Fellowship of Reconciliation organizes "Journey of Reconciliation," April 9–23, in which integrated group activists ride interstate buses in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky to test compliance with the Morgan decision.

Jackie Robinson plays his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, becoming the first African-American player in major league baseball since the 1880s.

Presidential committee on civil rights submits its report on October 29; its recommendations include establishing a permanent FEPC with enforcement powers; ending segregation in the armed forces; and federal legislation to punish lynching, secure voting rights, and abolish segregation in interstate transport.