Black History Facts

1839: Africans led by Joseph Cinqué (Sengbe Pieh) seized control of the slave ship Amistad, killing the captain and fighting for their freedom. The revolt became one of the most important legal battles in the history of American slavery

1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued the Retaliation Order, declaring that for every Black Union soldier killed in violation of the laws of war, a Confederate prisoner would be executed, and for every Black soldier enslaved, a Confederate prisoner would be sentenced to hard labor.

1993: Don Myrick, the legendary saxophonist and founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire's horn section, was tragically shot and killed by Santa Monica police during a narcotics investigation after officers mistook the cigarette lighter in his hand for a gun.