Black Lives in American History

Now more than ever, Origins remains committed to providing insight on institutional racism as a force that has shaped the United States and the lives of every American. This "Black Lives in American History" page gathers in one easy-to-navigate location many of our articles, podcasts, and videos on the history of race, racism, and the Black American experience.

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a press conference in 1964.
Martin Luther King’s True Legacy: Revolutionary Ideals
Two baseballs.
Why Dick Allen Never Reached the Hall
US Marine Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
“Operation Mississippi Freedom”: When State-Sponsored Terrorism Was American
An integrated classroom in Anacostia High School, Washington, D.C., in 1957.
The Unfinished Business of School Desegregation
Integrated classroom in 1955.
The Long-Term Legacies of Brown v. Board
The historic Floyd County Courthouse in Rome, Georgia.
Marcus Dixon or Strom Thurmond: Which Is the Predator?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. exiting a plane in 1964.
King in Time; King in time
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders in 1963.
Giving Up on the Dream?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a press conference in Holland in 1964.
Asking Martin Luther King…
King speaking to an anti-Vietnam war rally at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, April 27, 1967.
Which Martin Luther King to Honor?
voting button by Steve Rainwater, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Race and Voting, Past and Present
Statue of Samuel J. Tilden in New York City.
Presidential Electoral Controversy Nothing New in Florida
President Lyndon B. Johnson giving a speech about the Voting Rights Act with a statute of President Abraham Lincoln in the background.
The Republican Party and African-Americans: The Real History
Tulsa aftermath. Jun 1, 1921.
In Oklahoma, Another Debate About Reparations
An engraving of Earl Cornwallis's surrender to George Washington during the American Revolution.
Hollywood’s American Revolution
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963.
Spring Marches on Washington
Mural of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia.
‘Til All the World’s an Ebenezer
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964.
The (Character) Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Civil Rights March on Washington in 1963.
President’s Commission on Race a Failure
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis.
Apologizing for Slavery
Charles E. Wilson being sworn in
Beyond Civil Rights
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall: A Justice For All