white doctor administers injection to a participant wearing a blue shirt w/sleeve rolled up looking at his arm

A Long Overdue Apology

“To the survivors, to the wives and family members, the children and the grandchildren, I say what you know: No power on Earth can give you back the lives lost, the pain suffered, the years of internal torment and anguish. What was done cannot be undone. But we can end the silence. We can stop … Continue reading A Long Overdue Apology

man standing on top of a circular stone structure with the beams for the roof that is about to be completed

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Camp Thunderbird of the Civilian Conservation Corps!

Today's post was written by Holly Rivet, archival technician at the National Archives in St. Louis. The Washington State Park Civilian Conservation Corps Historic District (NAID 63818134) in Washington County, Missouri is protected by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as of March 4, 1985. This site was home to the Civilian Conservation Corps … Continue reading It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Camp Thunderbird of the Civilian Conservation Corps!

elevator entrance w/ornate art deco design

“You people go back and wait for the second trip:” Racism at the Hoover Dam

Today's post was written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives in Denver Author’s historical note: While originally named the Hoover Dam in 1931, the dam was renamed Boulder during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency and called this in 1936, when the following story takes place. In 1947, the name reverted back to Hoover Dam, … Continue reading “You people go back and wait for the second trip:” Racism at the Hoover Dam

Before Kamala: Black Women in Presidential Administrations

Today's post was written by Billy R. Glasco, Jr., archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. From the liberating poetry of Phyllis Wheatley to the heroism of Shirley Chisholm. From the fortitude of Ida B. Wells to the tenacity of Fannie Lou Hamer, Stacey Abrams, and other Black women who have fought on the … Continue reading Before Kamala: Black Women in Presidential Administrations

After the 19th Amendment: Women in the US Virgin Islands Secure the Vote

Today’s post was written by Jennifer Johnson, curator for Museum Programs at the National Archives in Kansas City. When the People of the United States adopted the Nineteenth Amendment and declared that neither the United States nor any State can deny or abridge the right to vote on account of sex, they clearly established as a … Continue reading After the 19th Amendment: Women in the US Virgin Islands Secure the Vote

A Community Enterprise: The Rosenwald Schools of the National Register for Historic Places

Today's post was written by Alicia Henneberry, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at College Park, MD The Longstreet Rosenwald School, circa 2009 (NAID 73973387) Pictured above is the Longstreet School, a small, quaint structure sitting quietly off Louisiana Route 5 in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. Despite its perfectly ordinary and unassuming appearance, this building represented … Continue reading A Community Enterprise: The Rosenwald Schools of the National Register for Historic Places

Treating Race at St. Elizabeths Hospital

Today’s post comes from Ben Miller, an intern with the Exhibits team at the National Archives Museum. On August 31, 1852, Congress appropriated $100,000 to create the government hospital for the insane in Washington, DC. Soon known as St. Elizabeths, the hospital was meant to be a “model institution,” providing the highest quality mental health … Continue reading Treating Race at St. Elizabeths Hospital

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

Black College Life in the New Deal: A Google Cultural Institute Exhibit

Today's blog was written by Netisha Currie, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in College Park. In celebration of Black History Month, the Google Cultural Institute has created a channel devoted to Black History and Culture. It features over 80 exhibits showcasing documents, artwork, photographs, artifacts and 5,000 other types of items relating to black … Continue reading Black College Life in the New Deal: A Google Cultural Institute Exhibit

A Special Memorandum from 1933: “Social Adjustment of Negroes in the United States”

Today’s blog was written by Blossom Ojukwu, undergraduate education major at the University of Maryland, College Park In the series Historical Files (National Archives Identifier 566333) in RG 12 Records of the Office of Education is a special memorandum titled “The Social Adjustment of Negroes in the United States.” The document was submitted to President Franklin … Continue reading A Special Memorandum from 1933: “Social Adjustment of Negroes in the United States”