Black History
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Living to Work & Working to Live
As companies shifted in order to boost efficiency, building homes for workers to live near the job sites was one way to lessen difficulties. One such company that did this was Pullman Palace…
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Troubling Waters
I first walked over the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the fiftieth anniversary year of the marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama seeking equitable voting rights for all citizens of the United States. The…
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A Banker for the Community
Raise your hand if I introduced you to Maggie (Lena Mitchell) Walker! And if I haven’t, this is the post where you can learn about the community builder, banker, and force with which…
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Building Strong Communities Anew
After the Civil War, Black people in the U.S. needed to continue strengthening their communities and shared resources. Part of this effort occurred through homesteading efforts, or establishing their own towns, especially moving…
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Finding Their Way in Service
Black troops continued to enlist in the U.S. armed forces after their joining in the Civil War, grouped into regiments based in several different places. Native Americans in the Plains region fighting against…
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Escaping into Activism
Among the well-known names of former slaves and abolitionists is Frederick Douglass. After making his escape from slavery, Frederick committed his time and energy to securing freedom for everyone. His final home in…
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Cultural Heritage Against All Odds
Tucked into the Atlantic southern seaboard, the heritage of the Gullah Geechee people who came from West and Central Africa remains an important marker of their journey, enslavement, joy in the face of…
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Booker, Carver, Legacy
Generations of history, innovation, boldness, and power have come from Tuskegee, Alabama. In one of many towns in the southeastern region of the United States that has allowed African Americans and their descendants…
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Equality Crosses Boundaries
Washington, D.C. is home to important historical sites for women’s equality, including the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site. As the first free person in her family, Mary received and promoted…
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A Time to Strike
Among the “Northern” states, Kansas was the first to form infantry units to send Black soldiers to fight for the Union forces during the Civil War. At Fort Scott National Historic Site, this…