#BLM OTD 1983 journalist & publisher Robert C. Maynard bought the Oakland Tribune newspaper from Gannett Company Inc., becoming the first African-American to gain a controlling interest in a major daily newspaper. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1867 the Richmond Streetcar Protest -African Americans in Richmond, Virginia organized Reconstruction era protests against the privately operated company that refused to allow them to ride its horse-drawn streetcars. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1886 blues songstress Ma Rainey was born in Columbus, Georgia. Known as "Mother of the Blues," Rainey, born Gertrude Pridgett, is credited as the 1st popular entertainer to incorporate the blues style into her performances. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

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#BLM OTD 1959 a white mob in Mississippi killed Mack Charles Parker, a Black man accused of raping a white woman. It is believed the woman fabricated the rape to hide her affair w/ a white man. Police garnered no evidence implicating Parker. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1992 the 1st day of L.A riots sparked by the acquittal of 4 white cops for beating Rodney King resulting in over 50 deaths & thousands injured. Video of the beating sparked national furor over police brutality & racism in America. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1872 Charlotte E. Ray became the 1st African-American woman admitted to practice law in D.C. She was also the 1st woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar and is credited as the 1st female African-American lawyer in the U.S. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1846 New Jersey enacted "An Act To Abolish Slavery" binding enslaved Black people to indefinite servitude as “apprentices for life” to work at the will of their white enslavers. Black people were now called apprentices not slaves. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1837 Cheyney University, the oldest Black college was founded. At that time few, if any young Black people went to college. Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist made Cheyney possible by donating $10,000 - 1/10th of his estate. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1987 SCOTUS rejected a Black man's (Warren McCleskey) death penalty appeal grounded in claims of racial inequality and instead accepted proven racial sentencing disparities as "an inevitable part of our criminal justice system." #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1863 Charlotte L. Brown refuses to leave a San Francisco streetcar & begins an age of transportation activism. Manhandled by the conductor & thrown off the Omnibus companys' car, Brown sued the company twice & was awarded over $500. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1947 after over 50 years of segregation, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn as a Brooklyn Dodger. His No. 42 jersey was the 1st number retired by all teams in the league. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

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#BLM OTD 1862 slavery ended in D.C. President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the D.C. Emancipation Act which provided for immediate freedom from slavery coupled with compensation to loyal Union slave owners of up to $300 for each slave. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1966 Emmett Ashford became the first Black major league baseball umpire. He became known for his exuberance, showmanship and energy, even interacting with the crowd between innings. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which included the Fair Housing Act prohibiting discrimination on the sale, rental & financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin & sex. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory

#BLM OTD 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed by Congress making it illegal to discriminate against people in housing based on race, creed or national origin. It was signed into law the next day by President Lyndon B. Johnson. #BlackAmericanHistoryIsAmericanHistory