CIVIL RIGHTS

Strom Thurmond approached the Senate as though it were an endurance contest.

The Longest Filibuster in History Lasted More Than 24 Hours

In 1957, South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond made a marathon argument against integration.

Jackie Robinson is getting his long-overdue museum.

New York City Is Getting a Jackie Robinson Museum

The iconic baseball player and civil rights leader will see his life story told in a New York City museum.

10 Surprising Facts About Malcolm X

The civil rights activist was far more complex than his historical image as a firebrand suggests. Read on for more facts about Malcolm X.

Lawmakers have been trying to make the Equal Rights Amendment happen for almost a century.

9 Facts You Should Know About the Equal Rights Amendment

Almost 100 years have passed since the Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed. Here are the facts you should know.

23 Sweet Facts About Alabama

They put us on the moon, gave us Mardi Gras, and collect all our unclaimed luggage. Thanks, Alabama!

Why Is Ukraine’s Capital City Now Called ‘Kyiv,’ Not ‘Kiev’?

‘Kyiv’ is not a new name for the capital of Ukraine—and the Kyiv-or-Kiev discussion isn’t new, either.

Georgia Gilmore's food helped feed the civil rights movement.

Georgia Gilmore, the Alabama Cook Who Fueled the Civil Rights Movement With Food

Georgia Gilmore played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement—one of feeding and funding those at the frontlines. A marvelous cook, she took it upon herself to bring together a secret society-esque group of women who used food to fuel the movement.

11 Things You Should Know About Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde’s poems, speeches, and books helped write the future of feminism. Here are some facts about the woman behind the work.

Ida B. Wells Is Mattel’s Latest ‘Inspiring Women’ Barbie Doll

Who was Ida B. Wells? A journalist, suffragist, civil rights leader, and now the latest doll in Barbie’s ‘Inspiring Women’ series.

Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses a meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on May 27, 1966.

The Profound Effect Henry David Thoreau Had on Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s approach to resisting injustice came straight from the playbook of 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau.

Billie Holiday performs at the Downbeat in New York City in 1947.

How Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" Shocked Listeners With Its Brutal Confrontation of Racism

Named the “song of the century” by TIME in 1999, “Strange Fruit” continues to devastate listeners nearly a century after its original recording.

Robert E. Lee and company in the National Cathedral's stained-glass windows.

The National Cathedral Will Replace Its Confederate-Themed Stained-Glass Windows

Stained-glass windows depicting Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were removed in 2017. Now, Kerry James Marshall is working on their replacements.

A depiction of the office of the Freedmen's Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee.

Black Americans Can Now Trace Their Family Tree With the Help of Millions of Digitized Freedmen’s Bureau Records

The Freedmen’s Bureau Project records are now digitized and available on Ancestry.com, providing millions of African Americans free access to discover their roots.

Josephine Baker Will Be the First Black Woman Buried in Paris’s Panthéon

Paris’s Panthéon houses graves for just five women. Josephine Baker—star, spy, and civil rights activist—is about to become the sixth.

Activist Ida B. Wells now has a monument in her honor.

Chicago Just Unveiled a Monument for Journalist Ida B. Wells—the City's First Honoring a Black Woman

The sculpture pays tribute to Wells, who shed light on discrimination as a reporter and activist until her death in 1931.

A photograph of Harriet Tubman taken by Harvey B. Lindsley in the 1870s.

Archaeologists Have Located the Site of Harriet Tubman’s Family Home in Maryland

The Underground Railroad conductor honed her wilderness skills around the cabin her father built in the 1840s.

Which historical women deserve a tiny, metallic likeness?

Which Trailblazing Women Should Be Featured on Quarters? The U.S. Mint Wants Your Suggestions

Sally Ride and Maya Angelou are the first two honorees, but you can help decide which other important women from history to feature on the collectible coins.

Beulah Mae Donald in The People v. The Klan (2021).

10 Facts About Beulah Mae Donald, the Woman Who Took Down the KKK

'The People V. The Klan'  is a four-part CNN Original Series about the courageous story of Beulah Mae Donald, a Black mother in Alabama who brought down the Ku Klux Klan for the brutal murder of her son.

5 Ways to Support the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community

Anti-Asian hate crimes spiked by almost 150 percent last year. Here’s how to combat racism and support the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community.

Doris Miller saved a number of lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Doris Miller, the Naval Cook Who Became a Hero of Pearl Harbor

Doris Miller was stationed on the USS 'West Virginia' when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Despite being prohibited from gunnery training due to his race, Miller ended up saving an untold number of lives.

Researchers Uncover 29 Graves at the Original Site of a Razed Black Cemetery in Clearwater, Florida

People have long believed that a 1954 cemetery relocation process in Clearwater, Florida, was incomplete. They were right.

Harriet Tubman photographed by Benjamin Powelson in the late 1860s.

The White House Is Reinstating Plans to Replace Andrew Jackson With Harriet Tubman on $20 Bills

The plan to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman was announced in 2016, but it’s been delayed for a while.

Martin Luther King photographed in 1964.

How Martin Luther King Jr. Kept Star Trek Flying High

Civil rights activist and stealth Trekker Martin Luther King Jr. had an intense conversation with one of the show's main cast members in order to keep the series intact.