History

Denmark Vesey was a self-educated Black man who was hanged alongside his co-conspirators for planning what is today regarded as the most extensive slave rebellion in U.S. history.

The Ohio Black Laws of 1804 were some of the earliest legal codes that explicitly discriminated against African Americans. These laws, enacted by the state legislature imposed numerous restrictions on the rights and freedoms of African Americans living in the state.

As children prepared for the Youth Day service at the 16th Street Baptist Church, a powerful explosion tore through the church's basement. The blast killed four young girls: Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair.

Rosa Egipcíaca, also known as Rosa Maria Egipcíaca of Vera Cruz and Rosa Courana, was an extraordinary individual whose life journey traversed the harsh realities of enslavement, prostitution, spiritual awakening, and ultimately, literary achievement. Born in 1719 in the...

The bombing of Hattie Cotton Elementary in 1957 serves as a haunting reminder of the deep-seated racism and resistance to desegregation that existed in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement.

Rubin Stacy was a 29-year-old Black man who tragically became a victim of racial violence and lynching in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1935. He was lynched after a white woman named Marion Jones became frightened when he knocked on her door, leading to a false accusation.

A famous figure in South African history, Gquma was a white girl that was adopted by a local clan following a shipwreck that brought her upon their shores in the 1700s.

Noyes Academy was a pioneering educational institution that boldly admitted both black and white students, defying the deeply ingrained racial segregation of the era. Tragically, this act of progressivism led to the school's eventual demise in 1835.

Black Caesar was a chieftain in West Africa until he was tricked and lured onto a slave ship. By chance, the slave ship was struck by a hurricane, and Black Caesar was among the only ones to escape alive. Stranded at sea, he began his career in piracy, eventually rising to notoriety.

Anthony Crawford was a very successful Black entrepreneur, whose life took a tragic turn in 1916 when a disagreement over cottonseed prices led to his arrest and, ultimately, his lynching at the hands of a white mob.