1 May
- 1950 Gwendolyn Brooks Wins the Pulitzer Prize Poet Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first Black American to win a Pulitzer Prize, for her collection 'Annie Allen.'
2 May
- 1963 The Birmingham Children's Crusade Begins Thousands of Black schoolchildren march in Birmingham to protest segregation; hundreds are arrested as the campaign deliberately fills the jails.
3 May
- 1963 Fire Hoses and Dogs in Birmingham Police commissioner Bull Connor turns high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs on child demonstrators in Birmingham.
4 May
- 1961 The Freedom Rides Begin Interracial groups of Freedom Riders depart Washington to challenge segregation on interstate buses through the Deep South.
5 May
- 1905 The Chicago Defender Is Founded Robert S. Abbott founds the Chicago Defender, which becomes the most influential Black newspaper in America.
6 May
- 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 Is Signed President Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1960, strengthening federal oversight of voter registration.
7 May
- 1955 The Rev. George Lee Is Assassinated The Rev. George W. Lee, one of the first Black people registered to vote in his Mississippi county, is shot and killed for refusing to stop his voter-registration work.
8 May
- 1911 Robert Johnson Is Born Blues musician Robert Johnson is born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
9 May
- 1800 John Brown Is Born Militant abolitionist John Brown is born in Torrington, Connecticut.
10 May
- 1994 Nelson Mandela Is Inaugurated President Nelson Mandela is inaugurated as the first Black president of South Africa after the country's first fully democratic election.
11 May
- 1981 Bob Marley Dies Reggae icon Bob Marley dies of cancer at age 36.
12 May
- 1951 Oscar De Priest Dies Oscar Stanton De Priest, the first Black member of Congress elected in the 20th century, dies in Chicago.
13 May
- 1985 Philadelphia Police Bomb the MOVE House Philadelphia police drop a bomb on the headquarters of the Black liberation group MOVE, killing 11 people, including five children, and destroying 61 homes.
14 May
- 1961 The Anniston Bus Firebombing A white mob firebombs a Freedom Riders' bus outside Anniston, Alabama, and beats the riders as they flee.
15 May
- 1970 The Jackson State Killings Police open fire on a student dormitory at Jackson State College, killing two Black students, days after the Kent State shootings.
16 May
- 1966 Janet Jackson Is Born Singer Janet Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana.
17 May
- 1954 Brown v. Board of Education The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that 'separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,' overturning the doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson.
18 May
- 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson Upholds Segregation The Supreme Court upholds 'separate but equal,' giving constitutional cover to racial segregation.
19 May
- 1925 Malcolm X Is Born Malcolm Little, later Malcolm X, is born in Omaha, Nebraska.
20 May
- 1961 Freedom Riders Are Attacked in Montgomery A mob assaults Freedom Riders at the Greyhound station in Montgomery, beating riders and journalists as local police stand aside.
21 May
- 1904 Fats Waller Is Born Pianist and composer Thomas 'Fats' Waller is born in New York City.
22 May
- 1863 The Bureau of Colored Troops Is Established The War Department creates the Bureau of Colored Troops to organize the United States Colored Troops in the Union Army.
23 May
- 1921 'Shuffle Along' Opens on Broadway The musical 'Shuffle Along,' by Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, opens and becomes a smash hit written, produced, and performed by Black artists.
24 May
- 1854 The Arrest of Anthony Burns Fugitive from slavery Anthony Burns is arrested in Boston under the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking mass protest.
25 May
- 2020 The Murder of George Floyd George Floyd is killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes; bystander video circulates worldwide.
26 May
- 1926 Miles Davis Is Born Trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis is born in Alton, Illinois.
27 May
- 1863 Black Troops Assault Port Hudson The Louisiana Native Guards, among the first Black units in the Union Army, lead a courageous assault at Port Hudson, Louisiana.
28 May
- 1944 Gladys Knight Is Born Singer Gladys Knight is born in Atlanta, Georgia.
29 May
- 1851 Sojourner Truth Delivers 'Ain't I a Woman?' Sojourner Truth addresses the Woman's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, linking abolition and women's rights.
30 May
- 1822 The Denmark Vesey Conspiracy Is Exposed Authorities in Charleston learn of Denmark Vesey's plan for a massive slave uprising, leading to mass arrests and executions.
31 May
- 1921 The Tulsa Race Massacre Begins A white mob attacks the prosperous Black Greenwood district of Tulsa, killing as many as 300 people and burning 'Black Wall Street' to the ground over two days.