Barbara Lewis Burger, who retired from the Still Picture Branch of the National Archives as a Senior Archivist, wrote today’s blog. One of her areas of interest is photographic and graphic records of and about African Americans. "Keep us flying! Buy War Bonds." (NAID 514823) Almost 30 years ago I submitted a proposal to National … Continue reading Who Is He? A Long-Delayed Search for the Identity of the Airman Portrayed in a World War II Poster
Author: Ligon
Tribute to Hall of Famer Frank Robinson
“ I always tried to do the best. I knew I couldn’t always be the best, but I tried to be.” ~Frank Robinson On February 7, 2019, Hall of Fame baseball player Frank Robinson passed away at the age of 83 in Los Angeles, California. During his career, he had nearly 3,000 hits, .294 … Continue reading Tribute to Hall of Famer Frank Robinson
The Gentle Peacemaker: Tribute to Kofi Annan
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” ~Kofi Annan On August 18, 2018, Kofi Annan passed away at the age 80 in Bern, Switzerland. He was the first person from sub-Saharan Africa to lead the United Nations (UN). Under Annan’s leadership, the UN re-established … Continue reading The Gentle Peacemaker: Tribute to Kofi Annan
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Tribute to the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin
“You cannot define a person on just one thing. You can’t just forget all these wonderful and good things that a person has done because one thing didn’t come off the way you thought it should come off.” ~Aretha Franklin On August 16, 2018, legendary singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin passed away at the age … Continue reading R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Tribute to the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin
Resurrection City: The Continuation of King’s Dream
Today's blog was written by Tina L. Ligon, Supervisory Archivist in Textual Processing at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland The boycotts, protests, and marches of the 1950s and 1960s contributed to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act (1965). These pieces of legislation assisted with the … Continue reading Resurrection City: The Continuation of King’s Dream
Many Thousands Gone: Tribute to Ira Berlin
“[B]inary opposites fit nicely the formulation of history as written, but they do little to capture the mess, inchoate reality of history as live.” ~ Ira Berlin On June 5, 2018, Ira Berlin passed away at age 77, in the Washington, D. C. area. He was an award-winning historian and Distinguished Professor of History at … Continue reading Many Thousands Gone: Tribute to Ira Berlin
A School Girl Makes History: Tribute to Linda Brown
On March 25, 2018, Linda Brown passed at age 76 (some reports claim 75) in Topeka, Kansas. She was the schoolgirl who was at the center of the 1954 US Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education. At age 9, Brown's father Oliver Brown attempted to enroll her in the all-white Sumner Elementary School … Continue reading A School Girl Makes History: Tribute to Linda Brown
Before the Mayflower: A Tribute to Journalist Lerone Bennett, Jr.
“An educator in a system of oppression is either a revolutionary or an oppressor. ~ Lerone Bennett, Jr. On February 14, 2018, Lerone Bennett, Jr. passed at age 89 at his home in Chicago, Illinois. Bennett was a journalist and social historian who focused on African-American life and racism in the United States. He is … Continue reading Before the Mayflower: A Tribute to Journalist Lerone Bennett, Jr.
Living Testimony, Faithful to Cleo & Lifting the Race: Dr. Roland McConnell
Happy American Archives Month! Today’s blog was written by Dr. Ida E. Jones, University Archivist at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland Professor of history and author Dr. Roland Calhoun McConnell was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada on March 10, 1910. McConnell graduated from Dunbar High School in 1927, where he was … Continue reading Living Testimony, Faithful to Cleo & Lifting the Race: Dr. Roland McConnell
If Not for the Public Outcry: The Tuskegee Syphilis Project/ Study
Today’s blog was written by Timmia King, undergraduate student at Howard University and spring intern in the Textual Processing Division at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment was conducted from the years 1932 to 1972, in Macon County, Alabama. It’s namesake is derived from the facts that the experiment was … Continue reading If Not for the Public Outcry: The Tuskegee Syphilis Project/ Study