July 1 Blessed Junipero Serra	National Office for Black Catholics (NOBC) opened Washington, DC 1970
July 2	John H. Ricard, SSJ, ordained Catholic Bishop of Baltimore, MD, 1984 Oblate Sisters of Providence founded, Baltimore, MD 1829
July 3 St. Thomas the Apostle	Jackie Robinson named to Baseball Hall of Fame 1962
July 4 Independence Day	Wildfire (Mary Edmonia) Lewis, Sculptor, b. 1845, Greenwich, NY
July 5	Authur Ashe defeats Jimmie Connors at Wimbledon, England 1973 Tuskegee Institute opened 1881
July 6 St. Marie Goretti	Louis Armstrong, King of Jazz, d. 1971
July 7	Althea Gibson won women's singles tennis crown at Wimbledon, 1957
July 8	Lawrence E. Lucas, author of "Black Priest White Church", b. 1933, NYC
July 9	National Black Catholic Congress VII, New Orleans, LA 1992 E. Frederick Morrow, appointed as admin. aide to Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower, becoming the 1st African American to hold an executive position on a White House staff, 1955
July 10	Mary M. Bethune, educator and leader b. 1875, Maysville, SC
July 11 St. Benedict Abbot	Daisy Bates and the Little Rock 9, youths who desegregated Central High School in Little Rock, AR, receive the Spingarn Medal for their "heroism and pioneering roles in upholding the basic ideals of American democracy in the face of continuing harassment and constant threats of bodily injury.", 1958
July 12 St. Veronica	"Yakety Yak", by The Coasters, 1st stereo record to reach number one on the Billboard Charts, 1958 Cornelius Johnson set world high jump record, 1936
July 13 St. Henry	Thurgood Marshall, an Appeals Court judge for 3 years, is appointed Solicitor General of the US, the 1st African American to hold the office.
July 14 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha	Franciscan Handmaids of Mary founded in 1916 Henry Blair patented corn harvester, 1834
July 15 St. Bonaventure	James McGhee sworn in as 1st African American mayor of Dayton, OH, 1970
July 16 Our Lady of Mt. Carmel	Ida B. Wells Barnett, organizer of anti-lynching crusade, b. 1862
July 17	Billie Holiday, blues singer, d. 1958
July 18	Nelson R. Mandela, b. 1918 Blacks became legal citizens, 1868
July 19	Wilma Rudolph set world record (200 meter dash) in 1960 Olympics
July 20	National Black Network, 1st African American owned and operated radio news network, begins operations, 1973 Black Power Conference opened Newark, NJ, 1967
July 21	Mary Church Terrell organized National Association of Colored Women, Washington, DC, 1896
July 22 St. Mary Magdalene	Jane Matilda Bolin, appointed to the NYC Court of Domestic Relations by Mayor Fiorello Laguardia, becoming the 1st African American woman judge, 1939
July 23 St. Bridget	Dr. Louis T. Wright, surgeon and physician, b. 1891
July 24	Billy Taylor, jazz pianist and educator, b. 1921, Greenville, NC Charles S. Johnson, educator, b. 1893
July 25 St. James the Apostle	The U.S. Navy launches the "Leonard Roy Harmon" in Quincy, MA, becoming the nation's 1st warship named for an African American. Harmon, a messman, was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for heroism.
July 26 Sts. Joachim and Ann, parents of Mary	Larry Doby, the 1st African American in major league baseball's American League, is inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame, 1998
July 27	Black Boston Women founded the African American Female Intelligence Society, 1832
July 28	Curtis J. Guillary, SVD, installed Catholic Bishop, Beaumont, TX 2000
July 29	First National Conference of Colored Women Convention 1895
July 30 St. Peter Chrysologus	George "Buddy" Guy, the future blues guitarist, is born in Lettsworth, LA., b. 1936
July 31	Walter Payton is inducted into the Football Hall of Fame. He had retired from professional football in 1987 holding the National Football League's career rushing record with 16,726 yards. Patrick F. Healy SJ inaugurated present Georgetown U., DC 1874

Black History Facts courtesy of the
Josephite Pastoral Center
1200 Varnum Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20017
(202) 526-9270
The Josephite Fathers and Brothers





text ©1998-2009 by Rev. Warren J. Savage
Creativity Consultant: Christina Melville thequeenoftheland@verizon.net