Featured Story
Historic Event
The Power of a Portrait
Learn how artists Amy Sherald and Bisa Bulter created portraits of Breonna Taylor and Harriet Tubman. Learn about the history of African American portraiture.
Skip to Content![A carte-de-viste depicting the Fisk University Jubilee Singers, with all nine members present.]()
![Three quarter length oil painting portrait of a woman with closely cropped hair holding a teacup and saucer decorated. She is dressed in a high necked red blouse with a yellow scarf. She also wears a black and white stiped pants.]()
![Black and white photgraph of 6 Black children standing in a line with hands by theri side. There are 2 boys and 4 girls pictured. The children are dressed up for school and look directly at the camera]()
![Photograph of African American children dressed in school uniforms and seated outside in three rows of benches.]()
![Black and white photograph of Etta Moten Barnett and another woman examining a large map of Africa hanging on the wall. Wearing a long sleeved white blouse with a brooch at the neckline and a grey straight skirt, Etta Moten Barnett stands to the side of the map and points to the country of Liberia with her right arm outstretched. The woman standing next to her wears a light grey dress with double breasted black button up the front and a black belt.]()
![Man rolling whiskey barrels through a production floor]()
![Historic map of Philadelphia]()
![Photograph of African American man and horse]()
![Illustration of White House]()
![Photograph of Boat in the Marshes of St. Simon’s Island]()
![Three quarter length oil painting portrait of a woman with closely cropped hair holding a teacup and saucer decorated. She is dressed in a high necked red blouse with a yellow scarf. She also wears a black and white stiped pants.]()
![Illustration of outdoor church gathering]()
![Printed cartoon showing the assignation of Octavius Catto in Philadelphia in 1871.]()
![Photograph of 5 women from AKA Sorority]()
![Black and white photograph of three children walking down street. There are houses in the background.]()
![Portrait of Bridget "Biddy" Mason]()
![Photograph of Workers at the Pacific Parachute Company]()
![Photograph of Homer G. Philips hospital and students]()
![Illustration of school building]()
![An illustration of a school house on fire. Some onlookers cheer, while others run towards help.]()
![A black and white photograph of two soldiers, in military fatigues, perched on the edge of the windshield, boots resting on the jeep's hood.]()
![Black and White photograph of female African American students seated in a classroom. They appear to be sewing/ There are several women standing toward the chalkboard in the rear of the class. There is one sewing machine in the foreground, being used by a woman. A woman stands in the front of the class next to a dressed mannequin wearing a long-sleeved blouse and long skirt.]()
![A photograph of an African American woman washing laundry outdoors in a yard. Clothes hand behind her on a line.]()
![Black and White Photograph of standing students]()
![Cover image of "Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South"]()
![The inside title page is covered in decorative floral and leaf scroll work. The title reads, [ILLUMINATED / DIARY / for / 1868.]. Underneath is an illustrated image of the sea with a mast ship. The publisher below reads, [PUBLISHED BY / TAGGARD & THOMPSON, No. 29 CORNHILL, / BOSTON.]]()
![Photograph of Louis Manigault, Jr. in a field]()
![A color photograph of a portion of a Stop Aids graffiti mural in New York City. The mural is painted on a light tan wall. The bottom half of the image features a depiction of a white brick wall with cracks running through many of the bricks, running the full length of the image. A light and dark blue cloud features prominently on the left side of the image with the words [STOP / AIDS] spray painted in yellow letters outlined in red. The middle of the image features an illustration two men standing in profile, facing each other, on either side of a tombstone. The front of the tombstone has the text [USE YOUR / HEAD BEFORE / YOU END UP / DEAD.] written in black text. The word [DEAD] is underlined and the letters have drip lines giving it a bloody text effect. The man on the left is featured wearing a yellow shirt, yellow pants, and black shoes with yellow laces. He has three black thought bubbles above, and to the right of his head. He is holding his proper left hand splayed out, reaching for a syringe with a bloody hypodermic needle in the proper right hand of the man depicted on the right of the tombstone. The man on the right is depicted with red spikey hair, a green shirt, green pants and black shoes with white laces. On the far right of the image is the text [THE LAW] written in red block letters, outlined in black, above a depiction of scrolled paper with the text [I. DON’T “SHOOT” / DRUGS. / II. USE CONDOM. / III. HAVE SEX WITH FAiTHFUL / PARTNER.] written in black text. There are no inscriptions on the recto. On the verso the image is signed in blue ink by the photographer.]()
