Freedom Calendar 06/07/08 - 06/14/08

June 7, 1892, In a first for a major U.S. political party, two women – Theresa Jenkins and Cora Carleton – attend Republican National Convention in an official capacity, as alternate delegates.

June 8, 1866, U.S. Senate passes Republicans’ 14th Amendment guaranteeing due process and equal protection of the law to all citizens; 94% of Republicans vote yes and 100% of Democrats vote no.

June 9, 1964, Republicans condemn 14-hour filibuster against 1964 Civil Rights Act by U.S. Senator and former Ku Klux Klansman Robert Byrd (D-WV), who still serves in the Senate.

June 10, 1964, Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (R-IL) criticizes Democrat filibuster against 1964 Civil Rights Act, calls on Democrats to stop opposing racial equality.

June 11, 1924, African-American Henry Lincoln Johnson leads Georgia delegation to Republican National Convention, a first for a major U.S. political party.

June 12, 1929, First Lady Lou Hoover invites wife of U.S. Rep. Oscar De Priest (R-IL), an African-American, to tea at the White House, sparking protests by Democrats across the country.

June 13, 1928, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Curtis (R-KS), descendant of American Indians who was raised on a reservation, becomes Republican nominee for Vice President.

June 14, 1877, Nominated by U.S. Rep. James Freeman (R-GA), Henry O. Flipper becomes first African-American to graduate from West Point.

“This government will meet its responsibility to help those in need. But policies that increase dependency, break up families, and destroy self-respect are not progressive; they're reactionary. Despite our strides in civil rights, blacks, Hispanics, and all minorities will not have full and equal power until they have full economic power.”

Ronald Reagan 40th President of the United States