1990 February 8 Black students in Selma, Alabama, stage a "sit-in" following the firing of the city's first black school superintendent, Norward Roussell, on February 5. The firing is viewed as a battle to control the city's school board — white school board members outnumber black members six to five, while 70 percent of Selma's student population is black. The conflict ends after six days of protest. The board amends its position to permit Roussell to stay on as superintendent until the end of his contract.