When Black Celebrities Wore Blackface
A Black Bohemia flourished in New York before the Harlem Renaissance and with it a new type of self-determined, contradictory Black celebrity.
Environmental Racism and the Coronavirus Pandemic
COVID-19 is disproportionately deadly among people of color. Long-term environmental racism could be a major factor in this disparity.
The Rec Room Party Where Hip-Hop Was Born
Thinking quickly and reading the dance floor, an innovative DJ began playing the funkiest parts of every record.
Sprawl, Body Odor, and Disaster in Beirut
Well-researched stories from NPR, The Guardian, and more great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Screen Time Guilt During the Pandemic?
Consider this: people once thought too much reading was bad for kids.
World War I Austerity Couldn’t Stop the Fashion Show
To the designer Lucile, luxury consumerism was a virtue as wartime economies struggled.
How the Soviet Union Turned a Plague into Propaganda
The fight against locust swarms allowed the Soviet Union to consolidate power over neighboring regions.
Morgan Jerkins: Exploring the Multitudes within American Blackness
In her new book, Wandering in Strange Lands, Morgan Jerkins takes a deeply personal look at the effects of the Great Migration.
What Happened to U.S. Public Health?
After the Civil War, support for public health measures was high. Now, some people blast them as part of the "nanny state."
The First Black Woman to Perform at the Grand Ole Opry
Linda Martell made the switch from R&B to country music in the late 1960s. Her star then shined on country's biggest stage.