Racism

The family of Henrietta Lacks pose with a statue of Henrietta Lacks and the artist at an unveiling in the United Kingdom in 2021.

Henrietta Lacks' Family Settles Lawsuit Over the Use of Her Cells Without Consent

Lacks' endlessly replicating cancer cells, collected without her knowledge in 1951, have enabled major medical breakthroughs

Pepón Osorio, El Chandelier, 1988

Pepón Osorio Pushes the Bounds of Public Art

The Puerto Rican artist emphasizes community in installations crafted from everyday objects

Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, at home in Chicago

Biden Establishes National Monument Honoring Emmett Till and His Mother

Three sites connected to the 14-year-old boy's murder in 1955 will now receive federal protection

Roald Dahl signs books at a children's bookstore in Amsterdam in 1988.

Roald Dahl Museum Apologizes for the Author's Antisemitism

Building on a 2020 statement from the writer’s family, the charity condemned Dahl's racism as "undeniable and indelible"

President Harry S. Truman speaks from the dais at the Convention Hall as Kentucky Senator Alben Barkley (seated onstage in black suit) looks on during the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

The 1948 Democratic National Convention Is the Missing Link in Civil Rights History

Civil rights activists failed to expel an all-white, segregationist delegation. But their efforts foreshadowed later milestones in the fight for equality

The memorial wall inside the new Africatown Heritage House

New Exhibition Tells the Story of the 'Clotilda,' the Last Known American Slave Ship

A display spotlighting the schooner's survivors is now open inside the new Africatown Heritage House in Mobile, Alabama

The U.S. has a signifcantly higher maternal death rate than many other high-income countries, and maternal mortality among Black Americans is more than double that of white Americans.

U.S. Maternal Death Rates More Than Doubled in the 21st Century, Study Finds

Between 1999 and 2019, pregnancy-related mortality rose dramatically, with the worst outcomes among Native American, Alaska Native and Black people

King Willem-Alexander lays a wreath as part of a ceremony on the Netherlands' National Remembrance Day of Slavery, during which he gave a speech apologizing for the country's involvement in the slave trade.

Dutch King Apologizes for the Netherlands' Role in the Slave Trade

The monarch's statement coincided with the 150th anniversary of slavery's abolition in the country's colonies

In the exhibition, Basquiat’s art and objects are described not in esoteric art world terms but in loving, even playful ways, often from the perspective of his sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux

For Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's Family, This Exhibition Was a Means of Grieving

Visitors to "Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure," now in Los Angeles, walk through the late artist’s studio and connect with him on a personal level

Protesters attend a rally in support of affirmative action in college admissions on October 31, 2022.

The History Behind the Supreme Court's Affirmative Action Decision

The phrase, first used in early 20th-century employment laws, is at the center of two new rulings against its use in higher education

Sergeant Henry Johnson (standing, holding bouquet of flowers) and the Harlem Hellfighters at a 1918 victory parade in New York City

Louisiana Army Base Formerly Named for Confederate General Now Honors Black WWI Hero

Sergeant Henry Johnson received a posthumous Medal of Honor recognizing his bravery in battle in France

Lewis Wickes Hine's 1909 photograph of a young spinner in a Georgia cotton mill

The Photographer Who Forced the U.S. to Confront Its Child Labor Problem

Lewis Hine's early 20th-century "photo stories" sparked meaningful legislative reform

Participants in a YWCA camp for girls in Highland Beach, Maryland, in 1930

When Private Beaches Served as a Refuge for the Chesapeake Bay's Black Elite

During the Jim Crow era, working-class Washingtonians' recreation options were far more limited—and dangerous

The National Genealogical Society, based in Falls Church, Virginia, is one of the nation's oldest groups dedicated to ancestry.

National Genealogical Society Apologizes for 'Racist and Discriminatory' Past Actions

In a new report, the group reckons with its long history of racism and eugenicist beliefs

The exterior of Club Ebony, taken before the renovation

Club Ebony, Historic Stop Along the Chitlin Circuit, Reopens

The legendary Black-owned nightclub hosted the likes of Tina Turner, Ray Charles and more

The first step in the restoration process will be stabilizing the Tanner house's roof and walls.

Henry Ossawa Tanner Was One of the First World-Famous Black Artists. Now, His Home Is in Danger

The Philadelphia row house hosted generations of Black scholars and leaders

The only meeting between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X occured on March 26, 1964, at the U.S. Senate.

Martin Luther King Jr. Never Said Famous Quote Criticizing Malcolm X

One journalist's archival discovery is changing historians' understanding of the two civil rights leaders

A view of Philadelphia's historic Chinatown

These Are America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual list spotlights cultural sites facing a range of threats

Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer was the most challenged book in 2022, according to the American Library Association.

American Library Association Names 2022’s Most Banned Books

As book censorship soared, titles with LGBTQ themes were the most targeted

Mather Brown's portrait of Joseph Bologne, dated April 4, 1788

Why Has History Forgotten Joseph Bologne, the Brilliant 18th-Century Composer Showcased in 'Chevalier'?

A new film dramatizes the story of a Black immigrant to France whose musical talents have long been overlooked

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