Lynching remains one of the most disturbing and least understood atrocities in American history. During the Postbellum and Reconstruction periods, mob violence in the south became a tool for maintaining the racial order. African American men, women, and children now comprised the majority of victims of lynch mobs and lynchings became increasingly sadistic in nature. … Continue reading Lynching of Women in United States Blog Series: The Lynching of Mrs. Kate Browning
Today’s post was written by Steven Booth, Archivist at the Barack Obama Presidential Library in Hoffman Estates, IL This week cities across the United States commemorated the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was killed on April 4, 1968. The day prior to his death, Dr. King traveled to … Continue reading The Week of April 4, 1968: A Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On March 25, 2018, Linda Brown passed at age 76 (some reports claim 75) in Topeka, Kansas. She was the schoolgirl who was at the center of the 1954 US Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education. At age 9, Brown's father Oliver Brown attempted to enroll her in the all-white Sumner Elementary School … Continue reading A School Girl Makes History: Tribute to Linda Brown
“An educator in a system of oppression is either a revolutionary or an oppressor. ~ Lerone Bennett, Jr. On February 14, 2018, Lerone Bennett, Jr. passed at age 89 at his home in Chicago, Illinois. Bennett was a journalist and social historian who focused on African-American life and racism in the United States. He is … Continue reading Before the Mayflower: A Tribute to Journalist Lerone Bennett, Jr.
Today’s post was written by Daniella Furman, Archivist in the Textual Processing Branch at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland With both Black History month and the 50th anniversary of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fast approaching, I began looking back to the year of 1968 to … Continue reading A Man of Many “Firsts”
Today’s Blog is written by Barbara Lewis Burger, a retired National Archives Still Picture Senior Archivist The above photograph of nine World War I soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment is one of several iconic photographs in the National Archives and Records Administration that document African American soldiers during the war. This particular image has been … Continue reading “And They Thought We Couldn’t Fight:”* Remembering the Nine Soldiers in a World War I Photograph
Happy American Archives Month! Today’s blog was written by Dr. Ida E. Jones, University Archivist at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland Professor of history and author Dr. Roland Calhoun McConnell was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada on March 10, 1910. McConnell graduated from Dunbar High School in 1927, where he was … Continue reading Living Testimony, Faithful to Cleo & Lifting the Race: Dr. Roland McConnell
Marshall tells the story of Thurgood Marshall's early days as a young lawyer fighting alongside fellow lawyer, Sam Friedman, in the case of a black chauffeur Joseph Spell, accused by his white employer, Eleanor Stubing, of sexual assault and attempted murder. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, and Kate Hudson. Previous blog posts relating to … Continue reading Marshall film takes a look at Thurgood Marshall’s early career
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park Late in 1946, Attorney General Tom Clark, concerned about the direction American life was taking in the wake of World War II, decided something dramatic was needed to increase public awareness of their heritage of freedom and the … Continue reading The Freedom Train and the Contagion of Liberty, 1947-1949
This Week’s Special Blog Post is written by Tina L. Ligon, Textual Processing Archivist, and Christina Violeta Jones, Textual Reference Archivist. Known as one of the largest political rallies for human rights in the United States’ history, the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (MOW) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week. This … Continue reading Let Freedom Ring!!! Honoring the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
