Marcus Allen, a standout running back from the University of Southern California (USC), won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. His historic 1981 season cemented his place as one of college football’s all-time greats. Allen went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

Johnny Rodgers, a standout wingback for the University of Nebraska, was awarded the Heisman Trophy on December 5, 1972, becoming the first wide receiver to receive this prestigious honor. ?

During his three-year tenure with the Cornhuskers, Rodgers set an NCAA record with 5,586 all-purpose yards. His versatility was evident as he excelled in receiving, rushing, and returning kicks. In the 1971 “Game of the Century” against Oklahoma, Rodgers’ 72-yard punt return for a touchdown was pivotal in Nebraska’s 35-31 victory. ?

Rodgers concluded his collegiate career with a stellar performance in the 1973 Orange Bowl, leading Nebraska to a 40-6 win over Notre Dame by accounting for five touchdowns—three rushing, one receiving, and one passing. His achievements earned him induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

On this day, Alexandre Dumas, the renowned French author of African descent, passed away at the age of 68. Dumas is best known for his literary masterpieces The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Born in 1802, he was the grandson of a Haitian enslaved woman and the son of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, a heroic general in Revolutionary France and one of the highest-ranking men of African descent in a Western army.

Despite facing racism during his lifetime, Dumas rose to literary fame, and his works remain some of the most widely read and adapted stories in the world.

On this day, New York City became the first city in the United States to enact legislation prohibiting racial and religious discrimination in private housing. The Fair Housing Practices Law marked a major victory for the civil rights movement, aiming to combat segregation and promote equal access to housing regardless of race, religion, or national origin. This law set a precedent for future federal legislation, including the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Spingarn Medal, the highest honor awarded by the NAACP, for his outstanding leadership during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This historic year-long protest, which began on December 5, 1955, led to the desegregation of Montgomery’s public buses and marked a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

The Spingarn Medal recognized King’s nonviolent activism and his growing influence as a national civil rights leader.

Carl Murphy, publisher of the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for his outstanding contributions as a journalist, publisher, and civil rights leader. Under his leadership, the Afro-American became one of the most influential Black newspapers in the U.S., advocating for civil rights, education, and political empowerment. Murphy used journalism as a powerful tool to challenge segregation and uplift African American voices for over four decades.

In response to Rosa Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was launched on this day. That evening, over 5,000 people gathered at the Holt Street Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was elected president of the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)—marking his rise as a national civil rights leader.

The boycott, which lasted over a year, became a defining act of nonviolent resistance and led to a Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses was unconstitutional.

President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9808, establishing the President’s Committee on Civil Rights. This was the first national presidential committee tasked specifically with examining the state of civil rights in the U.S. and recommending improvements. The committee’s 1947 report, “To Secure These Rights,” laid the groundwork for future civil rights legislation and called for the end of segregation, protection against lynching, and federal enforcement of civil rights laws.

On this date in 1946, Spingarn Medal presented to Thurgood Marshall, director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, “for his distinguished service as a lawyer before the Supreme Court.”

In response to post–World War II racial violence, including lynchings and mob attacks on Black veterans and civilians, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9808. This established the President’s Committee on Civil Rights, the first national-level initiative dedicated specifically to examining and recommending federal action on civil rights.

The committee’s work led to the landmark 1947 report, “To Secure These Rights,” which laid the groundwork for future civil rights reforms and called for the elimination of segregation, protection of voting rights, and enforcement of equal protection under the law.

On this day, educator and civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) in New York City. The organization was created to unify Black women’s organizations and advance the interests of African American women and their families.

Bethune, already a national figure due to her work in education and civil rights, envisioned the NCNW as a powerful coalition to promote advocacy, leadership, and community development. It continues to play a significant role in empowering Black women across generations.

On this day, renowned Harlem Renaissance poet and playwright Langston Hughes saw his play Mulatto open at the Vanderbilt Theatre on Broadway. The play tackled themes of race, identity, and the complex relationship between a white Southern plantation owner and his mixed-race son. Despite (or perhaps because of) its controversial subject matter, Mulatto became the first successful play by an African American playwright on Broadway, running for 11 months with 373 performances — an unprecedented success at the time.

The Swing Era officially took off around this time, with the commercial success of big bands transforming the American music scene. The mid-1930s marked the beginning of the genre’s golden age. Legendary African American bandleaders like Chick Webb, Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Andy Kirk, and Duke Ellington brought jazz and swing to the national stage, breaking racial barriers and setting musical standards still revered today.

These musicians not only entertained but also helped shape American culture, laying the groundwork for future generations of Black artists in jazz, R&B, and beyond.

