What the Prisoners’ Rights Movement Owes to the Black Muslims of the 1960s
Black Muslims have been an influential force in the prisoners' rights movement and criminal justice reform as early as the World War II era.
Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words
The writings of Martin Luther King, not so well known as his speeches and acts of civil disobedience, are a rich source for those researching his life.
How Women’s Suffrage Has Been Represented in American Film
Women's suffrage was usually portrayed negatively in early films, but suffragists well recognized the importance of movies in getting their message out.
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.
Inventing the “Illegal Alien”
What's an illegal alien? The idea that the most important question about immigrants is their legal status is a relatively new one.
Public Baths Were Meant to Uplift the Poor
In Progressive-Era New York, a now-forgotten trend of public bathhouses was introduced in order to cleanse the unwashed masses.
Two Women of the African Slave Resistance
African women, always a minority in the slave trade, often had to find their own ways of rebellion against slavery if they could.
The Devastation of Black Wall Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1921. A wave of racial violence destroys an affluent African-American community, seen as a threat to white-dominated American capitalism.
Why Stonewall?
The Stonewall riot in June, 1969 is generally remembered as be the beginning of the gay liberation movement. But there was precedent for the event.
Why Modernist Women Liked Cross-Dressing
Women pioneers of modernism like Gertrude Stein, Frida Kahlo, Radclyffe Hall, & Djuna Barnes found cross-dressing a blessing in disguise.