Written by Linda Barnickel, independent archivist and freelance writer It’s easy for us today to think that enslaved people during the Civil War era were held in bondage, and then all of a sudden, were not. Whether they ran away or remained on the plantation until Union troops invaded the area, it’s easy to think … Continue reading The Chaos of Emancipation
Written by Netisha Currie and Tina Ligon, National Archives at College Park “My greatest work comes in the community” ~ Marion Barry Today is the annual Turkey Giveaway - a local tradition of Southeast Washington, DC in which former mayor Marion Barry would give out turkeys and vegetables to less fortunate residents so that they … Continue reading Mayor for Life
Today's blog was written by Barbara Lewis Burger, retired National Archives Still Picture Senior Archivist We hea’ a callin’ from Colon We hea’ a callin’ from Limon Let’s quit de t’ankless toil an’ fret Fe where the better pay we’ll get ~Claude McKay, Peasants’ Way O’ Thinkin’ According to La Autoridad del Canal de Panamá … Continue reading A Callin’ from Colón: Photographs of Black Employees Working on the Panama Canal
Written by Dr. Miranda Booker Perry, Archivist at the National Archives at Washington, D. C. LBJ and Civil Rights Although I did not have the opportunity to attend the Civil Rights Summit in April of this year, having the event at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library was most fitting. A key component of the … Continue reading Striving Towards the Great Society: Remembering LBJ, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Momentous Year that Encompassed It
Written by Netisha Currie, Archives Specialist at the National Archives in College Park. Today is the kick off for the second annual National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair. From October 28-30 the Archives will broadcast 17 live lectures from across the nation via YouTube to inform the general public on various aspects of genealogical research. This … Continue reading 2014 National Archives Virtual Genealogy Fair
Written by Damani Davis, Reference Archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. Due to the recent popularity of genealogy-based television series such as, African American Lives, Who Do You Think You Are, and Faces of America, the interest in genealogical research has grown rapidly among African Americans. Reference archivists and specialists at the … Continue reading Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Records: Letters of “Sold” Former Slaves Seeking to Rejoin Loved Ones
written by Dr. Tina L. Ligon, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland For many years, employees at the National Archives have participated in the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) annual conferences. They've shared information on records relating to the black experience that can be found … Continue reading NARA at ASALH
Today’s blog was written by Kevin L. Bradley, Archives Technician in the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Division at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland The economic hardship of the Great Depression affected everybody, but it was especially harsh for African Americans who were already suffering from unfair employment, housing, and educational practices. … Continue reading “WE WORK AGAIN:” African Americans and the Federal Work Programs during the Great Depression
Today’s Blog Post was written by Patrice Brown, Archivist (Special Assistant) in the Evaluation and Special Projects Division, National Declassification Center at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland August 15, 2014, marked the 100th Anniversary of the completion of the Panama Canal. So, it would seem like an appropriate time to continue my dialogue … Continue reading In Celebration of 100 Years of the Panama Canal: West Indian Canal Employee Records
Today’s blog was written by Damon Turner, summer intern at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland and doctoral student at Morgan State University Freedom Summer or the Mississippi Summer Project was a time of great intrigue and courage. Black and White Americans who witnessed the horrors of Jim Crow, attempted to change America for … Continue reading Three Civil Rights Workers
