Today in “Hidden” History

Today in “Hidden” History is a daily listing of important but little-known events illustrating the range of innovators, contributors, or incidents excluded from formal history lessons or common knowledge. Hidden history is intended not as an exhaustive review, but merely as an illustration of how popular narratives "hide" many matters of fundamental importance. Bookmark this page and check daily to quickly expand your knowledge. Suggest entries for Today in “Hidden” History by clicking the Contact Us link. Entries for February 06:

DateTypeEvent
1886The Seattle Riot of 1886 begins in Seattle, Washington when a mob affiliated with a local Knights of Labor chapter forms committees to carry out a forcible expulsion of all Chinese from the city. Violence erupted between the Knights of Labor rioters and federal troops ordered in by President Grover Cleveland over the next two days. The incident resulted in the removal of over 200 Chinese civilians from Seattle and left two militia men and three rioters seriously injured. Learn more.
1898Melvin Beaunorus Tolson, educator and one of the most significant African American modernist poets of his time, is born in Moberly, Missouri. Langston Hughes declared him “the most famous Negro Professor in the Southwest” in the mid-twentieth century. After interviewing significant artists of the Harlem Renaissance for his master’s thesis, Tolson was inspired to write poetry exploring the African American urban experience. His poetry began appearing in African American newspapers such as the Washington, D.C. Tribune in the 1930s. Tolson’s first book of poetry, Rendezvous with America, was published in 1944. In the 1970s, Tolson’s poetry was displayed in an exhibit known as “A Gallery of Harlem Portraits” at the University of Virginia. Learn more.
1902A white mob of 200 seizes Thomas Brown, a 19-year-old Black man, from a jail cell and lynches him on the Jessamine County Courthouse lawn in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Thomas had been arrested for an alleged assault on a white woman but never had the chance to stand trial. Though news reports identified the young woman’s brother as a leader of the mob, no one was ever prosecuted for Thomas Brown’s murder and authorities concluded that he "met death by strangulation at the hands of parties unknown." Learn more.
1905Merze Tate, a historian, political author, world traveler, philanthropist, and the first African American to graduate from Oxford University is born Blanchard, Michigan. Excelling in her studies, she won an oratorical contest at Battle Creek High School and graduated valedictorian at Blanchard High School. Tate received a scholarship to Western State Teachers College (now Western Michigan University) and became the first African American to graduate, earning a teaching diploma and bachelor’s degree with honors in 1927. In 1935, Tate earned a bachelor of literature degree (B.Litt.) in international relations from Oxford University. She returned home to study political science at Radcliffe College, the prestigious all-female school that later merged with Harvard University. In 1941, she obtained her Ph.D. and was the first Black woman to do so at Radcliffe. In the 1950s, she was a Fulbright Scholar and lecturer for the U.S. Information Agency and visited India, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Learn more.

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Author Talk w/ Marc Lamont Hill and Todd Brewster

May 24, 2022 @ 7:00 pm 8:30 pm EDT

Click Here to Register for this Event at Ridgefield Library

Todd Brewster and Marc Lamont Hill talk about their new book, Seen and Unseen: Technology, Social Media, and the Fight for Racial JusticeMr. Hill will be joining by Zoom and Mr. Brewster will be in person. read more

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