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Human Crap: The Idea of ‘Disposability’ Is a New and Noxious Fiction

We are demigods of discards – but our copious garbage became a toxic burden only with the modern cult of ‘disposability.’

Surviving a Pandemic, in 1918

A century ago, Catholic nuns from Philadelphia recalled what it was like to tend to the needy and the sick during the great influenza pandemic of 1918.

The Science of Abolition

On Hosea Easton’s and David Walker’s attempts to debunk scientific racism.
Photographs of Lilian Smith and Frank Yerby.

Frank Yerby and Lillian Smith: Challenging the Myths of Whiteness

Both Southerners. Both all but forgotten. Both, in their own ways, questioned the social constructions of race and white supremacy in their writings.

The Power of the Black Working Class

In order to understand America, we have to understand the struggles of the black working class.
Girls and boys in a 19th century classroom.

The End of Men, in 1870

In 1790, U.S. men were about twice as likely as U.S. women to be literate. But by 1870, girls were surpassing boys in public schools.
Richard Pryor

A Nigger Un-Reconstructed: The Legacy of Richard Pryor

Comedian Richard Pryor's performance of Blackness throughout his career.
Entrance to CitiBank branch.

Nationalization Is as American as Apple Pie

Nationalization may seem like an alien idea in the hyper-capitalist United States. But the country has a long history of nationalizing all sorts of industries.

The 1918 Parade That Spread Death in Philadelphia

In six weeks, 12,000 were dead of influenza.
Photo of Japanese American shops with employees and bicycles in front.

When Police Clamped Down on Southern California’s Japanese-American Bicycling Craze

Because cycling was an important mode of transportation for agricultural workers and a popular competitive sport, police saw it as a way to target immigrants.

Why Did Christianity Thrive in the U.S.?

Between 1870 and 1960, Christianity declined dramatically across much of Europe. Not in America. One historian explains why.
Black men confront armed whites in a Chicago street.

Hundreds of Black Deaths in 1919 are Being Remembered

America in the summer of 1919 ran red with blood from racial violence, and yet today, 100 years later, not many people know it even happened.

The Statue of Liberty Was Created to Celebrate Freed Slaves, Not Immigrants

Lady Liberty was inspired by the end of the Civil War and emancipation. The connection to immigration came later.

An Unreconstructed Nation: On Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s “Stony the Road”

A new history of Reconstruction traces the roots of American “respectability” politics through artwork.

The Prophet Is Human

A towering new biography of the great American orator and public intellectual Frederick Douglass.
Josepine Baker vaudeville cartoon

Josephine Baker: Dancer. Icon. Spy.

The Vaudeville star was at the height of her fame in Europe when WWII struck, and used her status for the allies.

Southern Baptist Convention’s Flagship Seminary Details Its Racist, Slave-Owning Past

"We are living in an age of historical reckoning," said Southern Baptist leader R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Trix cereal logo with bunny mascot

The White Rabbit and His Colorful Tricks

Breakfast cereal, dietary purity, and race.

African-American Veterans Hoped Their Service in WWI Would Secure Their Rights at Home. It Didn't.

Black people emerged from the war bloodied and scarred. Still, the war marked a turning point in their struggles for freedom.

A Hundred Years After the Armistice

If you think the First World War began senselessly, consider how it ended.

Catching Up to Pauli Murray

From today's vantage, the remarkable achievements of the writer and social justice activist are finally coming into focus.

We Really Still Need Howard Zinn

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor on why it's so important to tell the stories of people who have fueled social justice movements.
Marques Colston of the New Orlean Saints during a game, Asim Bharwani, Flickr

The NFL and a History of Black Protest

For far too long, Americans have used football to sell the ideas of democracy and fair play. But for Black America, this is an illusion.
Statue of John C. Calhoun and spire of Emanuel AME church in Charleston.

The South Carolina Monument That Symbolizes Clashing Memories of Slavery

In Charleston, a monument to John C. Calhoun squares off against its symbolic rival, the steeple of Emanuel A.M.E. Church, where a white supremacist killed nine.

Prisons and Class Warfare

A look at the evolution of the prison system in California.

Black Radicalism’s Complex Relationship with Japanese Empire

Black intellectuals in the U.S.—from W. E. B. Du Bois to Marcus Garvey—had strong and divergent opinions on Japanese Empire.

As Goes the South, So Goes the Nation

History haunts, but Alabama changes.

Women’s Liberation, Beauty Contests, and the 1920s: Swimsuit Edition

The swimsuit that's controversial now for its sexist overtones was once controversial for its suggestions of women’s liberation.

How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman

Wilma Rudolph won three Olympic golds and was among the first athletes to use her celebrity to fight for civil rights.

Bias Training at Starbucks Is a Reminder That the History of Racism Is About Who Belongs Where

A central component of the history of racism is the intersection in which geography and race collide.

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