Movement Leaders
What Made the Battle of Blair Mountain the Largest Labor Uprising in American History
Its legacy lives on today in the struggles faced by modern miners seeking workers' rights
Chicago's First Monument to a Black Woman Will Commemorate Activist Ida B. Wells
Sculptor Richard Hunt designed the statue, which is called 'Light of Truth'
Sacco and Vanzetti's Trial of the Century Exposed Injustice in 1920s America
The pair's path to becoming media sensations began 100 years ago. To this day the two remain emblems of prejudice in the American justice system
Decades Before the Civil War, Black Activists Organized for Racial Equality
Though they were just a small percentage of the state’s population, African Americans petitioned the state of Ohio to repeal racist laws
How Black Women Brought Liberty to Washington in the 1800s
A new book shows us the capital region's earliest years through the eyes and the experiences of leaders like Harriet Tubman and Elizabeth Keckley
Rare Birmingham Jail Logbook Pages Signed by MLK Resurface After Decades
Two sheets of paper from the Alabama prison where the activist penned a famous 1963 letter sold at auction for more than $130,000
In a Covid-Affected Washington, D.C. Neighborhood, Black History Is Reinterpreted on a City Block
A powerful outdoor exhibition amplifies a message of "pride, tenacity and possibility"
How to Tell 400 Years of Black History in One Book
From 1619 to 2019, this collection of essays, edited by two of the nation's preeminent scholars, shows the depth and breadth of African American history
The Courageous Tale of Jane Johnson, Who Risked Her Freedom for Those Who Helped Her Escape Slavery
A dramatic court scene in Philadelphia put the abolitionist cause in headlines across the nation
The True Story of 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'
Aaron Sorkin's newest movie dramatizes the clash between protestors on the left and a federal government driven to making an example of them
Fidel Castro Stayed in Harlem 60 Years Ago to Highlight Racial Injustice in the U.S.
The Cuban revolutionary shined a light on the stark economic disparities in America, much to the chagrin of the U.S. government
The Long, Painful History of Racial Unrest
A lethal incident of police brutality in Miami in 1979 offers just one of countless examples of the reality generations of African Americans have faced
A Brief History of Anti-Fascism
As long as the ideology has threatened marginalized communities, groups on the left have pushed back with force
Secretary Lonnie Bunch: It Is Time for America to Confront Its Tortured Racial Past
This moment, says the Smithsonian secretary, should be the 'impetus for our nation to address racism and social inequities in earnest'
The Museum Director Who Defied the Nazis
For years, Paul Rivet opposed the ideology fueling Hitler's rise. Then he helped French fighters take the battle underground
How Dog Parks Took Over the Urban Landscape
Birthed from the counterculture of the ’60s, the pet playground has witnessed a major shift in how Americans relate to their canines
Roaring Through Cuba With Che Guevara's Son
What's Ernesto Guevara, son of the world's most recognizable revolutionary, doing on a Harley Davidson? Leading a whirlwind tour around his native island
When the Socialist Revolution Came to Oklahoma—and Was Crushed
Inside the little-known story of the Green Corn Rebellion, which blazed through the Sooner State a century ago
The Enslaved Girl Who Became America's First Poster Child
In 1855, Mary Mildred Williams energized the abolitionist movement
2018 Smithsonian Ingenuity Awards
The Time's Up Initiative Built Upon the Work Done by These Labor Activists
How the leaders of a farmworkers' alliance reached across cultural divides to fight sexual harassment
