Since the dissolvement of the Freedman’s Bank, the peculiar history of financial institutions and the African American community has been woven into America’s cultural fabric. This is why the appointment of Azie Taylor Morton to President Jimmy Carter’s administration was, and still is revolutionary. On September 12,1977, President Carter appointed Azie Taylor Morton Treasurer of … Continue reading Azie Taylor Morton: The One and Only
Today’s post comes from Zoë A. Zaharakis, a history education undergraduate student at Temple University, with the help of Archivist Grace Schultz. Zoë interned with the National Archives at Philadelphia virtually this fall as a part of the Cultural Fieldwork Initiative (CFI), a partnership with the Temple University College of Education Social Studies faculty and … Continue reading “No Lye,” the FDA Inspection of G.T. Young, Inc.
These were the most viewed posts of 2021! Thanks so much for reading Rediscovering Black History, we look forward to bringing you more stories from the National Archives relating to Black history in 2022! #6 Before Kamala - Black Women in Presidential Administrations Black women who have served in Presidential administrations. Marking the occasion of … Continue reading Rediscovering Black History Top 5 Posts of 2021
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." ~ Desmond Tutu On December 26, 2021, the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, former Archbishop of Cape Town, passed away at the age of 90 in Cape Town, South Africa. Tutu led a life … Continue reading No Future Without Forgiveness – A Tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Today's post was written by Netisha Currie, archives specialist at the National Archives at College Park. On November 30, 2021, Josephine Baker was bestowed the honor of Panthéonisation - being inducted into the national mausoleum of heroes at the French Pantheon. She is the first entertainer, Black woman, American, and only the sixth woman to … Continue reading An American Original Inducted into the French Pantheon – Josephine Baker
During the Civil War, approximately 17,000 men of African heritage served in the Union Navy. As noted by historian Joseph P. Reidy, this number represented approximately 20 percent of the enlisted men in the U.S. Navy at that time, which was “nearly double the proportion of black soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during … Continue reading African American Seamen of the Antebellum Era: Using Seamen’s Protection Certificates to Document Early Black Mariners
Marriage of a colored soldier at Vicksburg by Chaplain Warren of the Freedmen's Bureau (Library of Congress) During the Reconstruction period of U.S. history (1865-1877), many people who had previously been enslaved tried to reunite with family members from whom they had been separated by their enslavers. This collective search can be seen as another … Continue reading Records of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the Reconstruction of Black Families
Today’s post was written by Alicia Henneberry, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The United States is an eclectic patchwork of diverse faiths and religious beliefs that manifest physically in a community of believers and the places of worship in which they gather. Throughout history, some of these places of worship … Continue reading Places of Worship as Epicenters for Change: Highlights from the National Register of Historic Places
Today's post was written collaboratively by staff from The African American Library at the Gregory School and the National Archives: Miguell Caesar, Lead Archivist/Manager; Sheena Wilson, Archivist/Assistant Manager (both at the Gregory School); Damani Davis, Archivist/Subject Matter Expert of Records Related to the African American Experience; Billy R. Glasco, Jr., Archivist at The Jimmy Carter Presidential … Continue reading Preserving a Community’s Legacy: The History of The Gregory School
Today's post was written by Holly Rivet, archival technician at the National Archives in St. Louis. Mugshot of Ben Reeves from his Inmate Case File from Leavenworth Penitentiary (NAID 7861497, image 54) In the early afternoon of June 7, 1902, a young Ben Reeves paid a visit to his estranged wife, Castella Brown, at her … Continue reading Love and Death on the Frontier – Finding Ben Reeves at the National Archives
