First Pan-African Congress convenes in Paris

Protesters led by Paul Bogle march to the Morant Bay courthouse amid land dispossession, poverty and political exclusion under colonial rule. The repression that followed, including executions and...

Ethiopian forces defeat an Italian invasion at Adwa, preserving Ethiopia’s sovereignty in the face of European imperial expansion. Adwa became a powerful symbol for African and diaspora anticolonial...

Organized by Trinidadian barrister Henry Sylvester Williams, the conference brought together delegates and observers from Africa, the Caribbean, the United States and Britain. It linked racial...

African leaders establish the South African Native National Congress, later renamed the African National Congress. It sought to contest racial exclusion through political organization and petitioning;...

Marcus Garvey organizes the UNIA in Jamaica, building a mass movement around Black dignity, self-help, African redemption and diaspora connection. Its pan-African vision attracted working people...

The UNIA’s convention in New York draws a large international gathering and stages a public assertion of Black political presence. Its Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World and...

The second congress begins a series of meetings in London, Brussels and Paris. It develops demands for African representation, labor protections and an end to colonial exploitation, while the format...

The third congress opens in London before continuing in Lisbon. Delegates address colonial rule and racial discrimination and press for political voice, labor rights and self-government. These...

The fourth congress meets in New York and includes delegates from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States. It renews demands for self-government and equal rights while revealing tensions...

Italy invades Ethiopia, one of the few African states to retain formal independence. The invasion provokes protests and diaspora solidarity campaigns; it exposed the weakness of the League of...