This day in history-January 20th: Hiram R. Revels becomes first black senator
Photo: MPI/Getty Images Hiram R. Revels was born on September 27, 1827, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was a modest minister who became the first African-American United States Senator representing the state of Mississippi in 1870. After serving a year in the Senate, Revels resigned to accept the presidency of Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College, […]
This day in history-January 20th: Weeksville, Brooklyn, an African-American community is founded
Photo: Weeksvillle Heritage Center/Facebook James Weeks found himself a free Black man when slavery ended in New York State in 1838. He purchased land from another free Black man named, Henry C. Thompson. This sale established the beginnings of a thriving self-sufficient African-American enclave in Brooklyn called Weeksville. The African-American Registry acknowledges Jan. 20, 1838, […]