view of Black students sitting closely together in crowded classroom

Equalization and its Role in Dismantling Racial Segregation in Virginia Public Schools

Today's post was written by Grace Schultz, archivist at the National Archives at Philadelphia. A companion lesson plan can be viewed in DocsTeach. The fight to desegregate schools started long before the Supreme Court’s decision in Oliver Brown, et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, et al. (NAID 561058), and it continues today. As … Continue reading Equalization and its Role in Dismantling Racial Segregation in Virginia Public Schools

facade of a 2 story brick Georgian brick building

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

front view of 1 story school bldg w/bell on top

Westerly Winds and Big Skies, Finding Colonel Allen Allensworth at the National Archives

Today's post was written by Holly Rivet, archival technician at the National Archives in St. Louis. Allen Allensworth, nd (from findagrave) Allensworth, California was the first city to be established as an African American enclave in California.  It was officially founded on August 3, 1908 by Colonel Allen Allensworth, Chaplain to the 24th Infantry, a … Continue reading Westerly Winds and Big Skies, Finding Colonel Allen Allensworth at the National Archives

2021 Black History Basic Training, Week 4

We are now at the close 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, we celebrated Soul City, … Continue reading 2021 Black History Basic Training, Week 4

“An Inspiration Throughout the World”: President Carter Presents Living Legacy Awards

Today's blog post was written by Daria Labinsky, Archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.  When you work in an archives, you frequently discover amazing events that make you wish for a time machine (and a guest pass). One such event took place at the White House on February 23, 1979, when President Jimmy and … Continue reading “An Inspiration Throughout the World”: President Carter Presents Living Legacy Awards

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

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

Two Dead in Mississippi: Remembering the Jackson State Killings of 1970

Today’s blog post was written by Bob Nowatzki and Joshua Schroeder in Research Services at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland “completely unwarranted and unjustified” -President’s Commission on Campus Unrest, 1970 From May 13th to May 15th, 1970, Jackson State College, by then a nearly century-old Historically Black College and University (HBCU), erupted in … Continue reading Two Dead in Mississippi: Remembering the Jackson State Killings of 1970

The Gridlock of Racial Segregation: When the Light Turns from Brown to Green

Written by Michael Hancock There was a time when “freedom of choice” was no choice at all. After the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education  (1954) schools were slow to desegregate. New Kent County had two schools that taught students from elementary through high school and prior to 1965, New Kent School’s student body … Continue reading The Gridlock of Racial Segregation: When the Light Turns from Brown to Green

Keyes v. School District Number One, Denver, Colorado; Eliminating the “Root and Branch” of School Segregation

Today's post was written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver The stark, black and white Denver Post photograph one finds online is startling; in it two firemen are sweeping broken glass from a window shattered by a pipe bomb while Wilfred Keyes and his wife, just shadows in the dark of … Continue reading Keyes v. School District Number One, Denver, Colorado; Eliminating the “Root and Branch” of School Segregation