Mary McLeod Bethune was born #OnThisDay July 10, 1875, in Mayesville, South Carolina, 15 of 17 children born to parents who had been enslaved. Eight of her older siblings were born into slavery. She was the only one of her siblings to receive an education. Inspired by her teachers to one day open her own school focusing on empowering Black women. Bethune founded the Dayton Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904. The school eventually grew to 250 students.

#OnThisDay in 1921, one of the deadliest racial massacres in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory In late May 1921, Black teenager Dick Rowland was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman in Tulsa, OK. Clashes between Black & white residents of Tulsa spiraled into the deadliest in a series of incidents of mass racial violence that convulsed the US in the early 1900s.

#OnThisDay in 1921, the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory In late May 1921, Black teenager Dick Rowland was falsely accused of assaulting a white woman in Tulsa, OK. Clashes between Black & white residents of Tulsa spiraled into the deadliest in a series of incidents of mass racial violence that convulsed the US in the early 1900s.

#DYK? An enslaved man named Onesimus introduced the smallpox vaccine to doctors in Colonial North America. #BlackHistoryMonth Smallpox was an extremely contagious virus that plagued much of the world for millennia, and killed 15% of Boston’s population in 1721. Some African societies had previously developed and implemented a method to combat the spread of the disease. #ANationsStory

#OnThisDay in 1963, 250K people made the journey to The #MarchOnWashington for Jobs and Freedom.

Today we recount their stories. #APeoplesJourney

↳ nmaahc.si.edu/march-on-washi… The #MarchOnWashington sought to pressure Congress to pass civil rights legislation. Many public officials feared that the march would result in violence and proposed a bill in Congress to prevent it. nmaahc.si.edu/march-on-washi…

100 years ago today, the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Black Wall Street in Tulsa was destroyed by a racist mob. #Tulsa100 The imprisonment of Dick Rowland, a Black man falsely accused of assaulting a white woman, sparked the Tulsa Massacre. A lynch mob gathered to hang Rowland; Black Tulsans hurried to the courthouse to protect him. A tinderbox of racial resentment & white supremacy quickly ignited.

#OTD in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled school segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. For more than a decade, Charles Houston, Dean of @howardlawschool, headed a team of lawyers that challenged the segregation of schools in 4 states & DC. #APeoplesJourney @howardlawschool After Houston’s death, Thurgood Marshall argued a joint appeal of these cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education.
Part of their defense relied on the testimonies and research of social scientists throughout their legal strategy. #APeoplesJourney

Ma Rainey, known as the "Mother of the Blues,” is one of the earliest known American professional blues singers. She was born Gertrude Pridgett in Columbus, Georgia, on April 26, 1886.

nmaahc.si.edu/LGBTQ/ma-rainey #MaRaineyFilm #APeoplesGroove At the age of 18, she married William Rainey and the two toured as performers with multiple minstrel and vaudeville shows, including the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. They later separated and Ma Rainey relocated to Chicago. #MaRaineyFilm #APeoplesGroove

At the National Museum of African American History and Culture, we believe that any productive conversation on race must start with honesty, respect for others, and an openness to ideas and information that provide new perspectives. In that context, we recently unveiled “Talking About Race,” an online portal providing research, studies, and other academic materials from the fields of history, education, psychology, and human development.

At a time when the soul of our country is being tested, our Talking About Race portal will help individuals and communities foster constructive conversations and much needed dialogue about one of our nation's most challenging topics: Racism and its corrosive impact. America is once again facing the challenge of race, a challenge that needs all of our understanding and commitment.

Our portal was designed to help individuals, families, and communities talk about racism, racial identity and how forces shape every aspect of our society.

