Medal of Honor? Dorie Miller's fans keep fighting to honor black sailor's Pearl Harbor heroism (Dallas Morning News) It has been 75 years since Doris “Dorie” Miller, a black mess attendant, grabbed control of a machine gun he had never been allowed to use so he could help defend the USS West Virginia during the Pearl [...]
Our national parks can also be reminders of America’s history of race and civil rights (Pictured above: Black sailors at Port Chicago Naval Magazine, Calif., 1944) When the National Park Service was established 100 years ago, it was with the intent of creating a federal agency that would “conserve the scenery and the natural and [...]
Thanksgiving soul food offers a window to African-American heritage (Pictured: Collards with turkey kielbasa is a dish prepared by Carla Hall, co-host of "The Chew" and ambassador for the National Museum of African American History and Culture's Sweet Home Cafe.) (The Baltimore Sun) The Thanksgiving Day meal for many African-Americans wouldn't be complete without soul [...]
Long-awaited Texas African American History Memorial to be unveiled Saturday in Austin (Dallas News) Blanket invitations have gone out inviting the public to attend the unveiling of the Texas African American History Memorial in Austin. The long-awaited — and embattled — unveiling ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 19) near the main entrance [...]
Explore the Flickering, Forgotten Past of African-Americans in Silent Film An estimated 80 percent of silent movies with all-black casts are thought to be lost, but a new project is making sure the people who made them aren't (From Smithsonianmag.com) Silent films flickered across the screen in black and white, but popular memory of the [...]
The long history of black voter suppression in American politics (The Washington Post) In August 1922, the Topeka State Journal reported on an unusual voter suppression tactic. Members of the Ku Klux Klan reportedly flew over Oklahoma City, dropping cards into black neighborhoods warning people to be cautious before heading to the polls. The only [...]
Civil Rights History Finds Heightened Relevance in a Troubled Present (From The New York Times) Civil rights museums have always tied history lessons to current events. But now there may be more interest than ever in what some refer to as civil rights tourism — as indicated by growing financial support and higher attendance at [...]
Justice Thomas' story deserves more in-depth telling at African-American museum (Chicago Tribune) By most social standards, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas would be considered a model African-American. Born into poverty in the rural South, Thomas worked his way to judicial heights that only one other African-American — Thurgood Marshall — has reached. He could [...]
Historic black towns: Preserving Communities of Color Conference, Nov. 16-20 Mayors and civic leaders from historically African-American communities will meet in Houston for a multi-day conference, pop-up classrooms, bus tours, round table discussions, workshops and interactive activities focused entirely on the needs of communities of color. The “Preserving Communities of Color Conference” is organized by [...]
The National Museum of African American History and Culture: "I, Too, Sing America" (Pictured: A statue of Thomas Jefferson stands in front of a stack of bricks marked with the names of people he owned.) The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on Sept. 24 in Washington after a long journey. [...]
