April 7
Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed to Supreme Court
On April 7, 2022, the U.S. Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court by a 53-47 vote. She became the first Black woman and first former federal public defender to serve on the nation's highest court. Vice President Kamala Harris presided over the vote.
Billie Holiday Born
Born April 7, 1915, Billie Holiday transformed jazz singing. Her 1939 recording of "Strange Fruit," a protest song about lynching, became one of the most important songs in American history.
Tacky's Rebellion in Jamaica
In April 1760, Tacky (also known as Takyi), an Akan chief from present-day Ghana who had been enslaved and brought to Jamaica, led a major uprising in the parish of St. Mary. The rebellion, known as Tacky's Rebellion or the Easter Rebellion, involved over 1,000 enslaved people and took the British months to suppress. It led to significant changes in colonial slave laws and demonstrated the persistent resistance of enslaved Africans.
Cincinnati Riots
Civil unrest occurred in Cincinnati following the police shooting of an unarmed Black man, Timothy Thomas.