SACTU is formed to organize workers across racial divisions

The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The decision grew from the actions of families, students and lawyers in several communities. It challenged the...

The Geneva Conference issued its final declaration concerning peace in Indochina after the defeat of French forces. It addressed sovereignty and a provisional military division of Vietnam, with...

The National Liberation Front issued a proclamation announcing its independence programme as armed actions began. It demanded restoration of Algerian sovereignty and the removal of colonial laws...

Police forcibly removed families from Sophiatown to Meadowlands despite community opposition to removal. The operation advanced apartheid’s spatial ordering of urban life. Housing and land were...

Claudette Colvin, a Black teenager in Montgomery, refused to give up her seat under segregated bus practices and was arrested. Her action preceded Rosa Parks’ arrest and the citywide boycott....

Representatives of Asian and African countries opened the Bandung Conference in Indonesia. The gathering asserted their capacity to discuss international affairs and cooperation on their own terms. It...

The Bandung Conference adopted a communiqué condemning colonialism and racial discrimination, supporting self-determination and opposing cultural suppression. It expressed solidarity with people...

Delegates at Kliptown adopted the Freedom Charter after demands had been gathered from communities. Its programme linked equal political rights with land, work, education and shared resources. This...

Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat under Montgomery’s segregation practices and was arrested. An experienced activist, she acted within a community with a history of organizing against...

Black residents stayed off Montgomery buses after organizers circulated a call for protest following Rosa Parks’ arrest. Leaders formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and a mass meeting...