America.gov-Diversity:Black History Month

Martin Luther King’s Dream Lives on 40 Years After His Death

Lauren Monsen — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:13:36 GMT

Americans remember the assassination of Martin Luther King 40 years ago as a shock that forced the nation to confront the dilemma of the racial divide and forge the “American consensus.”

End of U.S. Military Segregation Set Stage for Rights Movement

Lauren Monsen — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:29:04 GMT

African Americans have served in the U.S. military since the days of George Washington, but it took until July 26, 1948, when President Truman issued an executive order for desegregating the armed forces, for the country to begin living up to the democratic ideals that they fought to defend.

The Amistad Sails Again – This Time for Freedom

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:54:02 GMT

A replica of the Amistad, a vessel that in 1839 was the site of a famous slave revolt, is on a journey from New Haven, Connecticut, to Europe, Africa and the Caribbean to commemorate the Amistad incident as well as the anniversary of Britain’s abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and the U.S. ban on the importation of slaves in 1808.

Black History Month Honors Stories of Determination and Triumph

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:35:37 GMT

John Fleming, head of black history study group, tells America.gov Black History Month should focus on positive and negative aspects of the black experience. “We were not slaves prior to being captured in Africa, and while slavery was part of our experience, … we have a 100-and-some years in freedom that we also need to deal with."

African Americans’ Struggles, Triumphs Shown in Photo Exhibition

Lauren Monsen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:37:06 GMT

An exhibition of 100 black-and-white photographs evokes the personal stories of African Americans who helped shape the nation over the past 150 years. Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits, is the inaugural exhibition of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

After Facing Mobs 50 Years Ago, Nine Go Home to Honors

Lauren Monsen — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:27:45 GMT

As Little Rock’s largest high school plans a 50-year reunion, all eyes will be on nine professionals in their mid-60s: the Little Rock Nine, the first blacks to attend all-white Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment sparked a constitutional crisis that would advance U.S. civil rights.

Prize-winning Book Recounts Press Role in Civil Rights Era

Lauren Monsen — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:46:16 GMT

The success of the U.S. civil rights movement depended largely on national media coverage, the presence of a vibrant black press and a small band of liberal white Southern editors, say journalists Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff. Their book, The Race Beat, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for history.

World War II African-American Airmen Receive Congressional Medal

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:07:21 GMT

The legendary Tuskegee Airmen, an elite corps of African-American military pilots who served with distinction during World War II, are honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor Congress can bestow on civilians.

U.S. Marks 50th Anniversary of Montgomery Bus Boycott

Lauren Monsen — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 17:14:57 GMT

Nation Celebrates Anniversary of Landmark Civil Rights Law

Lauren Monsen — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 17:48:14 GMT

2004 marks the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2 of that year, it declared illegal certain long-practiced forms of discrimination, authorized the government to act against others and, perhaps most significantly, demonstrated a political consensus to wield federal authority against legal inequity "on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin."