Black History

Black History in Washington, DC: Exploring U Street

<b>“There is an excitement about this neighborhood. You can feel it when you walk the streets.”</b><p>We strained to hear the audio coming out of our phones as …

The Racially Fueled Gang Rape That Shamed a Nation

In 1944, a black woman named Recy Taylor was raped by six white men. Justice was never served, but a new documentary helps ensure that Taylor won’t be forgotten.<p>On September 3, 1944, Recy Taylor, a 24-year-old African-American woman, was raped by six white men—all of whom lived near her home in the …

The Sanitizing of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks

<b>Jeremy Scahill:</b> Jeanne Theoharis, welcome to Intercepted.<p><b>Jeanne Theoharis:</b> Thanks for having me.<p><b>JS:</b> Before we get into some of these specific …

Slave struggles and the end of slavery in Brazil: How revolts, organized resistance and fugitive slave communities contributed to the end of slavery in Brazil

Portrait of the A Balaiada, a slave revolt in the state of Maranhão between 1838 and 1841<p><b>Note from BW of Brazil</b>: <i>It is often said that history is</i> …

'There's nobody like Marshall': biopic casts new light on supreme court great

The first African American to sit on the highest court is the subject of a film that retells his relentless and epochal quest to achieve racial justice in America<p>By the time the US supreme court banned the death penalty in cases of adult rape, in 1977, Thurgood Marshall had been a justice on the …

Ava DuVernay Says She Regrets Giving Up On 'Selma' Writing Credit

"It’s the only time in the industry I feel I really betrayed myself."<p>The 2014 historical drama “Selma” was director Ava DuVernay’s breakout moment. The film garnered a best picture nomination at the Academy Awards and earned her a best director nomination at the Golden Globes. It also became the …

Did their school have ties to slavery?

The boy's name was Gabriel, and he was a slave. Once, he was tipped less than seven cents for weeding the garden at the Washington Seminary in …

The day I elbowed aside Lou Reed to grab a word with Nelson Mandela

It’s 1990, the South African icon is free at last, and an intrepid young journalist buttonholes him backstage at Wembley Stadium<p>It was 1990 and Nelson Mandela had just been released after 27 years in prison. The music industry organised a welcome home party and Mandela was invited to appear at an …

Tips for Writing Successful AAIHS Conference Proposals

<i>In this post, I provide some strategies for writing a successful proposal for our third annual conference scheduled to take place at Brandeis</i> …

Invisible No More: A New Book on Police Violence Against Women of Color

<i>This post is part of our blog series that announces the publication of selected new books in African American History and African Diaspora Studies.</i> …

Mississippi Textbooks Are Keeping Students Ignorant of the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement was once a footnote in Mississippi social studies classrooms, if it was covered at all. Then, in 2011, new social studies …

Scotland's racist role: How minstrel shows spread stereotypes through country's theatres

Exhibition of Black Minstrelsy at Edinburgh museum explores shameful chapter in Scotland's past as part of Black History Month 2017.<p>It is not so long …

‘Black Identity Extremists’ are targeting police more frequently, FBI says. Who are they?

What does ‘Black Identity Extremist’ mean?<p>Foreign Policy obtained a copy of an FBI report titled “Black Identity Extremists Likely Motivated to Target Law Enforcement Officers” dated Aug. 3, 2017. The report can be viewed in full <b>here</b>.<p>The purpose of the report was to assess the threat posed by <b>Black</b> …

Remembering, Learning and Loving What Pan-African Activist Walter Rodney Did for Black People

Walter Anthony Rodney was an intellectual, a teacher, and an activist during the 1960s and 1970s; his life and work hold major importance for those …

Tutu, Bishop Desmond Mpilo (1931 - ) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed

Image Courtesy of Michael Collopy<p>Archbishop Desmond Tutu, leader of the South African Anglican Church for ten years and campaigner against apartheid …

John Lewis: I would kneel with Kaepernick

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) praised NFL players who kneeled during the national anthem at games to protest racial injustice on Saturday, saying he would …

TV One Announces New Rosa Parks Film, ‘Behind The Movement’

<b>Source: Courtesy of TV One / Courtesy of TV One/ Meta Washington</b><p><b>TV One</b> is on a roll creating great original content for us and by us!<p>The network …

(1973) Desmond Tutu, "God-given Dignity and the Quest for Liberation” | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed

Image Courtesy of Michael Collopy<p><i>By the early 1970s South African cleric Desmond Mpilo Tutu had not yet achieved worldwide fame as an opponent of</i> …

Baseball History: Remembering Fleet Walker

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 28: The mask of catcher Brett Hayes<p>Jackie Robinson is often considered to be the first black player in baseball history. …

‘Black-ish’ Explains: So, What Exactly Is ‘Juneteenth?’

If you watched this week’s episode of <i>Black-ish</i>, you saw that the episode was dedicated to the solely African-American holiday of Juneteenth. If …

NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon is woke

He attended University of Virginia, he grew up around Morehouse College and that’s only part of his story<p>Why would an athlete who has won NBA Rookie …

16-year-old is first African-American to win Miss Illinois Teen USA in 34-year history

Sydni Dion Bennett didn’t aspire to be anyone else when she was a little girl. A 10-year-and-counting ballerina, her friends would often liken her to Misty Copeland. She didn’t want to hear that. She lives by the mantra “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”<p>“It’s easier,” she says.<p>The …

Fannie Lou Hamer's 100th Birthday Brings Black Women's Marches Across The U.S.

“She died too soon putting her body on the line for our freedom and we want to celebrate her life in a big way."<p>Friday marks the 100th birthday of late civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer.<p>To celebrate Hamer’s life and honor her contributions, nonprofit GirlTrek has organized a series of walks …

Patriot games: the rebirth of the African-American activist athlete

The protest that set the American sports world on fire began modestly enough, on a mild autumn night in San Diego last September. As the national …

First Black Woman to Win Eisner Award Is Conquering the Comic Industry

A comic titan, professor, and mother to a newborn, Dr. Sheena Howard is defying her wildest dreams.<p>As hundreds of thousands of fans gather at New York Comic Con, Howard will bring her perspective to the comic industry on panels that focus on women in comics, diversity, and on “Combining Hip-Hop and …

Martin Luther King Jr asked “Chaos or Community?”

Bob Burnett"It's painful to acknowledge that most of what Dr. King complained about in 1967 remains true in 2017."

The Confederacy’s ‘Living Monuments’

Since the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August, journalists have written extensively about Confederate monuments — the causes and people they represent and the history of their creation. In doing so, some have written about the role that the United Daughters of the Confederacy …

Singing for Justice - Lesson Plan | Smithsonian Folkways Magazine

Summary<p>Students will learn the history behind “This Little Light of Mine”, following the song through slavery, the civil rights movement, and up to …

5 things you need to know Friday

The Activist Work of K-12 Educators: Then and Now

Black students’ educational needs are central to Black political and social activism. It is no secret that Black activism in institutions of higher …