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If he was alive, do you think Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be happy with race relations today?
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| Noted scholar, educator and activist Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926. Fifty years later, the celebration and education of the plight of Blacks was expanded to become Black History Month.
Yahoo! Music takes part in remembering the struggles and achievements of Blacks by offering a timeline that focuses on the last century. Music is a significant part of the history.
To help tell the stories, our tribute uses songs and music videos that discuss the triumphs and hurdles endured by Blacks. We use Nas' 2004 "Bridging The Gap" video when reflecting on the Harlem Renaissance era of the 1920s and 30s. The cabaret styled dance and costume in the video hearkens the days of internationally acclaimed Josephine Baker. The Freedom Singer's "We Shall Overcome" has also been synonymous with the sentiments conveyed in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech in Washington. And James Brown's "Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud" speaks to the pride Bobby Seale and Huey Newton upheld when they founded the Black Panther Party in 1966.
While February is reserved as a time to acknowledge African American's contributions to U.S history, we encourage the celebration all year long.
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1900s
1900
Brothers James and J. Rosamond Johnson write the Negro National Anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing."
 Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing
Geri Allen
Contemporary jazz vocalist Geri Allen performs this rendition for her 2006 album Timeless Portraits...
1909
W.E.B. Du Bois founds the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
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1920s
Harlem Renaissance
During this era, there is a rise of radical African American intellectuals in Harlem, New York. The renaissance spanned several genres. Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey and Zora Neal Hurston were among the authors, and musicians included Duke Ellington and Bill Robinson Bojangles. The Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater also emerged.
 Bridging The Gap
Nas
Respected rapper pays tribute to Harlem Renaissance era in this music video.
Take The 'A' Train
Duke Ellington
This jazz classic often performed by Ella Fitzgerald is about taking the A subway train in New York from Brooklyn to Harlem.
1926
Negro History Week is created by Carter G. Woodson, head of the Association For Study Of Negro Life & History.
1930s
1936
While competing in the Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Jesse Owens becomes the first American to win four gold medals in the Track & Field event.
1940s
1944
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Smith vs. Allwright that all Americans were entitled to vote.
1946
Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the first Black player on a Major League baseball team.
1950s
1955
Rosa Parks is arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her seat at the front of a bus to a white man. The Black community in Montgomery starts a bus boycott that results in desegregated buses a year later.
1959
Motown Records is founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy.
1960s
1963
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "I Have A Dream Speech" at the March On Washington. The march for Jobs and Freedom drew 250,000 participants.
We Shall Overcome
The Freedom Singers
This ensemble sang at the March On Washington and numerous other demonstrations, traveling more than 100,000 miles.
1964
Dr. King receives Nobel Peace Prize.
1965
Malcolm X is assassinated.
1966
Huey Newton and Bobby Seale found the Black Panthers.
Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud
James Brown
Considered to be one of the most popular pro-Black songs of the 1960s, this song held the Number 1 spot on the R&B singles charts for six weeks.
1968
Dr. King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)
Marvin Gaye
This posthumous Marvin Gaye video captures the sentiments of the singer's song from his social masterpiece What's Going On.
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1970s
1971
Leroy "Satchel" Paige becomes first player from the Negro Leagues to be inducted in the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
1975
Tennis player Arthur Ashe wins singles title at Wimbledon.
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1976
Negro History Week expands to become Black History Month.
Alex Haley publishes his novel Roots: The Saga Of An American Family.
Family Reunion
The O'Jays
This is just one of the socially conscious songs from the group's 1975 Gamble & Huff produced album.
1980s
1980
Robert Johnson creates B.E.T. (Black Entertainment Television) after receiving a loan for $15,000.
Guion S. Bluford, Jr. was among the astronauts aboard orbiter Challenger, making him the first African American to travel to space.
1984
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
Michael Jackson wins 8 Grammy Awards for his record sales breaking album Thriller.
Thriller
Michael Jackson
Beat It
Michael Jackson
To date Thriller has sold 27 million copies in the United States alone.
Russell Simmons and Rick Ruben found Def Jam Records in their City College of New York dorm room, boasting a roster of artists including the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J.
1986
Oprah Winfrey becomes first African American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show.
1988
Washington Redskins' Doug Williams makes history during Superbowl XXII as the first African American quarterback to start in and win a Superbowl.
1990s
1990
After being a political prisoner in South Africa for 27 years, Nelson Mandela is released.
Fight The Power
Public Enemy
This song is featured in the opening scene of Spike Lee's racially charged film, Do The Right Thing.
Percy Julian and George Washington Carver are inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame.
1992
Dr. Mae Jemison takes an expedition to space aboard space shuttle Endeavor.
Riots ensued throughout Los Angeles following the acquittal of four officers charged with using excessive force to retain motorist Rodney King.
We Had To Tear This _____ Up
Ice Cube
Former member of the controversial rap group NWA justifies the uprising.
1995
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan holds the Million Man March in Washington D.C., drawing over one million men of African decent.
1997
More than one million women participate in the Million Woman March in Philadelphia.
2000s
2001
Collin Powell is appointed Secretary Of State, earning the highest ranking for an African American in the executive branch and highest ranking in the military.
2002
Denzel Washington and Halle Berry receive best actor and actress honors at the Academy Awards.
2006
Oprah Winfrey opens school for poor girls in Johannasberg, South Africa.
I Can
Nas
Nas encourages kids to dream big, rapping, "You can host the TV like Oprah Winfrey."
2007
Barack Obama, junior U.S. Senator from Illinois, announces his preparation to become a candidate in the 2008 presidental election.
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1619
The first Africans as slave labor are brought to America (Virginia) in exchange for food. Within 60 years, the American slavery system becomes more developed and inhumane.
1793
The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney increases the demand for slaves.
1831
The Nat Turner Slave Revolt takes place in Southampton County, Virginia. After the small revolt, Turner is hung and stricter slave laws are instituted.
1849
Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and starts the Underground Railroad.
1863
President Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation saying “that all persons held as slaves” within the Confederate states “are, and henceforward shall be free."
1864
Rebecca Lee becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree.
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