Seton Hill University Black Presence Timeline: 1940s
Seton Hill University Black Presence Timeline: 1940s
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1940
1940
Richard Wright becomes the first bestselling Black author after publishing his novel "Native Son".
Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr. becomes the first Black person to be appointed a general in the United States Army
1941
1941
President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes the Fair Employment Practices Commission to help combat discrimination in government and defense jobs.
The Tuskegee Air Squadron is established, making the men involved the first Black military aviators.
1942
1942
The Montford Point Marines become the first Black men accepted into a segregated training camp.
Charity Adams Earley becomes the first Black woman commissioned officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
1943
1943
The Detroit Race Riots occur, causing 34 confirmed Black American deaths. The event lasts for 5 days.
1944
1944
Frederick Douglass Patterson establishes the United Negro College Fund as a source of financial assistance for HBCUs and their students. To this day it remains an important tool for Black higher education access.
The Smith v. Allwright case deems the restriction of primary election votes to whites only unconstitutional and a violation of the 14 Amendment.
Sister Mary Esperance Collins becomes the first Black graduate of Seton Hill College. She graduated having majored in biology and minored in chemistry.
1945
1945
Ebony magazine publishes its first issue after being founded by John H. Johnson. The magazine highlighted elements of Black news, entertainment and culture, and would grow to become one of the most impactful Black magazines.
1946
1946
The Supreme Court ruling in the Morgan v. Virginia case deems interstate bus segregation unconstitutional.
Sister Mary Stanisalaus Sampson becomes the second Black graduate of Seton Hill College after majoring in English and minoring in sociology.
1947
1947
Jackie Robinson becomes the first Black major league baseball player after signing to the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The textbook "From Slavery to Freedom" is published by historian John Hope Franklin and becomes the most popular Black history textbook to be published.
1948
1948
The first Black variety show, Sugar Hill Times, airs on CBS.
The California Supreme Court deems the banning of interracial marriages a violation of the 14th Amendment in their Perez v. Sharp decision and is the first state to do so.
Sister Mary Canice LaStripes becomes the third Black graduate from Seton Hill College, where she majored in French and minored in American history.
1949
1949
Wesley A. Brown graduates from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, and is the first Black person to achieve this.
WERD-AM is launched in Atlanta by Jesse Blayton Sr. This would be the first Black-owned radio station in America.
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