Cover photo: A Great Day in Hip Hop, Harlem, New York, by Gordon Parks, 1998 This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop. Rap, a genre of popular music rooted in funk, disco, and soul that encompasses the cultures of Black and Brown people is one part of Hip Hop … Continue reading “To the Hip Hop and You don’t Stop”: A Tribute for the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop
This blog is part of the #1950CensusCountdown. The 1950 Census will be released by the National Archives on April 1, 2022. The genealogy bug bit me about a decade ago while briefly cross-training with the Archives unit formerly known as the Research Support Services Branch at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. This branch had … Continue reading It’s All Relative: Locating Family in Federal Records and Genealogy Research Strategies
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 Dr. Greg Bradsher, senior archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD A little over two years ago in 2018 Congress, by Public Law No: 115-322 (132 STAT. 4440-4442) enacted the Larry Doby Congressional Gold Medal Act. Upon hearing about this, I thought about getting Larry Doby’s autograph at … Continue reading Larry Doby: A Life of Firsts and Seconds
Today's post was written by Rebecca Sharp, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Several years ago, I received a telephone call from a researcher that turned out to be an extremely intriguing and challenging question. The researcher wanted to know if there might be additional documentation relating to the passport application of … Continue reading A Rare Find: Passport Applications of Free Blacks
Today's post was written by Damani Davis, an Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Among the most tangible products validating the work of National Archives' (NARA) reference staff are the books written by the many researchers we’ve assisted over the years. Often, there can be a type of synergistic or mutually beneficial relationship … Continue reading Slaves in the Family and Escape on the Pearl: A Report on Two Books that Used NARA Records
Today's post was written by Daniella Furman, an Archivist in Research Services at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. When I started researching the 1964 Freedom Summer Movement a few weeks ago, I thought it would be an interesting project to expand my knowledge about that important moment in history 56 years ago. Never … Continue reading Freedom Summer, 56 Years Later
Today's post is written by Dr. Dennis Patrick Halpin, an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech whose research examines how race, class, and gender shaped the 19th and 20th century urban experience in the United States. He's been conducting research at the National Archives at Philadelphia, focused primarily on the records of the United States District Court … Continue reading Early Civil Rights Protest and the Steamer Sue Case
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
Today’s Black History Tribute was written by Alexis Hill, Assistant Registrar in the Exhibits Division at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland Dr. Walter B. Hill Jr., scholar, historian, and senior archivist, opened a lot of doors to the records on African-American history during his 30-year career at the National Archives and Records Administration … Continue reading Black History Month Tribute: Dr. Walter B. Hill Jr., Archivist, Historian, and Father
