Elma Lewis c. 1981 by Carol Spector

Elma Lewis: Boston’s Doyenne of Black Culture

An activist and and educator, Lewis created myriad cultural, educational, and social programs to build community and connections for Boston’s Black residents.
Crowd gathered in front of butcher shop during meat riot, New York

Inside the New York City Kosher Meat Boycott of 1902

The rising costs of kosher meat led Jewish women to organize a butcher boycott. The successful action alerted the immigrant community to women's political power.
Doris Miller just after being presented with the Navy Cross by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, on board USS Enterprise at Pearl Harbor, May 27, 1942.

Remembering Doris Miller

Following his actions at Pearl Harbor, Messman Doris Miller was the first Black sailor to be honored with the Navy Cross—but only after political pressure.

Secret Societies and the Fight for Black Freedom

Dating to the pre-Revolutionary era, mutual aid and benevolent societies supported Black Americans and the fight for civil rights and justice.
American Army Entering the City of Mexico, Filippo Constaggini, 1885

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: Annotated

Signed February 2, 1848, the treaty compelled Mexico to cede 55 percent of its territory, bringing more than 525,000 square miles under US sovereignty.
An illustration of The Hole from an October, 1962 issue of Recount, from Colorado State Penitentiary

Prisoners’ Rights: An Introductory Reading List

A selection of readings and visual material on the subject of prisoners’ rights to foster dialogue and discovery in the classroom.
A man in a wheelchair pushing a shopping cart

Media Portrayals of the Americans with Disabilities Act

After the passage of the ADA, much of the media coverage focused on litigation and whether or not certain disabled people “deserved” accommodations.
Illustration from 19th century of a newsroom at a newspaper

The Feud Between Immigrant Newspapers in Arkansas

A feud between two nineteenth-century German-language newspapers showed that immigrant communities embraced a diversity of interests and beliefs.
An illustration from Paahao Press Volume 2, Issue 1, 1972

After Attica, the McKay Report in the Prison Press

How was the famous prisoner uprising and its aftermath depicted in the prison press? The American Prison Newspapers collection on JSTOR has answers.
Two youths in Uptown Chicago, 1974

When Uptown Chicago was “Hillbilly Heaven”

In the 1960s, white Appalachian workers attempted to put down roots in Chicago by building an integrated model neighborhood called Hank Williams Village.