583CHRONOLOGY
1909
The National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People is founded.
1910
The National Urban League is founded.
W. E. B. DuBois is appointed editor of The Cri-
sis,the official journal of The National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People. He serves
as editor of the influential journal until 1934.
1912
James Weldon Johnson publishes The Autobiogra-
phy of an Ex-Coloured Man,the first version of the
novel that he later republishes under his own
name in 1927.
1914
Joel Spingarn, one of the founders of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo-
ple, endows the Spingarn Medal. The annual award,
which is still bestowed today, recognizes outstanding
achievement by an African American.
Marcus Garvey organizes the Universal Negro
Improvement Association, an organization dedi-
cated to achieving African and West Indian inde-
pendence from colonial rule.
World War I begins in Europe.
1915
Booker T. Washington passes away.
1916
Carter G. Woodson establishes the Journal of Negro
History
1917
A. Philip Randolph and Chandler Owen begin
publishing The Messenger, a journal that ceases
publication in 1928.
The Silent Protest March occurs in Manhat-
tan on July 28. Civil rights leaders such as the
Reverend Frederick Cullen, W. E. B. DuBois, and
James Weldon Johnson organize the march,
which includes between 10,000 and 15,000, in
order to protest lynchings and the inadequate
federal response to mob law, racial violence, and
segregation.
The United States enters World War I.1918
Georgia Douglas Johnson makes her literary debut
with The Heart of a Woman.
Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Im-
provement Association begin publishing Negro
World,the official newspaper of the organization. It
ceases publication in 1933.
World War I ends. The United States has ben-
efited from the military service of some 370,000
African Americans during the conflict.1919
Race riots erupt throughout the nation, prompting
James Weldon Johnson to coin the term Red Sum-
mer,to denote the bloodshed in the 25 cities af-
fected by the upheaval.
T. Montgomery Gregory organizes the Howard
Players, one of the nation’s first African-American
undergraduate theater troupes.
W. E. B. DuBois organizes the first Pan-African
Conference, and the meeting is held in Paris, France.