Events
Census of 1960, U.S. population: 179,323,175,
Black population: 18,871,831 (10.6 percent)On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina Agricultural
and Technical College in Greensboro begin a sit-in at Woolworth's Drug
Store to protest company policy which bans African Americans from sitting
at its counters.The Civil Rights Act of 1960 is signed into law
by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on May 6.
The Act established federal inspection of local voter
registration rolls and introduces penalties for anyone
who obstructs a citizen's attempt to register to vote or
to cast a ballot.On Nov. 8, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy defeats
Vice President Richard Nixon in one of the closest elections
in history. Many observers credit African American voters
with Kennedy's narrow margin of victory.On May 4, seven blacks and four whites leave Washington, D.C.,
for the Deep South on the first Freedom Ride for the Congress
of Racial Equality (CORE)On October 1, James Meredith becomes the
first black student to enroll at the University
of Mississippi. On the day he enters the University,
he is escorted by U.S. marshals after federal troops
are sent in to suppress rioting and maintain orderMartin Luther King, Jr. writes his
"Letter from a Birmingham Jail" on April 16On May 3, Birmingham police use dogs and fire
hoses to attack civil rights demonstrators.Despite Governor George Wallace's vow to block the schoolhouse
door to prevent their enrollment on June 11, Vivian Malone and James Hood
register for classes at the University of Alabama. They are the first African
American students to attend the universityOver 200,000 people gather in Washington, D.C.
on August 28 as part of the March on Washington,
an unprecedented demonstration demanding civil
rights and equal opportunity for African Americans.
Dr. Martin Luther King delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech hereWendell Oliver Scott became the first black drive
to win a major NASCAR race, the Grand National
(now Winston Cup) raceMarian Anderson and Ralph Bunche are the first black
winners of the Presidential Medal of FreedomThe Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
organizes the Mississippi Freedom Summer ProjectOn February 25, Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali)
wins the first of three world heavyweight championships
in a bout with Sonny Liston in Miami, FloridaSidney Poitier wins the Academy Award for Best Actor
for his performance in the film, "Lilies of the Field."
He is the first African American male actor to win
in that categoryOn March 12, Malcolm X announces his
break with the Nation of Islam and his
founding of the Muslim Mosque in Harlem.On June 28 Malcolm X founds the Organization of
Afro-American Unity in New York CityThe Civil Rights Act of 1964 is passed by Congress on July 2.
The act bans discrimination in all public accommodations
and by employers. It also establishes the Equal Opportunity
Employment Commission (EEOC) to monitor compliance with the lawMalcolm X is assassinated at the Audubon
Ballroom in the Washington Heights section
of Manhattan, New York on February 21In March, the White House releases
"The Negro Family: The Case for National Action,"
popularly known as the Moynihan ReportMaulana Karenga founds the black
nationalist organization US in Los Angeles
following the Watts UprisingOn January 25th Constance Baker Motley is appointed
by President Lyndon Baines Johnson to the Federal
Bench in New York City. She becomes the first African
American woman elevated to a Federal judgeship
Comments