Today's post was written by Christina Violeta Jones, Archivist with the Special Access and FOIA Program at the National Archives at College Park, MD "For those of us who write, it is necessary to scrutinize not only the truth of what we speak, but the truth of that language, by which we speak it." -Audre … Continue reading The FBI’s Brief Investigation on Audre Lorde
“I am who I am despite what America has put before me. I am who I am despite the obstacles that we have all faced based upon race and based upon social and spiritual humiliation.” ~Harry Belafonte On April 25, 2023, award winning singer, actor, and human rights activist Harry Belafonte passed away at the … Continue reading The King of Calypso: Tribute to Harry Belafonte
“Commitment separates those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.” ~ Bill Russell President Obama getting a hug from Bill Russell. (NAID 222096181) On July 31, 2022, Civil Rights Activist and National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer William Felton Russell passed away at the age … Continue reading Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Champion: A Tribute to Bill Russell
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
"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
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.
Richard Claxton “Dick” Gregory was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 12, 1932. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale, until he was drafted into the United States Army. Gregory is notably recognized for his work during the 1960s where he became a forerunner in stand-up comedy and a political activist. He was the first … Continue reading Dick Gregory, Civil Rights Activist and Comedic Legend
Today’s post was written by Daniella Furman, Archivist in the Textual Processing Branch at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland It is important to look back and examine the similarities and differences between the Black Power Movement of the past and the Black Lives Matter Movement of today, to see the important lessons learned … Continue reading Elaine Brown: Leader and Activist
Today’s blog was written by Dr. Tina L. Ligon, Supervisory Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland The March against Fear that took place in June 1966, is considered the last great march against racism of the 1960s Civil Rights era in the South. Participants of this march included the Southern Christian Leadership … Continue reading “Turn this Town Out”: Stokely Carmichael, Black Power, and the March against Fear
This blog was written by Dr. Trichita M. Chestnut, Management and Program Analyst in the Office of the Chief Operating Officer at the National Archives at College Park, Maryland This is the second blog post on a series of blogs on the lynching of women in the United States. Lynching remains one of the most … Continue reading Lynching of Women in United States Blog Series: The Lynching of Belle Hathaway
