1848 – SUSIE KING TAYLOR IS BORN
On this day in 1848, Susie Baker King Taylor was born. A formerly enslaved woman, she secretly learned to read and write and later became the first Black Army nurse and teacher to Union soldiers during the Civil War. She continued her work as an educator after the war and published her memoir, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd United States Colored Troops, the only Civil War memoir written by an African American woman.
1965 – VOTING RIGHTS ACT IS SIGNED
On this day in 1965, President Lyndon B.Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act, marking one of the most significant accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. The Voting Rights Act created voter protections and ended a wide range of discriminatory barriers that had long prevented Black Americans from exercising their constitutional right to vote. The hard-fought voting rights were the result of years of courage and sacrifice of countless civil rights activists. Today, we are reminded how important it is to continue the fight and exercise our right to vote.
