Pontiac Black History 1820-1969
click here for Pontiac Black History 1969 to Today
| 1820 - Federal Census of Oakland County listed family of Mr. John Wilson as the first black family in Oakland County. |
| 1825 – Elizabeth Denison Forth, former slave, through the encouragement of her employer Solomon Sibley, purchased land that is now bounded by Grandview on the north ; on the south by University Drive, on the west by Paddock Street and on the east by Montclair. Portions of this property would become the eastern part of Oakhill Cemetery. |
| 1861 – Newman African Methodist Episcopal Church founded as the first black church. |
| 1870 – Black voting with passage of the 15th Amendment. |
| 1900 – Burton “China” Hughes played on Pontiac High School’s First Championship Football Team; graduated from Pontiac High. |
| 1916 – Joseph Jones opened the first black dry-cleaning establishment in the basement of the Chapman Hotel. |
| 1917 - Nellie Morton was the first black female to graduate from Pontiac High. |
| 1920 - Dr. M.L. Spears came to Pontiac and was the first black physician. |
| 1920 - The Pontiac branch of the NAACP was organized at the Newman A.M.E. Church with Reverend J.A. Charleston as the first black President. |
| 1926 - Attorney Oliver Green served as our first black attorney in Pontiac. |
| 1930 - Allen D. Noble and Edward Slater formed the Southwest Civic Community Center (it became the Urban League in 1949) |
| 1939 - Allen D. Noble became the first black uniformed policeman. (There were two blacks hired before Noble, but they were not uniformed.) |
| 1940 - Dr. Howard McNeill served as the first black City Commissioner. |
| 1943 - Helen Hatchett held a non-medial job at the Riker Building as the first black Stenographer for the Oakland County Tuberculosis Society. |
| 1944 - The Pontiac Challenger was established as the first black newspaper. |
| 1946 - John F. Hatchett became the NAACP Youth Chapter President. He along with James McMillan and Henry Williams were able to open up bowling alleys, skating rinks and restaurants in Pontiac. |
| 1947 - John F. Hatchett appointed as the first black lab assistant in the Chemistry Department at Pontiac High School, and was elected President of the Chemistry-Physics Club. |
| 1947 - Bernice (Carpenter) Ferguson started the first Black Campfire Girls. |
| 1957 – Rosemary Corr became the first black female supervisor at Pontiac General Hospital (currently known as North Oakland Medical Center). |
| 1963 – Eleanor Mickens became the first black female Pontiac Police Officer |
| 1963 – Elaine Eason transferred into the Medical Records Department at Pontiac General Hospital (currently known as North Oakland Medical Center) and became the first black female of that department. |
| 1964 – Hayes Jones won an Olympic Gold Medal in Tokyo for the 110 meter hurdles. |
| 1965 – Harambee was formed to solve local problems in business and housing for blacks. |
| 1966 – Elizabeth Ross became the first black dietitian at Clinton Valley. |
| 1968 – Black Cultural Center was opened on Sanford Street. |
| 1968 – Newman Non-Profit Housing Board of Directors was formed. |
| 1969 – Richard Craig was named the first black Personnel Director of the Pontiac School District. |