Scottsboro: an American Tragedy
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In March 1931, two white women in Alabama made the shocking accusation that they had been raped by nine black teenagers on a train. The trials of the young men drew North and South into their sharpest conflict since the Civil War.
Slavery by Another Name
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Challenging the idea that slavery in the US ended with the Emancipation Proclamation, this documentary recounts how following the Civil War new forms of forced labor emerged, trapping hundreds of thousands of African Americans in a brutal system.
A Strength of My Neighborhood
A high school student describes how his neighborhood in Los Angeles helps him feel connected to the traditions of his family’s “old world” heritage in Mexico.
A Strength of My Neighborhood
In Spanish, a high school student describes how his neighborhood in Los Angeles helps him feel connected to the traditions of his family’s “old world” heritage in Mexico.
"How to Bloom in Dark Places” by Warsan Shire
Poet Warsan Shire tells the story of a young Somali-born refugee in this poem from the film Brave Girl Rising.
Hope Frye's Testimony on Child Migrant Detention
Immigration lawyer Hope Frye describes the conditions at child migrant detention centers in her congressional hearing testimony.
We Wear The Mask
In this poem, Paul Laurence Dunbar reflects on the experience of African Americans in post-Civil War America and the universal human behavior of hiding an aspect of ourselves.
The Influence of "The Birth of a Nation"
The three-hour silent film The Birth of a Nation did “incalculable harm” to Black Americans by creating a justification for prejudice, racism, and discrimination for decades to follow.
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.
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.
Family Names
Learn how filmmaker Macky Alston learned about the history of his family name and its connection to his family's legacy in the United States.