Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and Dr. Sylvia Naylor, archivists at the National Archives in College Park. In April 1945 the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion received orders to move to the West Coast for a special assignment. Members of this all African American unit hoped to finally see combat during World War II in the … Continue reading Firefly Project and the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (“Smoke Jumpers”)
Written by Kevin L. Bradley, Archives Technician in the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Division at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland The National Archives holds thousands of photographs illustrating the various activities of servicemen and women in all branches of the Armed Forces. The photographs are able to give visuals of the bravery and … Continue reading Captain Frederick C. Branch: The First African American Commissioned Officer in the USMC
Today’s Blog is written by Barbara Lewis Burger, a retired National Archives Still Picture Senior Archivist. A significant percentage of African Americans lived in rural communities until the middle of the 20th century. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by 1900, the black population was slightly more than 8.8 million or 11.6% of the U.S. … Continue reading Family, Farming, and Community: Photographs of African American Life in Putnam County, Georgia in 1941
Today’s blog was written by William Smith, Information Technology Specialist at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. The internet and new technology has lowered the cost of access to electronic records. In the past, researchers would have to pay a fee to obtain just one electronic file in a collection. With the development of … Continue reading Free Electronic Records at NARA
Today's blog was written by Donald Roe, Associate Professor of History, Howard University, and former Archivist and Subject Area Expert in the Motion Picture Sound and Video Branch at NARA The film collection housed at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), consisting of both edited and unedited film footage, is among the largest … Continue reading The Significance of Motion Picture Footage Housed at the National Archives and Records Administration Relating to the African American Soldier
