August 28th: A Powerful Day for Black History

by A Collier
august 28th

August 28th: A Powerful Day for Black History

In 2016, prominent Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar producer) created a short documentary film as the Orientation film for Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

august 28th

In 2016, prominent Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar producer) created a short documentary film as the Orientation film for Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In 2016, prominent Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay (Selma, Queen Sugar producer) created a short documentary film as the Orientation film for Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The film was based on a number of historical events that have been important to the civil rights movement and Black History as a whole, that have occurred on or around August 28th. The film is called August 28th: A Day in the Life of a People and we wanted to walk through some of these events that shaped the Black Experience in America, for better or worse.

August 28th, 1833

On August 28th, 1833, British Parliament passes the Slavery Abolition Act, freeing over 800,000 slaves in most British colonies in the Caribbean, South Africa, and Canada as well. British abolitionists had actively opposed the transatlantic slave trade since the 1770s.

While this act was specifically written to end slavery in tropical colonies held by the British Empire, this started North America on a path toward abolishing slavery as a whole, and accounted for thousands of Black Americans who fled North to freedom from 1834 to the 1860s.

August 28th, 1955

On August 28th, 1955, Emmett Till was taken from his home and brutally murdered, because he was accused of flirting and whistling at a white woman. This tragic act shocked the nation, but it didn’t shock most Black Americans, many of whom were all too aware of the true horrors of racism.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recounts the tragedy and its aftermath. Emmett Till’s mother chose to have an open-casket funeral because she wanted the world to see what had been done to her son.

This incident sparked the modern civil rights movement, and three months later, “when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, she said: ‘I thought of Emmett Till and I just couldn’t go back.’”

August 28th, 1961

On August 28th, 1961, the Marvelettes’ first single, “Please Mr. Postman,” became Motown’s first number one hit on the radio. And this breakthrough single has played a prominent role in the music industry to this day, from being covered by the Beatles to being the basis of Portugal. The Man’s single “Feel it Still” in 2017.

August 28th, 1963

On August 28th, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech.” He starts his speech by remarking, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” And he was right.

The Texas A&M University article published in 2020 outlines all the ways this speech is still so powerful and relevant. “He was not just speaking to African Americans in that speech, but to all Americans, because he understood that the country would more easily rise together when it worked together,” says Leroy Dorsey, professor of Communication.

August 28th, 2008

On August 28th, 2008, Barack Obama made history when he accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination to run for President of the United States. He was the first African American ever to do so. He went on to win the election and become the country’s first Black President.

This moment paved the way for Kamala Harris to become the USA’s first female vice president, the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first African American and first Asian American vice president just thirteen years later.

August 28th, 2017

On August 28th, 2017, 54 years after he performed his “I Have a Dream” speech, a statue was unveiled at the Georgia Capitol. Former President Barack Obama often talked about standing on the shoulders of the giants who came before, and Dr. King is a giant if there ever was one in this country.

You can watch the trailer for August 28th: A Day in the Life of a People here and learn more about the documentary and Ava’s inspiration for it on her website.

There is Power in Black History & Black Voices

This August 28th, we want to pay homage to those who came before us by continuing to pursue our dreams and amplify Black voices in America. HarlemAmerica Digital Network was created to lift up Black entertainers, entrepreneurs, and creators by helping you produce your own podcasts and TV shows.

Interested? Check out our website to learn more about our small business membership packages.

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