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
Written by Michael Hancock Like hundreds of thousands of young American men, Henry Johnson returned from the First World War and tried to make a life for himself in spite of what he had experienced on the battlefields of Europe. Escaping with bullet and shrapnel wounds in the dozens, he was fortunate that he even … Continue reading “We Remember Our Heroes”: Henry Johnson
Today’s blog post was written by Michael J. Hancock in Research Services at the National Archives and Records Administration. The 2008 Democratic Presidential run was a watershed moment in American politics. For the first time, a woman and an African American man were the front-runners of a major political party for this nation’s highest office. … Continue reading Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed
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
Today's post was written by Jennifer Johnson, curator for the National Archives Traveling Exhibits Service at the National Archives in Kansas City. This blog previously appeared on Pieces of History. Willa Beatrice Brown is featured in the nationwide traveling exhibit One Half of the People: Advancing Equality for Women. Perhaps one of the less recognizable names, but … Continue reading The Maker of Pilots: Aviator and Civil Rights Activist Willa Beatrice Brown
“…there is no East, no West, no North, no South, but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole, wide world:” ~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sermon at the Marienkirche, East Berlin, September 13, 1964 In 1964, the city of Berlin was divided between East and West Berliners, much like the United States was segregated … Continue reading “…there is no East, no West..:” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visits Cold War Berlin
"You can jail a Revolutionary, but you can't jail the Revolution" ~Fred Hampton Fred Hampton was born on August 30, 1948 in Maywood, Illinois. He was gifted in academics and athletics. As a child, he wanted to play for the New York Yankees when he finished school, but ended up studying pre-law at Triton Junior … Continue reading Fred Hampton: Vanguard Revolutionary
Barbara Lewis Burger, who retired from the Still Picture Branch of the National Archives as a Senior Archivist, wrote today’s blog. One of her areas of interest is photographic and graphic records of and about African Americans. "Keep us flying! Buy War Bonds." (NAID 514823) Almost 30 years ago I submitted a proposal to National … Continue reading Who Is He? A Long-Delayed Search for the Identity of the Airman Portrayed in a World War II Poster
Today's post is written by Edward J.K. Gitre, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of History at Virginia Tech and Director of The American Soldier in World War II Project. "Colored soldiers is not treated worth a dam [sic] in Louisiana. They don't have no rights and no say-so!... One of us colored soldiers got on the city … Continue reading An Uncensored Digital History of the Black GI in World War II
