Newspaper Page Text
1950-1960
Despite the example set by the military in the 1940’5, integration
for the general populus was still not a reality at the beginning of the
following decade. The precedent set by Plessy vs. Ferguson in the late
1800's still stood, and African American education was the hardest
hit. Segregation left most black schools with substandard books,
equipment, and instructional materials. It wasn't until 1954 that
that began to change.
Thurgood Marshall 1908-1993
Possibly the most consequential and pivotal case of the century,
Brown vs. Board of Education ,is the most renowned case of Marshall’s
career. With it he changed the nation, and pushed society to bring
better, equal education to the black community.
Born in Baltimore, Marshall's mischievous childhood made him
very familiar with the law: “Instead of making us copy out stuffon the
blackboard after school when we misbehaved, our teacher sent us
down into the basement o learn parts of the constitution,” Marshall
commented during an interview. “l made my way through every
paragraph.” |
In 1933 Marshall graduated first in his class from Howard Univer
sity Law School. After leaving Howard, he entered private practice
in Baltimore, and in 1936 he started working for the NAACP.
Including Brown vs. Board of Education, Marshall argued 32 cases
before the supreme court, he won 29. In 1961 President Kennedy
appointed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit of
New York. Six years later he became the first African American to
serve as a US Supreme Court Justice. He retired from that position
in 1991 1
|
“It 1s the poor and members of minority groups who are least able‘
to voice their complaints against capital punishment. Their impo
tence leaves them victims of a sanction that the wealthier, better
represented, just-as-guilty person can escape. So long as the capital
sanction is used only against the forlorn, easily forgotten members of
society, legislators are content to maintain the status quo.”
~Thurgood Marshall, concurring opinion in Furman v. Georgia
(1972)
Highlights:
1950 - Ralph Bunche is first black awarded Nobel Peace Prize. All
black infantry recaptures Yeck, On - symbolizing first victory of the
Korean conflict.
1952 - Tuskegee Institute report fails to issue any reports of black
lynchings, first time in 71 years.
1955 - Rosa Parks refuses to move to back of bus, prompting start
of Montgomery bus boycott
1956 - Supreme Court upholds lower court decision to ban segrega
tion on Montgomery, Ala. buses.
1957 - First black students attend Central High School in Little
Rock, Ark , backed by federal troops issued by President Eisenhower.
1958 - Martin L. King Jr. stabbed in chest by black woman while
autographing books in Harlem, NY.
1959 Lotraine Hansberry's “Raisin In the Sun” Becomes first play
by black woman to play Bréadway, and wins New York Drama Critics
Award William “Count” Basie is first black to win Grammy award.
1970-1980
TRANSITION
The Vietnam War ended in 1972, and would forever change the
African American community’s perspective toward war, and the
racially discriminate exploitation of the black community by the
United States Armed Forces. While blacks felt under represented in
the military during previous conflicts, their draft and recruitment
numbers were disproportionately high during the Vietnam conflict.
At the time, African Americans made up about 9.3 percent of the
military, but 15 percent of the infantrymen serving in the war were
black, and in 1967 64 percent of eligible blacks were drafted, by
contrast only 31 percent of eligible whites were drafted. By the end
of the war 7,115 black troops had died in the conflict. That number
represented 12 2 percent of the total Americans that died in the war.
Highlights:
1970 - U.S. Supreme Court reverses Ali decision; fight staged
between Ali and Jerry Quarry in Atlanta.
1971 - Marvin Gaye releases epic ‘What's Goin’ On LP, Joe Frazier
defeats Muhammad Ali on March 8 at Madison Square Garden.
1972 - Benjamin Lawson Hooks appointed first black commissioner
of Federal Communications Commission.
1973 - Coleman Young elected first black mayor of Detroit; Thomas
Bradley elected mayor of Los Angeles.
1974 - Henry “Hank” Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s all-time home run
mark. Ends career with 755. Hazel Garland becomes first woman to
head nationally circulated newspaper in U.S., the Pittsburgh Cou
rier,
1975 - Demonstrations occur in Boston against school busing; a
black man is stabbed with point of American flag; photo appears
worldwide. Wally Amos is first black to open cookie-only retail store.
1976 - Paul Robeson, scholar, author, actor, athlete, dies in Phila
delphia.
1977 - Alberta Hunter is first black to record best-selling LP at age
83. b
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ma-sup—cmmum:érnwmmu;
is the victim of reverse discrimiaation, precedent for future
challenges against Affirmative Action. ‘
1979 -In October, Richard Arrington Jr. elected first black mayor
M”hflh* e "ia Asseml ,‘}a, G AN
1960-1970
BLACK POWER (THE CIVIL RIGHTS PUSH)
The push towards civil rights
began in the late 1950'5: the Mont
gomery, Alabama bus boycott lead
by Martin Luther King Jr , started
by Rosa Parks; the Civil Rights
voting act of 1957, federal troops
forcing the integration of public
schools in Little Rock, Arkansas;
the beginning of student sit-ins.
