A Lifeline for Democracy
In her 2005 commencement speech at the University of Vermont, Ruth Simmons describes experiences that helped her escape the poverty and discrimination of her youth to become the president of Brown University.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
Louisiana White League Platform (1874)
The White League was a paramilitary group responsible for widespread violence against black and white Republicans in Louisiana and Mississippi. The group’s platform from 1874 is articulated here.
![Book cover of American flag with faces over it.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_cover_large.jpg?h=51bee232&itok=yY8xN3AK)
Names and Freedom
Historians Douglas Egerton and Leon Litwack explain the process of freedpeople adopting new surnames.
![A group of African Americans soberly observe Juneteenth in their hats, canes and bonnets in Austin, TX, 1900.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19%20%281%29.jpg?h=6ea8326e&itok=2mUmYjCx)
Names and Freedom (en español)
In Spanish, historians Douglas Egerton and Leon Litwack explain the process of freedpeople adopting new surnames.
![A group of African Americans soberly observe Juneteenth in their hats, canes and bonnets in Austin, TX, 1900.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Emancipation_Day_celebration_-_1900-06-19%20%281%29.jpg?h=6ea8326e&itok=2mUmYjCx)
The 1951 Refugee Convention and Protocol
Explore this condensed list of the legal rights of refugees established by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
![Syrian refugees cross from Syria to Turkey via the Orontes River, near the village of Hacipasa, Turkey, Dec. 8, 2012. This image was one in a series of 20 by AP photographers that won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2013_SyrianRefugeesontheOrontesRiver_FH248167.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=Gx3XIq0Q)
Antisemitism on US Campuses
Read a report that sheds light on the persistence of antisemitism on college campuses across the United States.
![Students participate in a group activity.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2015_20150813_TreyClark_0419_FH221009.jpg?h=2f6148de&itok=YBxcFD7A)
An App for Challenging Bigotry
Learn about Kick It Out, an app that allows football fans to report instances of discrimination or abuse.
![Fans in a soccer stadium with a banner depicting a star of David and words "Yid Army."](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Standing_Up_Antisemitism_Football_Medium_res.jpg?h=603532df&itok=RF1t607O)
Immigrants: First Generation
Nigerian-born poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo pays tribute to the stories of immigrants and the lives they lead in the United States in this "prose poem."
![High school student participates in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2017_FacH07163_FH256119.png?h=2992ba0a&itok=o5SHUUZF)
Immigrants: First Generation
Read in Spanish as Nigerian-born poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo pays tribute to the stories of immigrants and the lives they lead in the United States in this "prose poem."
![High school student participates in class.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2017_FacH07163_FH256119.png?h=2992ba0a&itok=o5SHUUZF)
Blackbelt
A high school student reflects on being raised by his older brother and the legacy of the karate blackbelt his brother gave to him.
![Profile of a male high school student.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2017_Roosevelt.HS26_FH260865.jpg?h=e6cb4de8&itok=PdGIjN4O)
Blackbelt (en español)
In Spanish, a high school student reflects on being raised by his older brother and the legacy of the karate blackbelt his brother gave to him.
![Profile of a male high school student.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/2017_Roosevelt.HS26_FH260865.jpg?h=e6cb4de8&itok=PdGIjN4O)