Civil Rights
58 Years Later, Alabama Clears the Records of 29 Black Students Who Protested Segregation
The students sat down at the courthouse lunch counter in a non-violent demonstration
The Defiant Ones
As young girls, they fought the fierce battle to integrate America’s schools half a century ago
A New Show About Neighborhoods Facing Gentrification Offers a Cautionary Tale
As cities face multi-billion-dollar developments, the question remains “Who Owns the City?”
Remembering Resurrection City and the Poor People's Campaign of 1968
Lenneal Henderson and thousands of other protesters occupied the National Mall for 42 days during the landmark civil rights protest
Malcolm X's Explosive Comments About Elijah Muhammed
In 1964, the rift between Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammed, founder of the Nation of Islam, would reach a tense peak
Even Though He Is Revered Today, MLK Was Widely Disliked by the American Public When He Was Killed
Seventy-five percent of Americans disapproved of the civil rights leader as he spoke out against the Vietnam War and economic disparity
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Assassination Sparked Uprisings in Cities Across America
Known as the Holy Week Uprisings, the collective protests resulted in 43 deaths, thousands of arrests, and millions of dollars of property damage
Malcolm X's Fiery Speech Addressing Police Brutality
In 1962, a confrontation with the LAPD outside a mosque resulted in the death of a Nation of Islam member. It was an event seized on by an outraged Malcolm
In His Speeches, MLK Carefully Evoked the Poetry of Langston Hughes
To avoid being labeled a communist sympathizer, King had to distance himself from Hughes, but he still managed to channel the controversial poet
When Robert Kennedy Delivered the News of Martin Luther King's Assassination
Months before his own slaying, Kennedy recalled the loss of JFK as he consoled a crowd of shocked African-Americans in Indianapolis
Linda Brown, at the Center of Brown v. Board of Education, Has Died
After being refused enrollment at an all-white school in Topeka, Kansas, Brown's court case led to the historic Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation
First Museum Committed to Sharing the Stories of Historically Black Colleges Opens
The HBCU Museum in Washington, D.C., launched March 9 and has plans to expand to a second location in Atlanta
These Newly Donated Artifacts Capture the Spirit of Washington, D.C. Drag
Mementos from the Academy of Washington drag organization add a valuable thread to the tapestry of American LGBTQ history
The 1968 Kerner Commission Got It Right, But Nobody Listened
Released 50 years ago, the infamous report found that poverty and institutional racism were driving inner-city violence
The March That Led to MLK's Arrest and Famous Letter
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy led a march through the streets of Birmingham, Alabama
Is It Time for a Reassessment of Malcolm X?
A Smithsonian Channel film, "The Lost Tapes," challenges misconceptions about the charismatic leader
How Rosa Parks' Protest Sparked a Momentous Chain of Events
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white male. Her arrest sparked a citywide boycott against Montgomery buses
Frederick Douglass’ 200th Birthday Invites Remembrance and Reflection
This Douglass Day, celebrate an icon’s bicentennial while helping to transcribe the nation’s black history
In 1968, Three Students Were Killed by Police. Today, Few Remember the Orangeburg Massacre
The shootings occurred two years before the deaths of students at Kent State University, but remain a little-known incident in the Civil Rights Movement
Deeply Grieving MLK’s Death, Activists Shaped a Campaign of Hurt and Hope
At Resurrection City, an epic 1968 demonstration on the National Mall in Washington D.C., protesters defined the next 50 years of activism
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