On This Day In Black History… July 8th
1783:
The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that slavery was unconstitutional in Commonwealth v. Jennison. It was the third in a series of cases which became known as the Quock Walker cases.
1876:
In the town of Hamburg, South Carolina, where the majority black residents complained of unfair treatment and the minority whites responded with charges of harassment, seething racial animosity culminated in a race riot resulting in five blacks being killed.
1923:
William Harrison Dillard, the only man to ever win Olympic gold medals in both the sprints and hurdles, was born.
1924:
DeHart Hubbard became the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal, leaping 24 feet and 5½ inches in the broad jump.
1943:
Feminist, activist and administrator Faye Wattleton was born. She was also the first African American Director/CEO of Planned Parenthood
1960:
Eight days after independence, the Congolese Army mutinied against Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba’s government.
1966:
Prince Charles Ndizeye of Burundi deposed his father, Mwami Mwambutsa IV, and declared himself king, Mwami Ntare V. He was 19 years old. He was overthrown by Prime Minister Michael Micombero on November 28.
1996:
On the second day of presidential elections (which were rife with gross irregularities), Niger’s ruler, General Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, dissolved the electoral commission and placed his four rival candidates under house arrest.
2000:
Venus Williams won the Wimbledon Tennis Championship, becoming the first black woman to win Wimbledon since tennis pioneer Althea Gibson in 1957 and 1958.
2005:
The gateway to the Middle Passage, U.S. President George W. Bush condemned slavery as “one of the greatest crimes of history” and said slaves ultimately “helped to set America free.”On Gorée Island