![Mrs. Nettie Hunt, sitting on steps of Supreme Court, holding newspaper, explaining to her daughter Nikie the meaning of the Supreme Court's decision banning school segregation]()
![A real photo postcard of a group of military service men and women taken at the YMCA camp near Chambery, France, during World War I. The image depicts five women standing in a row on a lawn, with four men crouched in a row in front of them. Addie Waites Hunton is in the center of the back row; the other women and men are unidentified. In the background is a large building with a double staircased entrance. A temporary sign reading [Y.M.C.A.] has been placed on the portico at the top of the stairs. Other individuals are visible along the top and bottom of the stairs. The verso has printing reading [CARTE POSTALE] with spaces for [Correspondance] and [Adresse] and a horse and horsehead mark for the publisher Guilleminot. The postcard has not been sent, but there is an inscription across the back by hand in brown ink reading [From Sgt. Thomas, who / was on leave at colored, / Y.M.C.A. at Chamberry / France]. There is an inscription by a different hand in graphite above the [Adresse] label reading [(ALFRED JACK THOMAS)].]()
![People waiting in line to vote]()
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Historic Event
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
The Brown v. Board decision overturned segregation in public schools. Learn how the Legal Defense Fund built lawsuits to challenge segregation in the courts.
Biography
Edmonia Highgate
Edmonia G. Highgate was an educator who fought for integrated schooling. Learn about how she advocated for equality in education.
Biography
Etta Moten Barnett
Etta Moten Barnett was an artist and activist. Learn how her interest in the African Diaspora brought her to international conferences about global freedom.
Biography
The Man Behind Tennessee Whiskey
Nathan "Nearest" Green, the first known Black master distiller, created the blueprint for Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.
Biography
Crossing the Color Line to Freedom
William and Ellen Craft devised an ingenious plan to escape slavery that took them across race, gender, and class lines.
Biography
An African American Venturer
"Free" Frank McWorter, founded New Philadelphia, Illinois, the first known town to be founded and platted by an African American.
Biography
Enslaved at the White House
Paul Jennings, enslaved by James and Dolly Madison, bought his freedom and published a personal memoir in 1865.
Historic Event
The Water Spirit Will Take Us Home
The mass suicide by captive Africans at Igbo Landing marks one of the most significant acts of resistance by enslaved people.
Historic Event
The Power of a Portrait
Learn how artists Amy Sherald and Bisa Bulter created portraits of Breonna Taylor and Harriet Tubman. Learn about the history of African American portraiture.
Biography
Preacher Jarena Lee: Praise in the Meantime
Jarena Lee experienced both the intense religiosity of the late 1700s and the discriminatory practices against women as she sought to become a preacher.
Biography
Octavius Catto
Octavius Catto was a civil rights activist in Pennsylvania . Learn about his life and impact in Philadelphia’s Black community during Reconstruction.
Community Story
The Mississippi Health Project II: AKA Revisits Its Model for Community Health Care
In June and October of 2021, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. offered an array of health services to Mississippi residents in underserved communities.
Biography
George Henry White
George Henry White was the last African American Congressman of the 1800s. Learn about his life before and after Congress and his commitment to justice.
Biography
Bridget “Biddy” Mason
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Bridget “Biddy” Mason helped to establish the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.
Community Story
The Pacific Parachute Company
Skydiving entrepreneur Howard “Skippy” Smith founded one of the first Black-owned and managed war production plants during World War II.
Community Story
Homer G. Phillips Hospital and School of Nursing
Homer G. Phillips Hospital served as the preeminent training facility for African American nurses and physicians during segregation.
Biography
The First African American Physician
James McCune Smith, the first African American to hold a medical degree, fought against the false scientific claims of Black inferiority.
Historic Event
The Memphis Massacre
In 1866 police and white civilians attacked the African American community in Memphis, Tennessee. Learn about the massacre and listen to survivor testimony.
Community Story
Black Power and 'The Black G.I.'
'The Black G.I.', a documentary made by the public television program Black Journal, provides a unique view of Black military life during the Vietnam War.
