#OnThisDay in 1917, Eugene Jacques Bullard became 1st Black American combat pilot, fighting for the French Aéronautique Militaire in WWI. He became one of France’s most decorated war heroes, earning the French Legion of Honor. mississippitoday.org/2025/05/05/1...

#OnThisDay in 1884, crusading journalist Ida B. Wells was riding a train from Memphis to Woodstock TN, when a white railroad conductor ordered her to move to another car. She refused. Dragged off the train, she sued the railroad and won $500. mississippitoday.org/2025/05/04/1...

#OnThisDay in 1850, Shadrach Minkins escaped from slavery and made his way to Boston, where he was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act. Abolitionists helped him escape to Montreal, where he married, had four children and operated his own restaurants. mississippitoday.org/2025/05/03/1...

#OnThisDay in 1964, Klansmen beat 2 Black teens, Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, and drowned them in the Mississippi River. In 2007, a federal jury convicted Klansman James Ford Seale, who received three life sentences and died in prison. mississippitoday.org/2025/05/02/1...

#OnThisDay in 1937, Jackie Ormes became 1st known Black cartoonist whose work was read across US. Her character, Torchy Brown, mirrored the Great Migration, singing and dancing her way from Mississippi to Manhattan. Later featured as a Google Doodle. mississippitoday.org/2025/05/01/1...

#OnThisDay in 1945, “Black Boy,” Richard Wright’s memoir about his upbringing in Roxie, Mississippi, became the #1 selling book in US. Reading became his refuge, and he wrote. His works played a role in changing white Americans’ views on race. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/29/1...

#OnThisDay in 1951, Ruby Hurley opened 1st permanent NAACP office in South. Helped Medgar Evers investigate Emmett Till's murder & helped Autherine Lucy become 1st Black student at University of Alabama. Portrayed in ABC miniseries, “Women of the Movement.” mississippitoday.org/2025/04/28/1...

#OnThisDay in 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois called for active resistance to racist policies, helped found the NAACP & waged protests against the lynchings of Black Americans. He died on the eve of the 1963 March on Washington. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/27/1...

#OnThisDay in 1964, civil rights activists started Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to challenge the state’s all-white regular delegation to the DNC. Freedom Dems said the all-white delegation was illegally elected. Their stand led to changes in both parties. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/26/1...

#OnThisDay in 1959, days before trial, Mack Charles Parker, 23, a Black truck driver, was lynched in Poplarville, Mississippi. The white mob dragged him from jail, shot him, weighed him down with chains & dumped his body in the river. No one was ever prosecuted. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/25/1...

#OnThisDay in 1960, a mob attacked 125 protesters after they walked onto “whites-only” Biloxi Beach, and police arrested them. The Justice Department sued the city of Biloxi for barring Black Americans from these nationally funded beaches. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/24/1...

#OnThisDay in 1963, postal worker William Lewis Moore began a one-man march against segregation from Chattanooga to Mississippi’s capital. A Klansman gunned him down in Attala, Alabama, before he could deliver a letter to Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/23/1...

#OnThisDay in 1892, civil rights pioneer Vernon Johns was born in Darlington Heights VA. In 1948, the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery hired Johns, but he butted heads when he pressed civil rights issues. In 1953, he resigned. His successor? #MLK. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/22/1...

#OnThisDay in 1966, Milton Olive III became 1st Black soldier awarded Medal of Honor in Vietnam. On Oct. 22, 1965, he fell on an enemy grenade to protect his fellow soldiers. “The most incredible display of selfless bravery I ever witnessed,” the commander said. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/21/1...

Congrats to the @mississippitoday.org team of Mukta Joshi, @jmitchellnews.bsky.social, Brian Howey & Nate Rosenfield whose reporting in partnership with @nytimes.com this month won second prize in the Collier Awards & was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize. ethicsandjournalism.org/2026/04/20/n...

#OnThisDay in 1939, legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday recorded “Strange Fruit,” called “the first significant protest in words and music, the first unmuted cry against racism.” The song sold 1M+ copies. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/20/1...

#OnThisDay in 1977, Alex Haley was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize for “Roots.” When the adaptation aired, 85% of US households watched the miniseries, which received 36 Emmy nominations and won 9. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/19/1...

