Civil Rights
The Peekskill Riots Revealed the Racism and Antisemitism Hidden Beneath the Surface of the Anti-Communist Movement
In the summer of 1949, World War II veterans protested a pair of concerts held by Paul Robeson, a Black singer and civil rights activist who expressed support for communist causes
Statue of Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Replaces Confederate Monument in Georgia
The 12-foot-tall bronze artwork depicts the former congressman with his hands over his heart
A Youth League's Stolen Jackie Robinson Statue Has Been Replaced
The original statue of the pioneering baseball player vanished from a ballpark in Wichita, Kansas, earlier this year
A Statue of Johnny Cash Is Coming to the U.S. Capitol
Standing alongside civil rights leader Daisy Bates, the singer-songwriter will represent the state of Arkansas in Statuary Hall
The Brothers Who Asserted Their Right to Free Speech in Tudor England
Peter and Paul Wentworth called on Elizabeth I to name an heir to the throne, wielding Parliament's free speech privileges to urge the queen to take action
This Little-Known Civil Rights Activist Refused to Give Up His Bus Seat Four Years Before Rosa Parks Did
William "W.R." Saxon filed a lawsuit against the company that forced him to move to the back of the bus, seeking damages for the discrimination and mental anguish he’d faced
Why Descendants Are Returning to the Plantations Where Their Ancestors Were Enslaved
Some Black Americans are reclaiming antebellum estates as part of their family legacy, reflecting the power and possibility of these historic sites
How the Rise of the Camera Launched a Fight to Protect Gilded Age Americans' Privacy
Early photographers sold their snapshots to advertisers, who reused the individuals' likenesses without their permission
Why the Nordic Countries Emerged as a Haven for 20th-Century African American Expatriates
An exhibition in Seattle spotlights the Black artists and performers who called Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden home between the 1930s and the 1980s
Why Baseball Legend Willie Mays, Dead at 93, Will Never Be Forgotten
Even decades after he redefined the game, the 24-time All-Star continued to be revered by fans and historians alike for his incredible athleticism, spellbinding defense, powerful bat and admirable sportsmanship
Everyone Should Know About Rickwood Field, the Alabama Park Where Baseball Legends Made History
The sport's greatest figures played ball in the Deep South amid the racism and bigotry that would later make Birmingham the center of the civil rights movement
Why Juneteenth, the U.S.'s Second Independence Day, Is a Federal Holiday
The celebration commemorates June 19, 1865, when a military decree informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were free
A Century Ago, This Law Underscored the Promises and Pitfalls of Native American Citizenship
The 1924 Indian Citizenship Act sought to assimilate Native people into white society. But the legislation, signed by President Calvin Coolidge, fell short
How the Murder of a Black Grocery Store Owner and His Colleagues Galvanized Ida B. Wells' Anti-Lynching Crusade
The saga of People's Grocery stands as a powerful reminder of the centrality of Black radicalism to the food justice movement
Little Rock Nine and Paul McCartney React to Beyoncé's 'Blackbird' Cover
McCartney was inspired to write the song after hearing about the battle to integrate Little Rock Central High School in 1957
How Painting Portraits of Freedom Fighters Became William H. Johnson’s Life’s Work
A new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum brings together the Black Modernist painter’s most famous series for the first time in more than 75 years
Before Beyonce and Taylor Swift Ran the World, There Was Joan Baez
Today’s artists—especially women—are sometimes criticized for speaking out, but for Baez, art and activism were indivisible
How a Century of Black Westerns Shaped Movie History
Mario Van Peebles' "Outlaw Posse" is the latest attempt to correct the erasure of people of color from the classic cinema genre
The Founder of This Trailblazing Opera Company Put Black Singers at Center Stage
Mary Cardwell Dawson created unprecedented opportunities for aspiring Black musicians
How to Separate Fact From Myth in the Extraordinary Story of Sojourner Truth
Two historians tell us why the pioneering 19th-century feminist, suffragist and abolitionist’s legacy has so frequently been misrepresented
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