March is Women’s History Month. Visit the National Archives website for resources and virtual events related to women’s history. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, Title VII prohibited discrimination by certain employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. State and local governments, however, were exempt. In 1967 President Lyndon B. … Continue reading The Federal Women’s Program
On Saturday a new exhibit opened in the National Archives Building, Power & Light: Russell Lee’s Coal Survey. It will run in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery until December 7, 2025. This exhibit features more than 200 of Russell Lee’s photographs of coal miners and their families. Russell Lee (1903–86) was a photographer who spent … Continue reading Russell Lee’s Coal Survey Exhibit
February is Black History Month. Visit the National Archives website for more information on our resources related to African American history. Today’s post, from Alyssa Moore in the National Archives History Office, looks at the legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 (although he often claimed he was born on July … Continue reading Louis Armstrong: Harlem Renaissance Pioneer
Carlton Chapman was born in Pembroke, a small town in Southwestern Virginia, in 1912. He was working for the Norfolk and Western Railway when the United States entered World War II. In 1942 he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a machine gunner with the 761st Tank Battalion. The 761st Tank Battalion was … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Carlton Chapman and the Ultimate Sacrifice
We are taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout its history. Today’s staff spotlight is Lucille Joppy, who served as president of the union that represented National Archives employees in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Lucille B. Joppy (née Lucille Briscoe), was born in Washington, DC, on … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Lucille Joppy
February is Black History Month. Visit the National Archives website for more information on our resources related to African American History. Charles Richard Drew (June 3, 1904–April 1, 1950) was an American surgeon, educator, and pioneering medical researcher on blood transfusions. He discovered that plasma had a longer shelf life than blood and could be separated to … Continue reading Dr. Charles Drew: A Pioneer in Blood Transfusions
In celebration of Black History Month, we’re looking at how Black designers have shaped our world—from architecture to fashion to illustration to web design to inventions, we’re celebrating great design by Black creatives. Join the conversation Friday, February 3, 2022, on Instagram and Twitter by using #ArchivesHashtagParty and #ArchivesBlackDesign. Today’s post from Jen Johnson, a … Continue reading Marjorie S. Joyner: More Than an Inventor
We are taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout history. Today’s staff spotlight is on Josef C. James, the first African American Director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. Josef C. James—his friends called him JC—was born in Ocala, Florida, in 1915 and grew up in … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Josef C. James
We are taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout its history. Today’s staff spotlight is Robert L. Clarke, who served as the first official Black History Specialist at the National Archives. Robert Lewis Clarke was born in Orlando, Florida, on February 27, 1920. He graduated from … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Robert L. Clarke
We’re concluding Black History Month with a post on Marian Anderson from Adam Berenbak in the Center for Legislative Archives. For more information on resources related to African American History, visit the National Archives website. This petition was sent to the U.S. Senate in April of 1939 from the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. It requests that … Continue reading Marian Anderson’s 1939 Easter Concert
