Adam Clayton Powell Jr., a groundbreaking politician, minister, and civil rights activist, was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He became the first African American from New York elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1945 to 1971.

As chairman of the powerful House Education and Labor Committee, Powell was instrumental in passing key social legislation under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, including minimum wage increases, education funding, and civil rights laws. He was also pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and a powerful voice for racial justice and economic equality.

During a wave of civil rights activism across the South, Freedom Riders were violently attacked by a white mob at the bus station in McComb, Mississippi, beginning on November 29, 1961. The violence extended over several days through December 2, highlighting the extreme resistance faced by activists challenging segregation in interstate travel.
McComb had already been a hotbed of racial tension and activism earlier in the year, and this attack became another example of the violent backlash against the civil rights movement. Despite the danger, the Freedom Riders—organized by groups like CORE (Congress of Racial Equality)—remained committed to nonviolence and justice.

Alice Childress, a pioneering playwright, actress, and novelist, became the first African American woman to win an Obie Award for Off-Broadway theater. She earned the honor for her play “Trouble in Mind,” a bold and ahead-of-its-time critique of racism in the American theater world.

“Trouble in Mind” was later revived on Broadway in 2021 — decades after its original run — reaffirming Childress’s lasting influence on American theater and social commentary through art.

Pearl Primus, born in Trinidad and raised in New York City, was a groundbreaking dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist. She is celebrated for blending African and Caribbean dance traditions with American forms like blues, jazz, and jitterbug, creating powerful and expressive modern dance works.

Primus used dance as a tool for social justice, often addressing issues like racism and inequality. Her work helped elevate African dance in American performance and academic spaces. She also conducted extensive field research in Africa, bringing authenticity and deep cultural respect to her choreography.

On this date, the Continental Congress moved to officially allow the enlistment of Black men—both free and enslaved—into the American Army during the Revolutionary War. Though Black soldiers had already served earlier in the war, especially in Northern militias, this formal acknowledgment marked a broader shift in military policy following the harsh winter at Valley Forge.
Black men served in integrated units, an early example of racial integration in the U.S. military, and they fought in key battles from Bunker Hill to Yorktown. Every one of the original thirteen colonies saw Black soldiers fighting for the cause of American independence.

On this day, John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement in England, baptized the first two known Black converts to Methodism. This event marked a significant early step in the inclusion of African-descended people in the growing Methodist tradition. Wesley, a strong advocate against slavery, believed in the spiritual equality of all people, and his movement would later become deeply influential among Black communities worldwide, especially in the Americas and the Caribbean.