Beginning with the founding of America, African Americans created new visions of freedom that have benefited all Americans. The paradox of the American Revolution—the fight for liberty in an era of widespread slavery—is embedded in the foundation of the US #ANationsStory #July4th Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and called slavery an “abominable crime,” yet he was a lifelong slaveholder. His statue stands in our Slavery & Freedom exhibition with the names of the 600 men, women and children he enslaved at Monticello. #ANationsStory

#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourney

African American music is rooted in messages of solidarity and protest. The freedom of speech that music allows creates opportunities for individual voices to come together in support of a cause. #APeoplesGroove #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory #FreedomSounds For centuries, black musicians have used their art to speak out for justice & equality. They have raised their voices to oppose racism, apartheid, violence, genocide, & oppression in all its forms. #APeoplesGroove #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory #FreedomSounds

#OTD in 1921, the deadliest racial massacre in U.S. history began in the thriving Greenwood African American community of Tulsa, OK.

Black Wall Street in Tulsa, OK was destroyed by a racist mob. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory The imprisonment of Dick Rowland, a black man falsely accused of assaulting a white woman, sparked the Tulsa Massacre. A lynch mob gathered to hang Rowland; black Tulsans hurried to the courthouse to protect him. A tinderbox of racial resentment & white supremacy quickly ignited.

On July 27, 1919, racial tensions exploded when seventeen-year-old Eugene Williams drowned in Lake Michigan after crossing the unofficial segregation-line and being stoned by a group of white youths. #RedSummer100 #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory When police officers arrived on the scene, they refused to arrest the white man whom eyewitnesses pointed to as the responsible party. Angry crowds began to gather on the beach, and reports of the incident spread quickly. #RedSummer100 #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory

The “Queen of Disco” Donna Summer was born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston in 1948. “Love to Love You Baby” was released in 1975 and became the single that would catapult Summer to international disco stardom. #APeoplesJourney #SmithsonianMusic #APeoplesGroove The 17-minute long track, featuring Summer repeating the title lyrics in her signature ethereal vocal style, reached no. 2 on the American pop chart, becoming a disco standard. Summer would go on to release a string of hit disco and pop albums in the next decade #SmithsonianMusic

“A white woman has only one handicap to overcome—that of sex. I have two—both sex and race.” -Mary Church Terrell

Join us today as we highlight the stories of African American women in the fight for suffrage. #HiddenHerstory #HerVote100 Early movements for women’s rights were closely tied to the Antislavery Movement. Free and formerly enslaved African American women like Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Sarah Remond & Henrietta Purvis were active in the call for women’s suffrage. #HiddenHerstory #HerVote100

#OTD in 1865, enslaved African Americans were notified of their freedom by Union troops in Galveston Bay, TX—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.

Known as #Juneteenth, this day is widely celebrated as the end of chattel slavery in the U.S. #APeoplesJourney Though it has long been celebrated among the African American community, it is a history that has been marginalized & still remains largely unknown to the wider public. The legacy of #Juneteenth shows the value of deep hope & urgent organizing in uncertain times. #APeoplesJourney

Marching bands are rooted in military training exercises & combat formations. AA marching bands & drumlines honored service in U.S. conflicts, while highlighting the absence of civil rights despite sacrifices to defend the nation. #APeoplesJourney #Homecoming #SmithsonianMusic While laws prevented black people from carrying weapons, they were allowed to hold musical instruments. Many were assigned to the fife & drum corps—musicians that played small flutes & drums to boost the spirits of fighters, a tradition that goes back to the Revolutionary War.

African American soldiers have served in every war in the United States. In choosing to join the military, African Americans sought to have their service understood by the nation as a demand for liberty and citizenship. We honor your sacrifice. #VeteransDay #APeoplesJourney African American men and women who engaged in the military made their service useful not only for the good of their country, but to benefit both their personal lives and their community. #VeteransDay #APeoplesJourney

Known as the “Harlem of the West,” Five Points, Denver, CO was a predominately African American neighborhood. The community of nearly 6,000 residents included black doctors, lawyers, dentists, clergy, & railroad porters, as well as domestic workers. #CuratedByCommunity The major influx of African American residents came between 1911-1929, when restrictive housing covenants prohibited African Americans from buying properties elsewher. The community thrived with black owned businesses along Welton street. #CuratedByCommunity