African American World . Timeline

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Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American actor to win an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.

Hattie McDaniel Memorial
From Morning Edition

Singer Marian Anderson is denied permission by the Daughters of the American Revolution to sing at their hall in Washington, D.C., because she is African American. Anderson performs at the Lincoln Memorial instead, before an audience of 75,000.

	Marian Anderson's Lincoln Memorial Concert From Weekend Edition
	Marian Anderson Profile From American Experience: Eleanor Roosevelt

Richard Wright publishes Native Son, a fierce protest novel about race relations in America that becomes a major bestseller.

Richard Wright
From Black Boy

Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., becomes the first African American general in the U.S. Army.

Painter Jacob Lawrence mounts a 60-painting exhibition, "Migration of the Negro," that depicts the migration of southern blacks to northern cities. The paintings will rank as among the greatest works in African American art.

	Profile of Jacob Lawrence From Morning Edition
	Remembering Jacob Lawrence From The Online NewsHour

The role of African Americans in the military expands as the U.S. enters World War II.

One Nation, One Army
From The Online NewsHour

The first training program for African American pilots is established at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen serve heroically in World War II.

Tuskegee Airmen Museum
From The Tavis Smiley Show

The interracial Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) is formed in Chicago. It will become famous for organizing the Freedom Rides of 1961.

C.O.R.E. Reunion
From All Things Considered

Paul Robeson opens on Broadway in the title role in Shakespeare's "Othello," which will break records for number of consecutive performances.

	Paul Robeson Remembered From Fresh Air
	Paul Robeson From American Masters

Singer Lena Horne and dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson appear in the all-black musical film Stormy Weather.

Lena Horne
From American Masters

Writer Rayford Logan edits What the Negro Wants, an anthology of 14 essays by prominent African Americans demanding racial equality.

Ebony, a magazine about African American life and achievements, is founded and becomes an instant success.

Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, is elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he will serve 11 consecutive terms.

Baseball great Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American to break the color barrier and be allowed to play in the major leagues

	The Lords of Baseball, Revisited From Morning Edition
	Jackie Robinson: Golden Anniversary From the Online NewsHour

President Truman issues an executive order that desegregates the military.

	Integration of the Army From Talk of the Nation
	One Nation, One Army From The Online NewsHour

Ralph J. Bunche wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a mediator in the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East.

	The Life of Ralph Bunche The Tavis Smiley Show
	Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey A film by William Greaves

Poet Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize, which she receives for her poetry collection Annie Allen.

Gwendolyn Brooks Obituary
From All Things Considered

Juanita Hall is the first African American to win a Tony award, for her role as Bloody Mary in the musical "South Pacific."

Ralph Ellison publishes his novel Invisible Man, which receives the National Book Award in 1953.

	Reflections on Invisible Man From The Tavis Smiley Show
	Ralph Ellison From American Masters

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