May 4
May 4, 1870
Hiram Revels Sworn In as First Black U.S. Senator
On May 4, 1870, Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi took his oath as the first Black member of Congress, filling the Senate seat once held by Jefferson Davis. A minister and educator, Revels served during Reconstruction and later became president of Alcorn University.
People: Hiram Revels
May 4, 2020
Nikole Hannah-Jones Wins Pulitzer for 1619 Project
On May 4, 2020, Nikole Hannah-Jones won the Pulitzer Prize for her introductory essay to The New York Times' 1619 Project, which reframed American history around the date enslaved Africans first arrived in Virginia. The project sparked national debate about how the legacy of slavery is taught.
People: Nikole Hannah-Jones
Sources
1. Pulitzer Prize Winners 2020 - Columbia University2. Nikole Hannah-Jones Wins Pulitzer Prize for Commentary - The New York TimesMay 4, 1961
The Freedom Rides
Civil rights activists rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States.
Sources
1. Freedom Rides — National Museum of African American History and Culture2. Freedom Rides — History.com3. Shirley Jackson - MIT News4. Shirley Ann Jackson - National Women's Hall of FameLink copied!
Enjoy learning about Black history?
Subscribe for a new moment delivered to your inbox every day.
Unsubscribe anytime · No spam