Race and Ethnicity

Students for a Democratic Society was the largest – and arguably most successful – student activist organization in U.S. history.

What Was the Protest Group Students for a Democratic Society? Five Questions Answered

Todd Gitlin, former president of Students for a Democratic Society, shares his perspective on protest in the 60s and now

This New Orleans monument to a white supremacist riot no longer exists.

New Orleans Tears Down Controversial Confederate Monuments

A 35-foot obelisk in memory of a white supremacist uprising is no more

Billie Holiday sung 'Strange Fruit' throughout her career after first performing the song in 1939.

Billie Holiday’s Label Wouldn’t Touch 'Strange Fruit'

The emotive song about lynching in the American South is both a classic and a warning

Workers at Lockheed Jet Bomber Plant, Marietta, Georgia, 1953

These Photos Offer a Glimpse Into the Racial Politics of the 1950s South

Before he became a sports photographer, John G. Zimmerman captured a past that feels all too present

Sneak Peek: The Lost Tapes: LA Riots

On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles erupted into chaos after four white LAPD officers were acquitted for beating African-American motorist Rodney King

No images of Casor survive to the present day. Tobacco fields like this one, however, would have been what he saw daily.

The Horrible Fate of John Casor, The First Black Man to be Declared Slave for Life in America

Black people in early America weren't slaves. After this lawsuit, they could be

Hugo La Fayette Black was a Supreme Court justice for over three decades, and is remembered as a defender of civil rights.

This Supreme Court Justice Was a KKK Member

Even after the story came out in 1937, Hugo Black went on to serve as a member of the Supreme Court into the 1970s

Within Our Gates is the oldest surviving film by a black director.

Watch the Oldest-Known Surviving Film by an African-American Director

<i>Within Our Gates</i> was Oscar Micheaux’s response to a racist classic

Aleutian people stand on the deck of a ship forcibly evacuating them to southeastern Alaska.

The U.S. Forcibly Detained Native Alaskans During World War II

In the name of safety, Aleuts were held against their will under intolerable conditions in internment camps

African-American Girl Scouts chat at a camp named after Josephine Holloway, who pioneered scouting for girls of color.

Girl Scouting Was Once Segregated

Though the Girl Scouts of the USA initially declared itself a space for all girls, the reality was different for girls of color

A segregated bus stop in North Carolina.

The Complicated Racial Politics of Going “Undercover” to Report on the Jim Crow South

How one journalist became black to investigate segregation and what that means today

Muslims Were Banned From the Americas as Early as the 16th Century

Long before today’s anxiety about terror attacks, Spain and England feared that enslaved Africans would be more susceptible to revolt if they were Muslim

The lunch counter interactive at the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores key moments in the struggle for Civil Rights.

What Death Threats Against My Parents Taught Me About Taking a Stand

Family stories are an ideal way to explore themes like “where have I come from?” and “where am I going?”

This Map Shows Over a Century of Documented Lynchings in the United States

Mapping the history of racial terror

When it comes to representation, this coin is more than worth its weight in 24-karat gold.

New $100 Coin Features First-Ever African-American Lady Liberty

She'll put a new face on a familiar allegory

Harriet Tubman in 1911. The later years of her life are being preserved at a new national historical park that bears her name.

Harriet Tubman Is Getting Her Own National Historical Park

The park will tell the story of Tubman’s later years

From left to right: Ricky Jackson is finally a free man; Japanese Americans head into internment in 1942; a Maryland boy (in red) has an inmate mom.

The Far-Reaching Effects of American Incarceration

Three photo essays explore the history and modern-day consequences of the world's highest incarceration rate

An official notice of exclusion and removal posted on April 1, 1942.

75 Years Ago, the Secretary of the Navy Falsely Blamed Japanese-Americans for Pearl Harbor

The baseless accusation sparked the road to the infamous internment camps

Canada will have plenty of time to get used to Viola Desmond—she'll soon be on the country's $10 bills.

Canada Will Put Another Woman on Its Currency

An early civil rights heroine makes history (again)

With its peace accords up in the air, the Colombia's diverse ecosystems face an uncertain future. Shown here: the valley of Cocora near Salento, Colombia.

How Colombia's Failed Peace Treaty Could Wreak Havoc on Its Diversity-Rich Ecosystems

A potential influx of legal and illegal mining leaves the country's megadiverse landscapes—and the communities who depend on them—in jeopardy

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