Jet magazine founded by John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony magazine.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in Gayle v. Browder, bans segregation in intrastate travel, effectively giving a victory to those supporting the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Absalom Jones rose from slavery to become the first black Episcopal priest and principal founder of St. Thomas, the first black Episcopal church.

Illinois senator Barack Obama is elected the 44^th President of the United States.

Comedian Bill Cosby announces his gift of $20 million to Spelman College. This is the largest donation ever made by a black American to a college or university.

Deval Patrick is elected governor of Massachusetts.

By John Payton
Editor’s Note — The President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund takes issue in a letter to the New York Times of November 2 with a recent op-ed dismissing the effectiveness of recent civil rights litigation.

By Ronnie Reese via the Chicago Tribune
Editor’s Note — Nearly two decades ago, nearly 6,000 black Chicagoans had sought the chance to serve their city as firefighters. Their quest dream was at first denied, and then long-delayed before being ultimately vindicated by the Supreme Court in the case of Lewis v. The City of Chicago. This week the first of those candidates were called to begin the first round of testing, as an article from the Chicago Tribune

In the late 1940s Esther Swirk Brown, a midwestern white woman of Jewish heritage, was largely an unknown figure in the civil rights movement. But it was Brown who took the first steps in the legal assault on racial segregation in public schools. Here is her story.

By Kenneth J. Cooper
On the verge of default, the U.S. Postal Service has suspended its contributions to employee pensions and is considering layoffs, shutdowns of some rural post offices, and even an end to Saturday delivery. The independent government agency faces a budget deficit of as much as $10 billion this year.