Mary McLeod Bethune, renowned educator and civil rights leader, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for her outstanding achievements in education and public service. As the founder and president of Bethune-Cookman College, and a national advocate for African American rights and women’s empowerment, Bethune played a pivotal role in shaping Black education and political representation. She later served as an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was the highest-ranking African American woman in government at the time.

Reverend James Cleveland was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1932. Known as the “King of Gospel Music,” he first sang gospel under the mentorship of Thomas A. Dorsey, the father of gospel music, at Pilgrim Baptist Church. Cleveland would go on to revolutionize gospel music with his rich baritone voice, choral arrangements, and blending of traditional gospel with modern soul and pop influences. He later founded the Gospel Music Workshop of America, which became a key institution for gospel artists nationwide.

Richard Wayne Penniman, known to the world as Little Richard, was born on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia. A pioneer of rock and roll, Little Richard’s electrifying performances, flamboyant style, and signature shout helped lay the foundation for the genre in the 1950s. His hits like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly” influenced generations of musicians including The Beatles, James Brown, Prince, and more.

He is remembered as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, often referred to as “The Architect of Rock and Roll.”

Charity Adams Earley was born in Kittrell, North Carolina. In 1942, she became the first African American woman to be commissioned as an officer in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), later the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, she was the highest-ranking Black woman in the Army during World War II. She commanded the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female battalion to serve overseas during the war.

Her leadership broke barriers for women and African Americans in the military and remains an inspiration in U.S. military history.

Elbert Frank Cox was born in Evansville, Indiana on this day. In 1925, he made history by becoming the first African American in the world to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics, earning the degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Despite facing racial barriers throughout his career, Cox became a celebrated professor and mentor, inspiring generations of Black mathematicians. His legacy is honored through scholarships and awards in his name.

The 47th Congress (1881–1883) convened with two African American Representatives:

• Robert Smalls of South Carolina, a formerly enslaved man and Civil War hero known for commandeering a Confederate ship to freedom.

• John R. Lynch of Mississippi, who had already made history in 1872 as the youngest Speaker of the Mississippi House and was a strong advocate for civil rights and education.

Their presence in Congress during the post-Reconstruction era was significant, as Black political representation was rapidly being suppressed across the South. Their service stood as a testament to early Black political leadership in America.

Alexandre Dumas, the renowned French novelist and playwright, died on this day in 1870. Born in 1802, Dumas was of Afro-Caribbean descent—his grandmother was an enslaved woman from Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), and his father, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, was a general in Revolutionary France.

Dumas authored numerous literary classics, including:

• The Three Musketeers (1844)

• The Count of Monte Cristo (1844–1846)

• The Man in the Iron Mask (1847)

Despite facing racial prejudice, Dumas became one of the most widely read French authors in the world. His works have been translated into many languages and adapted into countless films, series, and plays.

His legacy stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the often-overlooked contributions of people of African descent to European literary history.

Bill Pickett was born in Travis County, Texas, on this day. Though only 5’7″ and 145 pounds, he became one of the most legendary figures of the American West. Pickett is credited with inventing “bulldogging”, a unique form of steer wrestling where he would bite the animal’s lip to bring it down—a technique inspired by how bulldogs handled livestock.

He toured with the 101 Ranch Wild West Show and was one of the first Black cowboys to gain national fame. Pickett died on April 2, 1932, after being kicked in the head by a horse. He was posthumously inducted into multiple rodeo halls of fame, including the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1989.

Sarah Gorham, born on December 5, 1832, became the first woman appointed by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church as a missionary to a foreign country. In 1888, she was sent to Sierra Leone, West Africa, where she worked to establish the Sarah Gorham Mission School in Monrovia, Liberia.

Her appointment marked a groundbreaking moment, not only for the AME Church but for Black women in religious and missionary work globally. She paved the way for generations of women in ministry and missions.

Phillis Wheatley, the first African American to publish a book of poetry, died in poverty at the age of 31 in Boston. Enslaved as a child and brought from West Africa to America, Wheatley was taught to read and write by her enslavers and quickly impressed with her literary talent. In 1773, at just 20 years old, she published “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral”, becoming a transatlantic literary sensation. Despite her fame, Wheatley struggled financially after gaining her freedom and died alongside her infant child in obscurity — a tragic end for a brilliant mind.

Salem Poor, a formerly enslaved Black man and soldier in the American Revolutionary War, was recognized by 14 officers for his extraordinary bravery at the Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775). On this day, December 5, 1775, those officers submitted a formal petition to the Massachusetts General Court praising Poor, stating:

“A Negro Man called Salem Poor… behaved like an experienced officer, as well as an excellent soldier… In the person of this Negro centers a brave and gallant soldier.”

Poor’s courage was so notable that he became one of the few African Americans publicly commended during the Revolution. In later years, a memorial was dedicated to him in Cambridge, Massachusetts, honoring his service and sacrifice.