June
This Month in Black History

June 1864
On June 19, 1864 US Navy seaman, Joachim Pease earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his brave actions in battle.

June 1877
Henry O Flipper became the first African American to graduate from West Point.

June 1922
Samuel Gravely, the Navy’s first black admiral was born on June 4, 1922 in Richmond, Virginia.

June 1940
On June 23, 1940 Wilma Rudolph was born in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. Rudolph overcame polio and became the fastest woman in the world. In 1960 she won three gold medals at the Olympic Games in Rome, Italy.

June 1953
On June 8, 1953 the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation in Washington DC was unlawful. This was a victory for civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell who had led the fight to end segregation in DC restaurants.

June 1967
Thurgood Marshall was nominated to serve as a justice on the United States Supreme Court. He was confirmed and served until