#OnThisDay in 1863, Charlotte Brown took a seat on the “whites-only” streetcar & refused to move. Forced off the streetcar, she sued & won. Her victories paved the way to end racial discrimination on streetcars in San Francisco & beyond. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/17/1...

#OnThisDay in 1947, Jackie Robinson became the 1st Black player in #MLB in the 20th century. Active in Civil Rights Movement. 1st Black TV analyst in #MLB & 1st Black VP of major American corporation. Awarded #POTUS Medal of Freedom & Congressional Gold Medal. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/15/1...

#OnThisDay in 1952, Ralph Ellison’s novel, “Invisible Man,” confronted many issues facing Black Americans and became the first by a Black author to win the National Book Award. Time magazine called it one of the best English-language novels of the 20th century. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/14/1...

#OnThisDay in 1873, the KKK & others killed up to 150 Black men in the Colfax Massacre. Federal prosecutors convicted 3 killers, but the Supreme Court tossed out the convictions, ending Reconstruction in Louisiana. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/13/1...

#OnThisDay in 1864, a massacre took place when a Confederate cavalry attacked Fort Pillow. According to survivors’ accounts, Confederates continued to fire at Union soldiers and bayonet the mostly Black soldiers, even after they surrendered. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/12/1...

#OnThisDay in 1968, LBJ signed a new Civil Rights Act, paving the way for federal prosecution for interfering with voting, working, attending school or acting as a juror. The new law included the Fair Housing Act, which barred racial discrimination in housing. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/11/o...

#OnThisDay in 1967, Fannie Lou Hamer, Unita Blackwell & others testified about poverty in the Mississippi Delta as U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy & others listened. He toured the Delta & saw malnutrition similar to Third World countries. Legislation followed. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/10/1...

#OnThisDay in 1962, Cpl. Roman Ducksworth Jr., a Black military police officer, was traveling home for his child's birth. He was asleep on the bus when he arrived in Taylorsville MS. A white police officer killed him, perhaps believing he was a Freedom Rider. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/09/1...

#OnThisDay in 1918, the “Harlem Hellfighters” joined the French Army in battling German forces. 1st Black regiment to fight in WWI. 171 received the Legion of Honor for bravery, 2 received the Croix de Guerre for heroism. Honored with parade on NYC’s 5th Avenue. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/08/1...

#OnThisDay in 1915, Billie Holiday was born in Baltimore & became one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. She became the 1st Black female singer to work with a white orchestra. Her recording of “Strange Fruit” drew both controversy & popularity. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/07/o...

#OnThisDay in 1909, Matthew Henson reached the North Pole, planting the American flag. “As I stood there on top of the world ... I felt profoundly grateful that I had the honor of representing my race.” mississippitoday.org/2025/04/06/o...

#OnThisDay in 1856, Booker T. Washington was born in Hale’s Ford VA. Became a leading voice from the last generation of those once enslaved. His autobiography, “Up From Slavery,” remained the most popular Black biography until “The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” mississippitoday.org/2025/04/05/o...

#OnThisDay in 1928, author and activist Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis. Her memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” became a bestseller. Three years before she died in 2014, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/04/1...

#OnThisDay in 1968, #MLK delivered his last speech, supporting 1,300+ striking sanitation workers in Memphis: “Masses of people are rising up ... the cry is always the same — ‘We want to be free.’” He was assassinated the next day. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/03/o...

#OnThisDay in 1855, John Mercer Langston became 1st Black public official in the US. Helped draft Civil Rights Act of 1875, founded the law school at Howard University and became the first Black Virginian to serve in Congress. His great-nephew? Langston Hughes. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/02/o...

#OnThisDay in 1935, the “Great Debaters” of Wiley College of Marshall TX defeated national champion, USC. The victory meant a defeat for scientific racism. After the 2007 film, Denzel Washington donated $1M to Wiley, which won the national championship. mississippitoday.org/2025/04/01/o...

#OnThisDay in 1870, one day after the ratification of the 15th Amendment, Thomas Mundy Peterson of Perth Amboy NJ became the first Black American to vote in an election under that amendment. NJ now honors his historic vote each March 31. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/31/o...

