Arts Culture
14 facts
Frederick Douglass Delivers "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?"
Frederick Douglass delivered his famous speech questioning the meaning of Independence Day for enslaved people.
Ida B. Wells Born
Journalist and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
James Baldwin Born
Novelist, essayist, and civil rights commentator James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York.
Bob Marley Born
Reggae legend Bob Marley was born in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica.
Alex Haley Born
Author Alex Haley, who wrote "Roots" and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," was born in Ithaca, New York.
Phillis Wheatley Published
Phillis Wheatley became the first African American and one of the first women to publish a book of poetry in America.
Gwendolyn Brooks Wins Pulitzer Prize
Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for her poetry collection "Annie Allen."
Gwendolyn Brooks Born
Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize, was born in Topeka, Kansas.
Josephine Baker Born
Entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
James Brown Born
The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, was born in Barnwell, South Carolina.
Jean-Michel Basquiat Born
Neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat was born in Brooklyn, New York.
First Black Owned Newspaper Published
Freedom's Journal, the first African American-owned and operated newspaper, published its final issue.
Oprah Winfrey's Final Show Airs
After 25 years, Oprah Winfrey's legendary daytime talk show aired its final episode.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. Born
Literary critic and scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., a leading figure in African American studies, was born.