We've curated some of our best historical essays in support of Black History Month, and have published new pieces, too. Take a look:
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Black History
David Lee / Focus Features
Infiltrate Hate: Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman”
The movie is Lee’s best and most radical film in decades, and a lot of fun as well. more
Andre White
In memory of Ron Dellums: “Black, Radical, and Hopeful.”
When Dellums talked about peace, he meant peace—withdrawal from the mentality that relies on death and the threat of death as a national way of life. more
Dennis Brack/UT Austin’s Briscoe Center for American History
America’s Poverty Crisis Is a Failure to Heed the Demands of Resurrection City
Among fiftieth anniversaries from the seismic year of 1968, a lesser-known episode has powerful lessons for today. more
NPS
The Public Education of Linda Brown
Her father’s name is on the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, a milestone in ending racial segregation in public education. more
Jon S
Fifty Years After the Kerner Report, We’re Still Missing Stories
The 1968 report cited that media coverage was framed “from the standpoint of a white man's world.” Half a century later, white media gatekeepers have maintained the disturbing status quo. more
Steven Shames Photographic Archive/Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
The Other Side of the Black Panther Revolution, in Pictures
A new exhibit illustrates the lesser-known side of an organization whose image is often only portrayed as militant. more
Marvel Entertainment
Wakanda: A Nation Without Chains
The mythical African nation in ‘Black Panther’ is allowed to thrive on its own terms—offering a fascinating and rooted alternative to existing Western notions of nation-building. more
How ‘Strange Fruit’ Killed Billie Holiday
Holiday, who throughout her career called public attention to the devastating impact of white supremacy, drew the notice of the Commissioner for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. He ordered her to stop singing the song... more
Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute
How Education Reformers Get Black History Wrong
Fostering pride in one’s own achievement is worthwhile, but pursuing it in isolation of the gospel of the black freedom struggle is like building on quicksand. more
US Marine Corps
What’s Wrong with Black History Month?
Black History Month shouldn’t be an excuse to ignore African American history for the other eleven months of the year. more
Wikimedia Commons
To See How Black History Month is Evolving, Go to School
Black Lives Matter at School Week is a direct extension of the work of Carter Woodson, often called ‘the father of black history.’ more
Francisco Laso, The Laundress, 1858. Image Public Domain.
‘We Mean Business or No Washing’: The Atlanta Washerwomen Strike of 1881
The strike—a group of black women organizing against omnipresent discrimination to demand recognition and respect for their work—stands out in union history as a most unlikely success. more
Wyomia Tyus, Hidden Figure
February is Black History Month; 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of 1968, a sacred year for activist athletes. Tyus was a star on the Olympic world stage, a time when women weren’t supposed to be athletes, and black people were treated second class. more
Wochit News YouTube
Trump’s Racism Toward Haiti Is not an Aberration
In the wake of Trump’s comments, politicians and media figures rushed to defend Haitian and African immigrants, asserting how hardworking they are. But this just allows Trump and similar anti-immigration rhetoric to dictate the terms of the argument. more
USMC
The Long Road to Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“More and more,” MLK wrote in The Progressive, “I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will...” more
Picturing a Struggle for Civil Rights: Black and White Photojournalists Covered a Common Cause
Eleven images from a new exhibit capture the role photojournalists played in giving Americans a window into the Civil Rights movement, and what it was up against. more
A Century Later, a Little-Known Mass Hanging of Black Soldiers Still Haunts Us
100 years after one of the least-known and saddest chapters in American history, families of executed black soldiers have petitioned Trump for justice. more
Wikipedia
How African American WWII Veterans Were Scorned By the G.I. Bill
This Veteran's Day, remembering some of our veterans who protected a country that did not protect them. more
CJH (photographer unknown)
Singer, Songwriter, Actor, and Activist Harry Belafonte Goes to the Library
The 115th Street Public Library in Harlem has been renamed in his honor. more
