Bayard Rustin: The Inmate that the Prison Could Not Handle

Today's post was written by Shaina Destine, a student intern in Textual Processing at the National Archives in College Park. Bayard Rustin was the perpetual hero that history forgot.  I learned of Bayard Rustin in regards to his Civil Rights and Gay Rights work in my early 20s.  I heard about him being a Quaker … Continue reading Bayard Rustin: The Inmate that the Prison Could Not Handle

Jesse Owens, American Hero

Re-post in Celebration of the Start of the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Today's post was written by Ms. Netisha Currie, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in College Park The new biographical movie about Jesse Owens, Race, will be released in theaters this Friday, February 19th. The title has a double meaning … Continue reading Jesse Owens, American Hero

Unbought and Unbossed: Shirley Chisholm and the 1972 Presidential Run

Today’s post was written by Tiffany Walker, Archivist in the Textual Processing Branch at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton clinched the Democratic Presidential nomination, thus becoming the first woman in United States history to lead the ticket of a major political party. However, Clinton was not the first woman to … Continue reading Unbought and Unbossed: Shirley Chisholm and the 1972 Presidential Run

Lynching of Women in United States Blog Series: The Lynching of Belle Hathaway

This is the second blog post on a series of blogs on the lynching of women in the United States. Lynching remains one of the most disturbing and least understood atrocities in American history. During the Postbellum and Reconstruction periods, mob violence in the South became a tool for maintaining the racial order. African American … Continue reading Lynching of Women in United States Blog Series: The Lynching of Belle Hathaway

“When It Was So Rough that You Couldn’t Make It”: Voting Rights in the Early 1960s

Part I: Mapping the Barriers A basic law protecting the right to vote “without distinction of race, color, or previous condition of servitude” has been part of the American story for almost 150 years. The law evolved through the decades, but for much of its history, one thing remained the same: the Federal government had … Continue reading “When It Was So Rough that You Couldn’t Make It”: Voting Rights in the Early 1960s

Black Panther: A News Reel Video

Today’s blog was written by Dr. Tina L. Ligon, Lead Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland The ideology of Black Power promotes cultural appreciation and black self-determination. Although it sometimes has negative connotations, the phrase "Black Power" represented racial pride, political and economic empowerment, and community service among those of African descent. … Continue reading Black Panther: A News Reel Video

Jesse Owens, American Hero

Today's post was written by Netisha Currie, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in College Park The new biographical movie about Jesse Owens, Race, will be released in theaters this Friday, February 19th. The title has a double meaning - alluding to Owens' historic record breaking feats he performed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as well … Continue reading Jesse Owens, American Hero

Lynching of Women in United States Blog Series Part 1: The Lynching of Sisters Eula and Ella Charles

This will be the first blog post on a series of blogs on the lynching of women in the United States. Lynching remains one of the most disturbing and least understood atrocities in American history.  During the Postbellum and Reconstruction periods, mob violence in the South became a tool for maintaining the racial order. African-American … Continue reading Lynching of Women in United States Blog Series Part 1: The Lynching of Sisters Eula and Ella Charles

Morgan v. Hennigan: Desegregation of Boston Public Schools

Today's Blog was written by Dr. Tina L. Ligon, Supervisory Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland This record of the week was a part of a presentation on the role of the federal government in black education, given at the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) Conference … Continue reading Morgan v. Hennigan: Desegregation of Boston Public Schools

Record of the Week: Selma, Edmund Pettus Bridge FBI Case File

Today's post was written by Netisha Currie, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in College Park. This weekend the 87th annual Academy Awards will air, and many of the Best Picture nominees' subjects are culled from historical events or people. Selma (directed by Ava DuVernay) is a dramatization of the events that happened around the Selma to Montgomery … Continue reading Record of the Week: Selma, Edmund Pettus Bridge FBI Case File