The day marks some extreme highs and lows in black history: a major political victory, the death of a boy whose name is etched in the hearts of African Americans, one of the most legendary moments of the civil rights movement, and more.
TThe significance of the calendar date August 28 in the context of black history in the United States is highlighted every year.
This year, however, it should be no secret why this date is so important: The nation is marking the anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 61 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
This is just one of the reasons why August 28th will always remain an important date for black people in America.
The day also marks some extreme highs and lows in black history: a major political victory; the death of a boy whose name is etched in the hearts of African Americans; and one of the most iconic moments of the civil rights movement. Ava DuVernay produced a film, 28.08. which was shown at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016.
Here are some snapshots of the groundbreaking stories that give this date significance.
Abolition of slavery in Great Britain – 1833
On this day in 1833, Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act. The act abolished slavery in most of the British colonies and freed over 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa, as well as a small number in Canada.
The Murder of Emmett Till – 1955
Till, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago, was kidnapped and brutally murdered by two white men in 1955 while visiting family in Mississippi. The young man was killed by the husband of white woman Carolyn Bryant, who said the teenager had made advances to her in a grocery store. Years later, in 2017, Bryant admitted to lying in her testimony about Till. Revelations from her memoir leaked last year renewed calls for justice, but she died in April without ever being held accountable for her role in young Emmett’s murder.
Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s “I Have A Dream” Speech – 1963
Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in front of hundreds of thousands of people in 1963. “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt,” King said in his address to the crowd. “We refuse to believe that there is not enough money in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And that is why we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us, at our request, the riches of liberty and the security of justice.”
Barack Obama wins the Democratic presidential nomination – 2008
On this day in 2008, Obama delivered his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. “This moment, this moment, this election is our chance to keep the American promise alive in the 21st century,” Obama said.
Obama wears a light brown suit
Yes, even this day of ridiculous partisan anger over the color of the U.S. president’s clothing deserves a mention in this list of notable black-related events on August 28. It is important to emphasize the insignificance of the criticism Obama faced as the first black president of the United States to serve two terms without any real scandals – which is why the conservative narrative that it is unpresidential to wear suits that are not dark should never be forgotten.
Andrew Gillum won the Democratic primary for governor of Florida
Andrew Gillum, then mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, became the first African American to win the Democratic primary for governor of Florida on August 28, 2018. Gillum would have become the first African American to become governor in the state, but lost to Ron DeSantis (and voter suppression). Hear him talk about the night he won on CNN below.
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Actor Chadwick Boseman has died
The news of Chadwick Boseman’s untimely death in 2020 was a huge blow. Many people were still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and the uprisings for racial justice. The revelation of his colon cancer diagnosis opened a new dimension in the dialogue about health inequality and Black people. The impact of his death is still being felt across the internet, including Marvel’s Black Panther fan base.
