Black History Month Articles


The Library of Congress's most recent magazine focuses on Black History month. Featuring articles on the poet Phyllis Wheatley and on two of the founders of Black History month, it also has excellent links to primary source materials including "The Born in Slavery" oral history collection. 

The History of Black History Americans have recognized black history annually since 1926, first as "Negro History Week" and later as "Black History Month." What you might not know is that black history had barely begun to be studied-or even documented-when the tradition originated.

How One Woman Helped End Lunch Counter Segregation in the Nation’s Capital. Mary Church Terrell’s court case demanded the district’s “lost laws” put an end to racial discrimination in dining establishments. She was also one of the founders of the NAACP.

ASALH Announces 2018 Black History Theme, African Americans in Times of War The 2018 theme, “African Americans in Times of War,” commemorates the centennial of the end of the First World War in 1918, and explores the complex meanings and implications of this international struggle and its aftermath. The First World War was initially termed by many as “The Great War,” “The War to End All Wars,” and the war “to make the world safe for democracy.”

Archibald Grimké (August 17, 1849 – February 25, 1930) was an American lawyer, intellectual, journalist, diplomat and community leader in the 19th and early 20th centuries. A graduate of freedmen's schools, Lincoln University and Harvard Law School, he later was appointed as American Consul to the Dominican Republic from 1894 to 1898. He was an activist for rights for blacks, working in Boston and Washington, DC. He was a national vice-president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as president of its Washington, DC branch.

Oswald Villard, the NAACP and The Nation - In 1909, when the founders of the NAACP needed help organizing their new civil rights group, they reached out to Oswald Garrison Villard, The Nation's future editor and owner.

5 Things About Slavery You Probably Didn’t Learn In Social Studies

African-American History Month: African-Americans in Air Force leadership Since the inception of the Air Force, African-Americans have been valuable team members and leaders in the world’s greatest air force. In honor of African-American History Month, we’re highlighting three of those exemplary leaders, which include father and son generals and the first African-American chief master sergeant of the Air Force.

The Side of the Black Panthers That's Been Virtually Ignored: Their Fight for Healthcare Justice In her new book, Columbia professor Alondra Nelson documents the multifaceted (and under-reported) health activism of the Panthers.

Bryan Stevenson on What Well-Meaning White People Need to Know About Race An interview with Harvard University-trained public defense lawyer Bryan Stevenson on racial trauma, segregation, and listening to marginalized voices.

Who Was the First African American? Juan Garrido was first African in America and he was a freeman. In 1513, he joined Ponce de León 's well-known expedition to Florida in search of the Fountain of Youth.

America's First Terrorist Tried to Free Black People The Story of John Brown. He was dedicated to black liberation and died a martyr to the cause. 

Did You Know About the First and Only Black Owned Automobile Company? Charles Richard Patterson escaped slavery and used his blacksmith skills to gain employment at a carriage building company that evolved into an automobile company.

Oscar Dunn And The New Orleans Monument That Never Happened - An audio story Oscar James Dunn (1826 – November 22, 1871) was one of three African Americans who served as a Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana during the era of Reconstruction.
A Century Later, a Little-Known Mass Hanging of Black Soldiers Still Haunts Us   The Houston riot grew out of a confrontation between the soldiers and Houston city police, at the end of which sixteen white people were dead, including five policemen, with four soldiers also killed. It was one of the only riots in U.S. history in which more white people died than black people.
The Origin of the Zombie is More Horrific Thank You Think  Never believe black people wanted to be slaves. That is just projection from our oppressors.