The 1908 Springfield Race Riot made Illinois the center of national attention and uproar as it was the final straw for many advocates for racial justice in the United States. Those acts of racial terror committed in August 1908 gave way for the creation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or NAACP — one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the U.S. In its over a hundred years of existence, the NAACP has tirelessly worked to make racial justice and equality a reality for all Americans.

Sonali PrillmanFebruary 8, 2021NAACP, Martin Luther King Jr, Black History, March on Washington, 1908 Springfield Race Riots, Grandfather clause, W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Wells-Barnett, Mary Church Terrell, Niagara Movement, 13th Amendment, 14th Amendment, 15th Amendment, Guinn v. United States, Brown v. Board of Education, Civil rights movementComment

Tragedy and Triumph: How Three African-American D.C. Businesses Continue To Overcome Adversity

Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, Washington D.C. erupted in shock and outrage. The D.C. Riots of 1968 had a lasting physical and psychological impact, particularly around D.C.’s historically black U-Street Corridor. Following the violence and chaos only three businesses that witnessed that night remain standing today, over 50 years later.

Justin McCullochJanuary 21, 2021Martin Luther King Jr, Coretta Scott King, Washington DC, U Street, Black History, Ben's Chili Bowl, Lee's Flower and Card Shop, Industrial Bank, Justin McCullochComment

The Decades Long Battle for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Although Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a widely accepted and celebrated holiday throughout the United States today, the path towards its establishment and recognition was a long, fraught journey that took decades of advocacy.

Fidan BaycoraJanuary 18, 2021Martin Luther King Jr.: A Life, Martin Luther King Jr, Martin Luther King Day, Historic America, Coretta Scott King, Fidan BaycoraComment

Book Review - Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life

Originally published in 2002, I picked up Frady’s book about a year ago during a visit to the Howard University bookstore, in the hopes of deepening my knowledge and appreciation of King the man. It did.

Aaron KillianJanuary 22, 2019Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr, Martin Luther King Day, Black History, Historic America, Aaron Killian, Book Review, Marshall Frady, Martin Luther King Jr.: A Life, Biography, Book, ReadingComment