But it wasn't until the 1960’s that
massive networks of student pro
test groups like SNCC (student
non-violent co-ordinating commit
tee), or political and social groups
like the Black Panthers, and pro
lific leaders like King and Malcolm
X began to harness the power of a
collective voice, and unified,
strong protest.
Martin Luther King Jr.
The bravery, strategic genius,
and articulate inspiration used
by Martin Luther King Jr., to
unify, and strengthen the black
community are clearly unparal
leled. Though he was criticized
by many as too passive, his tactics
of non-violent aggression ( passive
resistance) managed to pull hun
dreds of blacks (and several
whites) into a movement that
changed their lives, and the views
of millions around the world to
ward black life, and the concept of
passive resistance.
King was educated at
Morehouse, Crozier Theological
Seminary,and Boston University.
In 1954 he became the pastor of
Dexter Avenne Baptist Church in
Montgomery. The following year
he was chosen to lead the Mont
gomery, Alabama bus boycott. As
his presence as a civil nghts leader
grew, he formulated a method of
passive .aggressivism that he
1980-1990
PLAYING POLITICS
The civil gights mavements of
the '6os, and the increased societal
awareness of the "70s, paved the
way for the growing black middle
class of the 'Bos. This decade
brought self-indulgence, increas
ing prosperity, and wealthy ambi
tions, for middle class America,
and African Americans started fil
tering more and more into the
mainstream, increasing their in
volvement in business, and poli
tics. An increasing number of Afri
can Americans are breaking
bounds in local government, and
even more are making their voices
heard nationally
Jesse Jackson b. 1941
Easily one of the most prolific,
moving, nationally renowned black
political activists of our time, Rev
erend Jesse Jackson, increased
public interest in politics, not only
for African Americans, but for all
Americans.
During is bid for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 84 and
'BB, Jackson galvanized unprec
edented black participation in the
primaries. His draw to the poles
renewed African American faith in
importance of voting, a system in
1990-2000
A DECADE OF CONTRADICTIONS
The economic boom of the '9os
has brought prosperity to all parts
of America, including the African
American community. Increasing
black achievement in politics, medi
nology, has made the black societal
contribution more vital than ever
in the century. Doctors like Irene
Duhart Long, who is the current
chief of NASA's Medical Environ
mental Health Office, have broken
both race and gender barniers; Ti
ger Woods became the first African
American to win a major golf tour
nament, inspiring many young ath
letes (both black and white) to pick
up a golf club. But while many
insurmountable strides are con
tinuously achieved, incidents like
the beating of black moterist
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gusta Alfaigle Davis; or
7 Soo -
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
wrote about in Stride Toward
Freedomin 1958 Five vears later
hedelivered his historical “1 Have
a Dream Speech,” in Washington,
D.C. The following vear he won
the Nobel Peace Prize, and began
moving his civil rights activities
further north, protestingthe U S
involvement in the Vietnam War
He was assassinate in Memphis,
Tennessee in 1968
Huey Percy Newton and
Bobby Seale
Often remembered solely for its
militancy, the Black Panther Party,
started by two college students
Huey Percy Newton and Bobby
Seale in Oakland, California, of
fered an alternative to voung, ur
ban African Americans of the de
cade who were secking a faster,
more aggressive political stance
against civil nghts injustice.
The group was one of the first to
hold organized confrontations
against the pohice department, ac
tively patrolling Calitornia streets
which much of the African Amen
can commumty lost confidence. In
1988 his Rainbow Coalition won
nine state primaries, and seven
million votes.
But Jackson's strong political and
social involvement in the African
Amenrican community began well
before the 'Bos, and has continued
long after. Jackson joined CORE
(Congress Of Racial Equality)when
hewas astudent at North Carolina
A&T. After graduation he became
a Baptist minister in 1965, and
worked with Martin Luther King
Jr., from 1966 to 1971 He founded
PUSH (People United to Save Hu
manity) in 1971, to fight drugs,
teenage pregnancy, and violence
in the black community
He also played a key role in hos
tage negotiation, organizing the
release of prisoners in the Middle
East and Cuba In May of this year
he traveled to Yugoslavia and ne
gotiated with Slobodan Milosevic,
for the release of three U S prison
ers of war.
“l was born in a slum, but the
slum was not born in me. And it
wasn't born in you, and vou can
make it. Wherever you are to
night, you can make it. Hold vour
head high, stick vour chest out
the racial separation caused by the
O.J. Simpson trial verdict. remind
usofthe reality of WEB. Du Bois's
prediction at the beginning of the
century that “the problem of the
20th century will be the problem of
the color line ™
*1990 - South African leader
Nelson Mandela released from
prison.
*1991 - Rodney King is beaten by
a group of white policemen 1n Los
Angeles; Clarence Thomas nomi
nated to Supreme Court.
*1992 - Dr. Mae C. Jemison is
first black female astronaut in
" orpnosd dybenyoyloy
group record at top of
Billboard's Hot 100 chart; sur
passes Elvis Presley with longest
JAUGUSTA FOCUS
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Malcolm X
with guns, to ensure that urban
blacks were not being unjustly bru
talized These patrols lead to a
number of clashes, and ultimately
the arrest and impnsonment of
party co-founder Huey Newton
Newton was charged with killing a
California police officer, but was
later released.
