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Photograph of Workers at the Pacific Parachute Company

The Pacific Parachute Company

Howard “Skippy” Smith

Howard “Skippy” Smith (left) and Mac “Skip” Gravelle, ca. 1939

Howard “Skippy” Smith (left) and Mac “Skip” Gravelle, ca. 1939

This is an hour of crisis. It is a crisis of democracy. . . . What is this crisis? To American Negroes, it is the denial of jobs in Government defense projects. It is racial discrimination in Government departments. It is widespread Jim Crowism in the armed forces of the Nation. 

A. Philip Randolph, issuing the call for a march on Washington, 1941

Democracy in Action

Executive Order 8802, “Fair Employment Practice in Defense Industries”

Executive Order 8802, “Fair Employment Practice in Defense Industries”

Success and Change

Workers building panels for Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft, Pacific Parachute Company, Los Angeles, ca. 1945

Workers building panels for Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft, Pacific Parachute Company, Los Angeles, ca. 1945

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Photograph of 5 women from AKA Sorority

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.

Portrait of Bridget Biddy Mason

Bridget “Biddy” Mason

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Bridget “Biddy” Mason helped to establish the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.

Black and White Photograph of standing students

Education Crusader

Social worker, educator, and civil rights activist Vivian Carter Mason worked across racial lines to fight for equal education in Norfolk, Virginia.

Cover image of "Contending Forces: A Romance Illustrative of Negro Life North and South"

Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins

Literary author and editor Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins used the power of her pen to challenge society’s assumptions about Black women.

Photograph of Homer G. Philips hospital and students

Homer G. Phillips Hospital and School of Nursing

Homer G. Phillips Hospital served as a preeminent training facility for African American nurses and physicians during segregation.