Today's blog was written by Kaitlin Rogers, Archives Technician at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. "Knowledge, Leadership, Service" Harmon Foundation Collection: Tuskegee Institute, Booker T. Washington Monument (NAID 26174885) On July 4th, 1881, Booker T. Washington opened the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers in Tuskegee, Alabama’s African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Five … Continue reading Happy Founder’s Day Tuskegee University
Category: Emancipation & Reconstruction
Happy Birthday Frederick Douglass!
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” ~Frederick Douglass RG 79 "Fred. Douglass, lawyer, ca. 1865" Washington, DC SP Douglass, Frederick, National Historic … Continue reading Happy Birthday Frederick Douglass!
Free Frank McWorter – Father of Freedom
Free Frank McWorter was an American frontiersman who found fortune, became the first African American to register a town, and spent his life liberating his family. He was born enslaved in 1777 in South Carolina. His mother, Juda had been kidnapped from West Africa and his father is thought to be her enslaver[1]. Frank moved … Continue reading Free Frank McWorter – Father of Freedom
Preserving a Community’s Legacy: The History of The Gregory School
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
Portal Spotlight: Migrations and the Black Experience
Today's post was written by Netisha Currie, archives specialist at the National Archives at College Park. The latest Black History portal at the National Archives delves into a huge part of the American experience - the freedom of movement. Considering many people of African descent were forcibly brought to and moved throughout the United States, … Continue reading Portal Spotlight: Migrations and the Black Experience
Juneteenth: The Celebration of a New Freedom in America
Today's post was written by Billy R. Glasco, Jr., archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. To understand Juneteenth’s significance, one must understand how geography, military occupation, timing, and the resilience of a proud people solidified June 19, 1865 as the date that symbolizes freedom for African Americans. The National Archives is the … Continue reading Juneteenth: The Celebration of a New Freedom in America
2021 Black History Basic Training, Week 2
We have come to a close of the second week of Black History Month 2021. This year, the Say it Loud! Employee Affinity Group is hosting a Black History Basic Training (inspired by GirlTrek campaigns from the past year), where we highlight individuals, organizations and events that made significant contributions to the African American experience. This week, … Continue reading 2021 Black History Basic Training, Week 2
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 Phenomenon Called “Roots,” 1977
Today’s blog was written by Alan Walker, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland From the moment our search room doors opened to the public in late 1936, family history was a big draw for the public. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1938, nearly one quarter of the admission cards issued went to "students … Continue reading A Phenomenon Called “Roots,” 1977
Frederick Douglass – Statesman, Abolitionist, Champion of the People
Today’s post was written by Tiffany Walker, Archivist in the Textual Processing Division at the National Archives at College Park Frederick Douglass was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement in the Northern states and gained a following via … Continue reading Frederick Douglass – Statesman, Abolitionist, Champion of the People