July 13
Thurgood Marshall Confirmed to Supreme Court
On July 13, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. Confirmed by the Senate on August 30, 1967, Marshall had previously served as chief counsel for the NAACP, winning landmark cases including Brown v. Board of Education. He served on the Court until 1991.
Black Lives Matter Founded
In July 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin, Alicia Garza wrote a "love letter to Black people" on Facebook that ended with "#BlackLivesMatter." Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi helped build it into a national movement that reshaped civil rights activism.
Sandra Bland Dies in Texas Jail
On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland was found hanged in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas, three days after being arrested during a traffic stop. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family and activists challenged the finding. The case highlighted concerns about police treatment of Black women and jail safety. Texas passed the Sandra Bland Act in 2017.