Historic Event
W.E.B. Du Bois at the 1900 Paris Exposition
In 1900, W.E.B. Du Bois traveled to the 1900 Paris Exposition, a world’s fair featuring the innovations of the new century.
Historic Event
Atlanta Washerwomen Strike
In 1881 Washerwomen in Atlanta formed a union and went on strike to demand better wages. Learn about the harsh conditions they faced and how they won.
Biography
Vivian Carter Mason
Social worker, educator, and civil rights activist Vivian Carter Mason worked across racial lines to fight for equal education in Norfolk, Virginia.
Biography
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins
Literary author and editor Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins used the power of the press to challenge society’s assumptions about Black women.
![The inside title page is covered in decorative floral and leaf scroll work. The title reads, [ILLUMINATED / DIARY / for / 1868.]. Underneath is an illustrated image of the sea with a mast ship. The publisher below reads, [PUBLISHED BY / TAGGARD & THOMPSON, No. 29 CORNHILL, / BOSTON.]](/static/969d12bdd7f21bbf9b95dccca084e1de/486b4/Rollin.webp)
Biography
The Remarkable Rollin Sisters
The Rollin sisters shaped the politics of Reconstruction-era South Carolina. Learn how they challenged society’s views of Black women and fought for equality.
Present to Past
Land as Legacy
African Americans who inherited land from their ancestors are fighting to keep their land and family legacies.
![A color photograph of a portion of a Stop Aids graffiti mural in New York City. The mural is painted on a light tan wall. The bottom half of the image features a depiction of a white brick wall with cracks running through many of the bricks, running the full length of the image. A light and dark blue cloud features prominently on the left side of the image with the words [STOP / AIDS] spray painted in yellow letters outlined in red. The middle of the image features an illustration two men standing in profile, facing each other, on either side of a tombstone. The front of the tombstone has the text [USE YOUR / HEAD BEFORE / YOU END UP / DEAD.] written in black text. The word [DEAD] is underlined and the letters have drip lines giving it a bloody text effect. The man on the left is featured wearing a yellow shirt, yellow pants, and black shoes with yellow laces. He has three black thought bubbles above, and to the right of his head. He is holding his proper left hand splayed out, reaching for a syringe with a bloody hypodermic needle in the proper right hand of the man depicted on the right of the tombstone. The man on the right is depicted with red spikey hair, a green shirt, green pants and black shoes with white laces. On the far right of the image is the text [THE LAW] written in red block letters, outlined in black, above a depiction of scrolled paper with the text [I. DON’T “SHOOT” / DRUGS. / II. USE CONDOM. / III. HAVE SEX WITH FAiTHFUL / PARTNER.] written in black text. There are no inscriptions on the recto. On the verso the image is signed in blue ink by the photographer.](/static/bc247fe92533cf2c8170cc1ed60d5da9/40176/2015_132_262_001.webp)
Present to Past
Medical Racism
The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted many systemic inequalities that impact African American health and access to health care.
Present to Past
Education for All
African Americans established schools for their communities and have taken innovative approaches to education while challenging segregation and discrimination.
![A real photo postcard of a group of military service men and women taken at the YMCA camp near Chambery, France, during World War I. The image depicts five women standing in a row on a lawn, with four men crouched in a row in front of them. Addie Waites Hunton is in the center of the back row; the other women and men are unidentified. In the background is a large building with a double staircased entrance. A temporary sign reading [Y.M.C.A.] has been placed on the portico at the top of the stairs. Other individuals are visible along the top and bottom of the stairs. The verso has printing reading [CARTE POSTALE] with spaces for [Correspondance] and [Adresse] and a horse and horsehead mark for the publisher Guilleminot. The postcard has not been sent, but there is an inscription across the back by hand in brown ink reading [From Sgt. Thomas, who / was on leave at colored, / Y.M.C.A. at Chamberry / France]. There is an inscription by a different hand in graphite above the [Adresse] label reading [(ALFRED JACK THOMAS)].](/static/1d5e1bc56b6d284d508251843cbb0f1d/ca7d6/2014_63_77_001.webp)
Present to Past
Military Service
African American servicemen and women have pushed boundaries and climbed to the highest ranks of the military.
Present to Past
Legislating Rights
Supreme Court rulings gutting the legal protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have allowed states to restrict access to the ballot.