African American History

Several of Minnijean Brown-Trickey’s school items, including a notice of suspension and the dress she designed for her high school graduation, are now held in the collections of the National Museum of American History.

A Member of the Little Rock Nine Discusses Her Struggle to Attend Central High

At 15, Minnijean Brown faced down the Arkansas National Guard, Now Her Story and Personal Items are Archived at the Smithsonian

It's Official: Harriet Tubman Will Grace the $20 Bill

The famed Underground Railroad Conductor will appear on the front of the $20 bill, among other changes to U.S. currency

The leaders of the March on Washington link arms.

Lawyers Who Made the Birthday Song Public Domain Take Aim at Civil Rights Anthem

A group of filmmakers want to remove the copyright from "We Shall Overcome"

Run-DMC-JMJ on the rooftop of Russell Simmons's apt

Vintage Photos Recall the Early Days of Hip-Hop, Before It Became a Billion-Dollar Industry

More than 400 images from the 1980s to the early 2000s detail the "standout moments" of the rise of Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, Jay Z and many more artists

This Booker T. Washington stamp was part of a series depicting influential educators.

How Booker T. Washington Became the First African-American on a U.S. Postage Stamp

At the time, postage stamps usually depicted white men

Illustration of the New York slave market.

The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 Was a Bloody Prelude to Decades of Hardship

304 years ago today, a group of black slaves rose up against white colonists in New York

Whitney Plantation, Big House

Inside America’s Auschwitz

A new museum offers a rebuke — and an antidote — to our sanitized history of slavery

1960s family sitting in four-door sedan automobile

“Driving While Black” Has Been Around As Long As Cars Have Existed

Documentarian Ric Burns talks about his forthcoming film about the “Green Book” and other travel guides for African-Americans

How the Green Book Helped African-American Tourists Navigate a Segregated Nation

Listing hotels, restaurants and other businesses open to African-Americans, the guide was invaluable for Jim-Crow era travelers

On March 24, 1966, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. Virginia Board of Electors, that poll taxes for any level of election were unconstitutional.

Recalling an Era When the Color of Your Skin Meant You Paid to Vote

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of a ruling that made the poll tax unconstitutional

Royall has fallen—Harvard Law School wants a new logo.

Harvard Law Will Ditch Its Signature Shield Because of Its Slaveholding Roots

Student protests upended another on-campus symbol of racism and forced labor

Harriet Tubman's Hymnal

What Makes the Underground Railroad Such a Rich Opportunity for Storytelling

On television and in the new Smithsonian museum, the path to freedom comes alive

Is the Earthworm Native to the United States and More Questions From Readers

You asked, we answered

This Unfinished Film Highlights the Daily Lives of Black Americans in the 1960s

'The American Negro' shares stories of black surgeons, mothers and workers

In 1972, Ray Charles visited Richard Nixon in the Oval Office

Ray Charles Returns to the White House

The blind king of soul once sat down with Richard Nixon, now his music will be performed by a host of musicians for Barack Obama

The Dining Room of the Colored Girls Museum

A Pop-Up Museum Documents the Stories of Philadelphia's Black Women

Vashti DuBois is looking to build community and pride in underserved neighborhoods, starting with her own

Hospital Apprentices second class Ruth C. Isaacs, Katherine Horton and Inez Patterson (left to right) were the first black WAVES to enter the Hospital Corps School at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. Photographed March 2, 1945.

Photographs Document Some of the First Black Women to Serve With the U.S. Navy

Black women were not allowed to join WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) until 1944

New vistas remind visitors that the new museum presents a "view of America through the lens of the African-American experience."

Opening Day for the New African American History Museum Is Announced

Thirteen years in the making, the museum says it will open its doors September 24, 2016

The National Museum of African American History and Culture: Breaking Ground

Countdown begins towards the historic opening of the new national museum on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016

44 Years Ago, Shirley Chisholm Became the First Black Woman to Run For President

Chisholm saw her campaign as a necessary "catalyst for change"

Page 48 of 52