carolina State Senator, and rising star in the national Democratic Party. On June 17, 2015, he and eight local black leaders were assassinated in Charleston, South Carolina, during Bible … Read MoreClementa C. Pinckney (1973-2015)
Image Ownership: Public Domain The slave ship Zong departed the coast of Africa on 6 September 1781 with 470 slaves. Since this human chattel was such a valuable commodity at that time, many captains took on more slaves than their ships could accommodate in order … Read MoreThe Zong Massacre (1781)
Image Ownership: Public Domain The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing took place on September, 15 1963. Four young girls, Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins, were killed in the racially motivated attack by the Ku Klux Klan against an African American … Read MoreBirmingham Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing (1963)
Image courtesy of ©Bettmann-Corbis The Orangeburg Massacre took place in Orangeburg, South Carolina at South Carolina State University on February 8th, 1968. This horrific incident which ended with three young men, Samuel Hammond, Henry Smith, and Delano Middleton, killed and 27 other students wounded, was … Read MoreOrangeburg Massacre (1968)