Actor Denzel Washington was born on this day in Mount Vernon, NY. Washington will star in such films as “Malcolm X”, “Glory”, “Much Ado about Nothing”, and ” A Soldier’s Story”. He will have a start in television in his role on popular show “St. Elsewhere”.

Third Day of Kwanzaa – Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)On December 28, 1966, the third day of the first-ever Kwanzaa celebration honored Ujima, the principle of Collective Work and Responsibility. Founded by Dr. Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa was created to reaffirm and restore African culture and values in the wake of the Watts Rebellion. Ujima emphasizes building and maintaining the community together and resolving problems collectively, reflecting core values of unity and shared responsibility within the African diaspora.

Arthur B. Spingarn, a key figure in the early U.S. civil rights movement and one of the founders of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), was born on this day in New York City. A white Jewish lawyer, Spingarn was deeply committed to racial justice. He chaired the NAACP’s legal committee and later served as its president from 1940 to 1965, succeeding his brother Joel E. Spingarn.

Arthur Spingarn helped expand the organization’s legal strategy and supported the fight against segregation and discrimination in the courts.

On this day, Karen Farmer broke racial barriers by becoming the first African American admitted to the Daughters of the American Revolution. She traced her lineage to William Hood, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War, establishing her ancestral connection to the nation’s founding struggle.

George H. White was the final Black member of Congress during the post-Reconstruction period, serving North Carolina’s 2nd congressional district from 1897 to 1901. Known for his powerful speeches advocating civil rights and education, White’s departure from office marked the beginning of a 28-year absence of Black representation in Congress. His death in 1918 signified the end of an era in African American political history.

The date December 28, 1918, is tied to a tragic and telling report in U.S. history. On that day, The Chicago Whip, a Black newspaper, reported that sixty Black people had been lynched in 1918. This figure underscored the rampant racial violence African Americans faced in the United States during the early 20th century, particularly in the South.

Although not all of the lynchings occurred on that specific date, the report served as an alarming year-end tally that highlighted the brutal realities of racial terror and injustice. It also reflected the role of Black press in documenting and resisting white supremacy when mainstream media and government often turned a blind eye.

This report came at a time of heightened racial tensions following World War I, when returning Black veterans were targeted for asserting their rights and dignity. The following year, 1919, would see the eruption of the Red Summer, with widespread race riots and violence.

William Stanley Braithwaite, renowned poet, literary critic, and editor, received the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP for distinguished achievement in literature. Braithwaite was a key figure in promoting African American literature and played a crucial role in shaping early 20th-century American literary culture through his anthologies and critical writings.

Hines revolutionized jazz piano with his innovative “trumpet-style” approach, influencing countless musicians and shaping the future of jazz. His collaborations with Louis Armstrong and other greats solidified his place as one of the most important figures in jazz history.

On this day in 1897, inventor C. V. Rickey was granted U.S. Patent No. 596,427 for a fire escape bracket. This innovation contributed to safer building evacuation methods during emergencies and showcased the often-overlooked contributions of Black inventors to public safety infrastructure.

Elizabeth Freeman, known as “Mumbet,” dies. Born into slavery, she escaped after mistreatment and successfully sued for her freedom in Massachusetts. Her case, citing the state’s constitution and the principle that “all men are created equal,” helped set a legal precedent that led to the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts.

The American Colonization Society (ACS) was founded with the mission of resettling free African Americans to Africa, specifically to what would become Liberia. The organization’s motives were complex and controversial — while some members promoted it as a solution to racism and an opportunity for Black Americans to have self-determination, others supported it to remove free Black people from the U.S. due to fears of their influence on enslaved populations. Despite opposition from many African Americans, the ACS played a key role in the founding of Liberia, whose capital, Monrovia, was named after President James Monroe, an early supporter of the society.