civil rights

Booker T. Washington at his writing desk, 1894

Booker T. Washington was one of the most influential Black leaders of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Here are a few facts about this innovative educator.

Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and Frances E.W. Harper.

Some Black suffragists may not be as well known as their white counterparts in the movement, but they made an indelible impact on history.

The list of Frederick Douglass's accomplishments is astonishing—respected orator, famous writer, abolitionist, civil rights leader, presidential consultant—even without considering that he was formerly enslaved.

From left: Bessie Coleman, Shirley Chisholm, Dr. Lonnie Johnson.

You may not have heard of these groundbreaking Black innovators and creators in fields from science to comics.

W.E.B. Du Bois co-founded the NAACP—and was a victim of McCarthyism.

From enslaved woman to Underground Railroad guide and Civil War spy, Harriet Tubman led a remarkable life.

In 1973, Sacheen Littlefeather caused a national stir when she refused Marlon Brando’s Oscar for Best Actor in 'The Godfather.' Nearly 50 years later, the activist received a long overdue apology for the abuse and discrimination she endured.

Strom Thurmond approached the Senate as though it were an endurance contest.

In 1957, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond made a marathon argument against integration.

Jackie Robinson is getting his long-overdue museum.

The iconic baseball player and civil rights leader will see his life story told in a New York City museum.

The civil rights activist was far more complex than his historical image as a firebrand suggests. Read on for more facts about Malcolm X.

Lawmakers have been trying to make the Equal Rights Amendment happen for almost a century.

Almost 100 years have passed since the Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed. Here are the facts you should know.

They put us on the moon, gave us Mardi Gras, and collect all our unclaimed luggage. Thanks, Alabama!

‘Kyiv’ is not a new name for the capital of Ukraine—and the Kyiv-or-Kiev discussion isn’t new, either.

Georgia Gilmore's food helped feed the civil rights movement.

Georgia Gilmore played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement—one of feeding and funding those at the frontlines. A marvelous cook, she took it upon herself to bring together a secret society-esque group of women who used food to fuel the movement.

Audre Lorde’s poems, speeches, and books helped write the future of feminism. Here are some facts about the woman behind the work.

Who was Ida B. Wells? A journalist, suffragist, civil rights leader, and now the latest doll in Barbie’s ‘Inspiring Women’ series.

Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses a meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on May 27, 1966.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s approach to resisting injustice came straight from the playbook of 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau.

Billie Holiday performs at the Downbeat in New York City in 1947.

Named the “song of the century” by TIME in 1999, “Strange Fruit” continues to devastate listeners nearly a century after its original recording.

Robert E. Lee and company in the National Cathedral's stained-glass windows.

Stained-glass windows depicting Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were removed in 2017. Now, Kerry James Marshall is working on their replacements.

A depiction of the office of the Freedmen's Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Freedmen’s Bureau Project records are now digitized and available on Ancestry.com, providing millions of African Americans free access to discover their roots.

Paris’s Panthéon houses graves for just five women. Josephine Baker—star, spy, and civil rights activist—is about to become the sixth.

Activist Ida B. Wells now has a monument in her honor.

The sculpture pays tribute to Wells, who shed light on discrimination as a reporter and activist until her death in 1931.

A photograph of Harriet Tubman taken by Harvey B. Lindsley in the 1870s.

The Underground Railroad conductor honed her wilderness skills around the cabin her father built in the 1840s.

Which historical women deserve a tiny, metallic likeness?

Sally Ride and Maya Angelou are the first two honorees, but you can help decide which other important women from history to feature on the collectible coins.

12 Illuminating Facts About Booker T. Washington

10 Black Suffragists You Should Know

13 Incredible Facts About Frederick Douglass

25 Unheralded Black American Pioneers and Trailblazers You Should Know

10 Fascinating Facts About W.E.B. Du Bois

9 Surprising Facts About Harriet Tubman

'Stand For Your Truth': The Life and Legacy of Sacheen Littlefeather

The Longest Filibuster in History Lasted More Than 24 Hours

New York City Is Getting a Jackie Robinson Museum

10 Surprising Facts About Malcolm X

9 Facts You Should Know About the Equal Rights Amendment

23 Sweet Facts About Alabama

Why Is Ukraine’s Capital City Now Called ‘Kyiv,’ Not ‘Kiev’?

Georgia Gilmore, the Alabama Cook Who Fueled the Civil Rights Movement With Food

11 Things You Should Know About Audre Lorde

Ida B. Wells Is Mattel’s Latest ‘Inspiring Women’ Barbie Doll

The Profound Effect Henry David Thoreau Had on Martin Luther King Jr.

How Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" Shocked Listeners With Its Brutal Confrontation of Racism

The National Cathedral Will Replace Its Confederate-Themed Stained-Glass Windows

Black Americans Can Now Trace Their Family Tree With the Help of Millions of Digitized Freedmen’s Bureau Records

Josephine Baker Will Be the First Black Woman Buried in Paris’s Panthéon

Chicago Just Unveiled a Monument for Journalist Ida B. Wells—the City's First Honoring a Black Woman

Archaeologists Have Located the Site of Harriet Tubman’s Family Home in Maryland

Which Trailblazing Women Should Be Featured on Quarters? The U.S. Mint Wants Your Suggestions