#OnThisDay in 1941, CBS aired the 1st hour-long network radio show with an all-Black cast. Until then, Black performers were often barred from radio. In 1948, President Truman announced he was abolishing racial discrimination in the armed forces. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/30/1...

#OnThisDay in 1973, Tom Bradley became mayor of Los Angeles — the first Black mayor of a predominantly white major city in the U.S. In 1982, he fell short of becoming California’s first Black governor in 1982. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/29/1...

#OnThisDay in 1968, #MLK led a march of sanitation workers in Memphis. It was his last march. “You are reminding, not only Memphis, but you are reminding the nation that it is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.” mississippitoday.org/2025/03/28/1...

#OTD in 1961, 9 Black students from Tougaloo College entered the all-white Jackson Municipal Library and sat down. Police arrested them. The sit-in inspired other protests. Photos of the Tougaloo Nine now hang in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/27/1...

#onthisday in 1964, #MLK & Malcolm X met for the only time. “Malcolm represented the city, while King fought for the rights of the rural poor. Both men were dynamic speakers and intellectuals. And both, sadly, were assassinated at the age of 39.” mississippitoday.org/2025/03/26/o...

#OnThisDay in 1965, the KKK shot into the car of Viola Gregg Liuzzo 14 times, killing her. She had just taken part in the Selma march. A statue of her now stands in Detroit, honoring her courage. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/25/1...

Mississippi Department of Public Safety officials have found a cache of KKK materials: a handbook for the White Knights of the KKK, a Klan robe, charters, recruitment materials, propaganda, meeting notes, ledgers and a list of who paid (or didn't pay) dues. mississippitoday.org/2026/03/24/k...

#OnThisDay in 1912, civil rights & women's rights activist Dorothy Irene Height was born in Richmond VA. She helped organize the 1963 March on Washington but wasn't allowed to speak. In 1994, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A decade later, she received the Congressional Gold Medal.

#OnThisDay in 1964, Johnnie Mae Chappell was walking to a store in Jacksonville FL to buy her children ice cream when she realized she had dropped her wallet. 4 white men spotted her searching & killed her. The alleged triggerman served only 3 years behind bars. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/23/o...

#OTD in 1956, #MLK was found guilty of violating boycott law in Montgomery. His lawyers outlined abuse toward Black riders, but judge found King guilty. He appealed, & judge converted $1K fine to a year in jail. He vowed to keep “using the weapon of love.” mississippitoday.org/2025/03/22/1...

#OnThisDay in 1965, protesters, led by #MLK, began a march from Selma to the state Capitol at Montgomery to bring attention to Alabama officials preventing Black Americans from registering to vote. At the time, only 2% of the Black population in Dallas County and 0% in Lowndes County could vote.

#HappyBirthday Spike Lee! He helped pioneer indy film and changed how Black characters were depicted in film. Roger Ebert called Lee’s “Malcolm X” “one of the great screen biographies.” He finally won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for “BlacKkKlansman.” mississippitoday.org/2025/03/20/1...

#OTD in 1966, Texas Western, 1st NCAA champs to have 5 Black starters, defeated the top-ranked, all-white University of Kentucky team. KY Coach swore a Black team would never beat his team. Texas Western showed him otherwise, defeating KY & racism. #MarchMadness mississippitoday.org/2025/03/19/1...

#OnThisDay in 1968, #MLK wept at what he saw in Marks, Mississippi. Tears came to his eyes when he saw a teacher slicing a single apple to feed lunch to students. He encouraged those in Marks and others to force the nation’s leaders to tackle poverty. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/18/1...

Myrlie Evers is celebrating her 93rd birthday today. She successfully pushed for the prosecution of the killer of her husband, Medgar Evers. In 1995, she chaired the national NAACP, helping rescue the civil rights organization from the brink of bankruptcy. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/17/1...

#OnThisDay in 1960, Black students staged sit-ins at whites-only lunch counters in eight downtown stores in Savannah, Georgia. Police hauled them to jail, and protesters boycotted city businesses and led voter registration drives that brought changes. mississippitoday.org/2025/03/16/1...