Black - African American History Facts

Zora Neale Hurston, famed author, died in Durham, NC, on this date in 1960. Hurston is widely known for her contribution to the "Harlem Renaissance."

Harvey B. Gantt enrolled in Clemson University on this date in 1963; breaking segregation in South Carolina, the last state to integrate. Gantt would later become mayor of Charlotte, NC, and a state senatorial candidate.

Arthur Ashe, first black male to win Wimbledon, was denied a visa by South Africa to compete on the U.S. Team for the South African Open tennis championships on this date in 1970. Ashe's denial was due to his sentiments on South Africa's racial policies.

Nearly fifty of the country's top recording artists (USA for AFRICA) gathered to record "We Are the World" on this date in 1985. Led by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Quincy D. Jones, they raised money for famine-stricken Ethiopia.

Black physicist, Ronald McNair, and six other astronauts were killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after lift-off on this date in 1986.

Barack Obama was endorsed by Senator Ted Kennedy, on this date in 2008. Senator Kennedy quotes his brother, President John F. Kennedy, saying: "The world is changing. The old ways will not do. It is time for a new generation of leadership."