February marks Black History Month, a month-long observance in the United States and Canada that recognizes the significant contributions of African-Americans to American history, as well as the historical legacies of the African diaspora. We hope you’ll find the stories below, and the scholarship they include in full, a valuable resource for classroom or leisure reading.
Carter G. Woodson, The Father of Black History Month
The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926, when a historian named Carter G. Woodson spearheaded “Negro History Week.”
Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill?
Harriet Tubman's known and lesser known accomplishments.
The Historic Achievement of the Pullman Porter’s Union
The achievements of the Pullman Porter's Union were a significant civil rights victory for both U.S. labor and the civil liberties of African-Americans.
What It Was Like To Be an African-American Soldier During the Civil War
What was it like to be one of the 186,017 African Americans who served in the Union Army during the Civil War?
Remembering Billie Holiday
The 100th anniversary of Billie Holiday's birth.
Ronald Reagan and the Rewriting of Martin Luther King’s Legacy
Ronald Reagan invoked Dr. King's legacy to fit with his larger political and rhetorical aims.
The Fuss About Josephine Baker
A new one-woman Broadway show puts Josephine Baker back in the public consciousness.
“Between the World and Me”: Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Legacy of James Baldwin
Toni Morrison has compared writer Ta-Nehisi Coates to James Baldwin; find out why here.
Dr. Ossian Sweet’s Black Life Mattered
It has been 90 years since Ossian Sweet tried to move into his new home; since police stood by and did nothing as a mob threw rocks.
How an Ex-Slave Successfully Won a Case for Reparations in 1783
In one of the earliest examples of reparations, an ex-slave named Belinda petitioned the government and was granted an annuity.
How Septima Poinsette Clark Spoke Up for Civil Rights
The daughter of a slave, Septima Clark graduated from college, became a teacher, and became a fierce advocate for social and cultural change.
The Historical Need for Black Colleges
Historically black colleges and universities have also been on the forefront of fighting for desegregation.
More Hidden Figures of NASA History
Katherine G. Johnson, Charles F. Bolden, Jeanette Epps, and roles of African Americans in NASA.
The Significance of Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Campaign
Shirley Chisholm: the first black female U.S. Representative, first black major-party candidate for President, and the first Democratic Party woman to run.
Loving v. Virginia and the Origins of Loving Day
Loving Day celebrates the SCOTUS decision in Loving v. Virginia in 1967 which struck down the laws of the 16 states still forbidding interracial marriage.
The Story of Juneteenth
This year marks the 151st celebration of the holiday known as Juneteenth and few places will celebrate with ...
Remembering the Civil Rights Movement…With Comics
Comic-Cons and civil rights rarely intersect, but if one person could make that happen it’s Congressman John Lewis. ...
Little Rock, Then and Now
Segregation and inequality are still major issues in Little Rock today
Early Photographs of African American Soldiers at The National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Prickitt album in the NMAAC is a rare coincidence of names and photographs of Colored Troops fighting for the Union in the Civil War.
Some Facts About Frederick Douglass
President Trump praised abolitionist Frederick Douglass in his first remarks on Black History Month.
The Lasting Fallout of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
A new paper provides evidence that the Tuskegee Syphilis Study reduced the life expectancy of African-American men—though the Tuskegee Syphilis Study ...
How Women’s Studies Erased Black Women
The founders of Women’s Studies were overwhelmingly white, and focused on the experiences of white, heterosexual women.
Humor and Race in Dear White People and White Chicks
Black producers and entertainers use the concept of physically appropriating another race to discuss racism in "Dear White People" and "White Chicks."
The Slave Roots of Square Dancing
Square Dancing's lily-white reputation hides something unexpected: A deep African-American history that's rooted in a legacy of slavery.
The Inequality Hidden Within the Race-Neutral G.I. Bill
While the G.I. Bill itself was progressive, much of the country still functioned under both covert and blatant segregation.
The Uneasy History of Integrated Sports in America
The integration of collegiate and professional sports parallels the civil rights movement, but in important ways it was a whole different track.
Ralph Ellison on Race
Ralph Ellison believed fiercely in the American project and in the centrality of black people to it.
The People’s Grocery Lynching, Memphis, Tennessee
On March 2, 1892, in Memphis, Tennessee, a racially charged mob grew out of a fight between a black and a white youth near People’s Grocery.
Frederick Douglass’s Feud Over Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Journalist, physician, and committed black nationalist Martin Delany took Frederick Douglass to task over, among other things, Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
We’ll be adding more stories related to Black History Month throughout February.
