Today's post comes from Miriam Kleiman, Public Affairs Specialist at the National Archives. There is perhaps no single figure whose own life and career embodies the promise, success, and continued challenges of civil rights for Black Americans than John Lewis. We mourn this tremendous loss and look back on his incredible history through our holdings … Continue reading We Remember Civil Rights Legend John Lewis
Today's post comes from Kerri Lawrence, Writer-Editor for the National Archives News. This year marks the 50th anniversary of 1968, a year of turmoil and change in the United States and the world. In reflection, 1968 was a year of triumph and tragedy. International and national events changed the landscape of America and the world around … Continue reading The National Archives and 1968: A Year of Triumph and Tragedy
We are wrapping up our commemoration of Black History Month. Today’s post comes from Madie Ward in the National Archives History Office. Martin Luther King, Jr., talks with President Lyndon B. Johnson, December 3, 1963. (Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, National Archives) The National Archives has countless items that highlight African Americans’ struggles for freedom … Continue reading LBJ and MLK
In commemoration of the anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, today’s post comes from Sarah Basilion, an intern in the National Archives History Office. Sixty years ago, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old black woman, refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama, public bus. On December 1, 1955, Parks, a seamstress … Continue reading The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Between 1961 and 1964, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) held a voting registration campaign in Selma, Alabama, a town known to suppress African American voting. When their efforts were stymied by local enforcement officials, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), led by Martin Luther King, Jr., pushed Selma into the national spotlight. On March … Continue reading On Exhibit: Bloody Sunday
This coming Sunday is the dedication of the new Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial on the National Mall. It's also the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington, when King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech to the assembled thousands. As I looked at the program from the day and then at some … Continue reading March on Washington: A. Philip Randolph
Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been 82 on January 15, and yesterday we observed the national holiday in his honor. The above photograph shows a January 18, 1964, White House meeting between four civil rights leaders—Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Whitney Young—and President Lyndon Johnson. A civil rights bill was stuck in the … Continue reading January 18, 1964 – Martin Luther King, Jr. & LBJ
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at center. (542015 / 306-SSM-4C(51)15)This Saturday marks the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech. I was looking through ARC at the pictures of how many people participated, when I … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: In honor of MLK
