Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on November 12, 1922, at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, by seven African American schoolteachers. It became the only Black Greek-letter sorority established at a predominantly white institution during the era of segregation.

The sorority is committed to sisterhood, scholarship, and service, and has grown into a global organization with chapters across the U.S., Africa, and the Caribbean. Sigma Gamma Rho has long been a leader in promoting education, public health, and civil rights within the Black community.

Founders: Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin, and Cubena McClure.

Wilma Glodean Rudolph, Olympic gold medalist and trailblazing sprinter, died at the age of 54 in her home in Nashville, Tennessee. Overcoming childhood polio and poverty, Rudolph became the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games (Rome, 1960). She was a symbol of excellence and resilience, inspiring generations of athletes—especially African American women in sports.

Alexander P. Haley, acclaimed author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family, was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP for his unparalleled effectiveness in portraying the epic journey of African Americans through slavery, survival, and resilience.

His groundbreaking work Roots traced his ancestry back to Kunta Kinte, an African man captured and sold into slavery, and brought widespread attention to Black history and genealogy. The book became a cultural phenomenon and was adapted into a record-breaking television miniseries in 1977, reshaping the national conversation on race and heritage.

On November 12, 1977, Ernest Nathan “Dutch” Morial was elected as the first African-American mayor of New Orleans, marking a significant milestone in the city’s history. Morial’s election was the culmination of a distinguished career dedicated to civil rights and public service.?64 Parishes

Early Life and Education:

• Born on October 9, 1929, in New Orleans’ Seventh Ward, Morial grew up in a French-Creole Catholic family. He attended McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School and earned a degree in business administration from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1951. In 1954, he became the first African American to receive a law degree from Louisiana State University. ?

Career Milestones:

• Civil Rights Advocacy: As president of the local NAACP chapter from 1962 to 1965, Morial fought for the integration of public facilities in New Orleans, including buses and schools. ?

• Political Firsts:

  • In 1967, he became the first African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the Louisiana State Legislature.?Wikipedia
  • He broke further barriers by serving as the first black Juvenile Court judge in Louisiana in 1970 and later as a state appeals court judge in 1974. ?

Mayoral Achievements:

• Diverse Workforce: Morial implemented hiring quotas that increased the percentage of Black workers in the city’s workforce from 40% in 1977 to 53% in 1985. ?

• Economic Initiatives: He promoted tourism and sought to diversify the economy by developing industrial districts, contributing to a building boom in downtown New Orleans. ?Wikipedia

Legacy:

• Morial’s legacy continues through landmarks like the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, named in his honor, and through his son, Marc Morial, who also served as mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002. ?

Ernest “Dutch” Morial’s life and career were characterized by groundbreaking achievements that paved the way for future generations in New Orleans and beyond.

On this day, South Africa was suspended from participating in the United Nations General Assembly due to its apartheid policies, which institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination against the country’s non-white population.

The suspension came after years of international condemnation, particularly from newly independent African and Caribbean nations. While South Africa remained a U.N. member state, it was barred from taking part in General Assembly sessions until the end of apartheid in the early 1990s.

This action was a powerful symbol of global solidarity with the anti-apartheid movement and increased pressure on the South African government to dismantle its racist system.

Sammy Sosa, one of Major League Baseball’s most electrifying sluggers, was born on this day in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic. Over his career, Sosa became known for his powerful hitting, particularly during the late 1990s when he famously competed with Mark McGwire in the 1998 home run chase. Sosa hit 609 career home runs, making him one of only a few players in MLB history to surpass the 600 mark.

As an Afro-Latino athlete, Sosa became a cultural icon both in the Dominican Republic and the United States, symbolizing the global reach and impact of Black athletes in professional sports.

Mary Cardwell Dawson, a trailblazing African American music educator and opera singer, founded the National Negro Opera Company (NNOC) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on this day. It became the first African American opera company in the United States. The NNOC provided opportunities for Black classical musicians and singers who were often excluded from mainstream opera.

Though Lillian Evanti did not found the NNOC, she was a celebrated soprano who performed internationally and worked alongside Dawson to promote Black artists in opera.

On this day, the 1900 Paris Exposition (Exposition Universelle) officially closed. Among the 6,916 American exhibitors was Henry Ossawa Tanner, a trailblazing African American painter. Tanner was awarded a silver medal for his artistic contributions — a significant international recognition of his talent during an era of profound racial discrimination in the United States.

Tanner, known for works like The Banjo Lesson and The Thankful Poor, spent much of his career in France, where he found greater artistic acceptance and freedom than in the U.S.

On this date, William Edmondson was born in Nashville, Tennessee (not 1863, but 1874). He became the first African American artist to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, in 1937. A self-taught sculptor, Edmondson began carving tombstones before turning to expressive limestone sculptures of animals, biblical figures, and everyday people—what he called “visions from God.”

His deeply spiritual and humble work, carved with found tools, made him a central figure in American folk art and a trailblazer for Black artists in the mainstream art world.

In the early months of the American Revolutionary War, General George Washington, under pressure from Southern slaveholding interests, issued an order on November 12, 1775, barring all Black men—enslaved or free—from enlisting in the Continental Army. This reversed an earlier policy that had allowed Black men to serve.

However, this ban was short-lived. By the end of the year, the British offered freedom to enslaved people who fought for the Crown, prompting Washington and the Continental Congress to later reverse the decision and allow Black men to serve again.

Despite the discrimination, an estimated 5,000 African Americans fought on the side of the Patriots during the Revolutionary War, seeking liberty even while facing systemic oppression.