Black - African American History Facts

Dr. Mordecai Wyatt Johnson, educator and the first black President of Howard University, was born in Paris, TN, on this date in 1890.

James Farmer, co-founder and National Director of CORE, was born on this date in 1920.

In the case of Sipuel v. Oklahoma, the Supreme Court ruled on this date in 1948, that a state must allow blacks to study law at state institutions. Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher had previously been barred from the University of Oklahoma Law School.

Lorraine Hansberry, dramatist and author, died in New York City on this date in 1965. Her play, A Raisin in the Sun, was the first play written by a black woman to be performed on Broadway.

The Harlem Globetrotters played their 20,000th game in Remington, IN, on this date in 1998. The Globetrotters were organized in 1926 and have since played to over 100 million people in over 100 countries.