Originally accepted as a junior partner at the accounting firm of Washington & Pittman, McKeever is admitted as an equal partner and elected as managing partner on January 1, 1976 changing the firm's name to Washington, Pittman & McKeever.

The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified. The amendment abolishes the poll tax, which had been used as a means of disenfranchising or discouraging blacks from voting.

Cassius Clay knocks out Sonny Liston in the seventh round of their fight to become the heavyweight champion. The following day he announces his conversion to Islam and changes his name to Muhammad Ali.

Foundation and Corporate Executive Stacey Davis Stewart is born.

Novelist and playwright James Baldwin's play, Blues for Mister Charlie opened on Broadway on this date. Baldwin is also known for his novels. They include Go Tell It On the Mountain and Nobody Knows My Name.

19-year-olds Charles Moore and Henry Dee were killed by the Ku Klux Klan on this date in Meadville, Mississippi. They were lured by klansmen into a car, hauled to Homochitto National Forest, chained to trees, beaten, and their bodies were thrown into the Mississippi River.

Actor Frederick O'Neal became the first Black elected president of the Actors' Equity Association on this date. O'Neal also co-founded the American Negro Theater where actors like Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte started their acting careers. Some of O'Neal's films include Pinky and Cotton Comes to Harlem.

Radio Personality 1879">Frank Ski is born.

Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks is born.

Three civil rights volunteers were reported missing on this date. They were arrested for speeding and released that night. After their release, some Ku Klux Klan members killed them.

The FBI found the charred station wagon of the three missing civil rights volunteers in a swamp on this date in Mississippi. The three volunteers were killed by the KKK after participating in the Freedom Summer Movement.

Congress passed the bill that became the Civil Rights Act on this date in Washington, D.C. President Johnson signed it three days later on July 2, 1964. The act outlawed discrimination in public accomidations, created the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, and encouraged desegregation of public schools.

The Civil Rights Act is signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson banning discrimination based on a person's color, race, national origin, religion or sex.

Investment Banker & Business Executive 1913">Carole L. Brown is born.

Tennis great Arthur Ashe becomes the first African American to play on the United States Davis Cup team.

Melody Spann-Cooper, radio executive, is born in Chicago, Illinois.

The bodies of three Civil Rights workers were found buried in Mississippi. Twenty-one men were charged by the FBI for the killings.

The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party led by Fannie Lou Hamer appeared on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on this date in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was done as a gesture to show that Black Mississippi residents wanted to be a part of the political process because in the previous election very few Blacks were allowed to vote.

Talk show host Tavis Smiley is born in Gulfport, Mississippi.

President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Medal of Freedom to opera singer Leontyne Price and labor activist A. Philip Randolph for their courage and contributions to the ideals of freedom and the well being of others.

A black church in Vicksburg, Mississippi is bombed. Two people are killed in the bombing of the church, which had also been used as a center for voter registration.

African American track runner Bob Hayes ties the Olympic record for the one hundred-meter dash, winning the Gold Medal at the Tokyo games.

Corporate executive Wayne Hewett is born on this date in Kingston, Jamaica.

John Conyers, Jr., is elected to the United States House of Representatives from Detroit, Michigan, on a platform of jobs, justice and peace.

Actor Harry J. Lennix is born on this date in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent philosophy, leadership and actions for equality during the Civil Rights Movement.

Public relations and communications specialist Barbara Heineback was born on this date in New York City.

Political Adviser & Administrator Zina Pierre is born