But contrary to popular belief,
the group stood for more than
armed self defense and black na
tionalism_ By the late 1960's the
group was heavily involved in
community economic develop
ment, educational initiatives, and
voter registration drives. The
Panther's presented a 10 point
program, that concluded with the
statement “We want land, bread,
housing, clothing, justice, peace,
and people’'s commumty control
of modern technology ™
Highlights
1960 - President John F
Kennedy elected President, rais
ing hope for black Americans; first
You can make it. It gets dark
sometimes, but the morning comes.
Suffering breeds character. Char
acterbreedsfaith. Intheend, faith
will not disappoint.”
—Jesse Jackson, address at the
Democratic National Convention
July 17, 1984
Highlights:
*1980: The National Conference
for a Black Agenda brings together
athousand African Amencan lead
ers for discussion of political and
social issues.
Riots break out in Miami after
the shooting of an African Amen
can by a police officer.
Robert Johnson founds Black
Entertainment Television (BET),
the first black-owned company to
be histed in the New York Stock
Exchange.
*1981: More than 300,000 dem
onstrators from labor and avil
rights organizations protest the
Reagan Administration's assault
on affirmative action, school segre
gation and other civil rights pro
grams in Washington D.C
*1983: Harold Washington be
comes Chicago's first black mayor
Col. Guion S. Buford Jr. is the
first African-American astronaut
to orbit the Earth in the space
running pop single “End of the
Road”) of rock era.
*1993 - David Satcher becomes
first black appeinted director of
Centers for Disease Control, and 1s
currently Surgeon General.
*1994 - Alfred Sharpton Jr. ap
pears in support of Nelson
Mandela's arrival at White House
Manon Barry wine fourth term as
Washington, D.C. mayor.
*1995 - California assemblyman
Willie Brown defeats incumbent,
and elected San Francisco mayor.
In October, Louis Farrakhan spon
sors Million Man March. Ben
Chawvis and Farrakhan have meet
ing of minds, combining NAACP
with Nation of Islam in dialogue.
#1996 - Carl Stokes, former
_DECEMBER 30 1999
sit-in achieves results, thanks to
North Carolina A&T students 2t
Woolwerth's lunch counter.
1961 - Black Amenican and Af
sion to demonstrate slaying of
Congo Premier Patnice Lumumba.
1963 - March on Washington
Jr. as spiritual leader, in Novem
ber, President Kennedy killed,
curbing tide of black hope, Medgar
Evers also killed
1964 - Sidney Poitier is first
black man to win Oscar as best
actor of vear
1965 - Malcolm X killed by as
sassins bullets; Bill Cosby be
comes first black co-star on net
work TV, I Spy
1966 - Riots devastate south
central (Watts) section of Los
Angeles
1967 - Newark, N.J and De
troit swept by wave of inner-city
rots. First African-American as
tronaut, Ma; Robert H Lawrence,
was killed during training
1968 - Dr_ King assassinated in
Memphis, Tenn ~ Robert F
Kennedy shot after winning Cali
fornia primary, while campaign
ing for Presidency
1969 - Man reaches the moon;
Woodstock features Jimi Hendrix,
Sly & The Family Stone, James
Charles Evers elected black mayor
of racially mixed Mississippi town,
Favette
shuttle Challenger
*Vanessa Williams is the first
black Miss Amenica.
* Alhice Walker wins the Pulitzer
Prize for The Color Purple
*1984° Shirley Chisolm founds
the National Political Caucus of
Black Women
The Cosby Show premiers on
NBC
*1987 Kurt Schmoke becomes
Baltimore's first Afnican Amen
can mayor
*Johnetta Cole becomes the first
black female president of Spelman’
College
Ben Carson Gains international
stardom after successfully sepa
rating a pair of Siamese twins
joined at the back of the head
*1988: Carl Lewis, Florence
Gniffith~Joyner, and Jackie Joyner-
Kersee dominate track and fieid
events at the Seoul Olympics i
*1989- General Colin L. Powell=
becomes the first African Amen- .
can chair of the Joint Chiefs of .
Staff David Dinkins s elected as®
the first black mayor of New York
City.
L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia
becomes the first Afnican Amen
can elected to govern a state.
mayor from 1967 to 1971. '
*1997 - Eldrick “Tiger™ W '
wins Masters golf tournament in%
Augusta, Ga . first black and ‘
est person ever to win coveted |
*1998 - Michael Jordan retires
after winning sixth NBA basket~ {
_— "
*1999 - Celebrity deaths include™
Wilt Chamberlain, Milt Jackson,:"
Grover Washington Jr. and Curtis
Mayfield. o
*2OOO - Lt Cmdr. Robert L.
Curbeam Jr. is first African-Ameni
can astronaut assigned to work on
international space station. Flight
scheduled for summer 2000.
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