1864-1934 By Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Fellow | 2017 At the turn of the century, Maggie Lena Walker was one of the foremost female business leaders in the United States.…
Author: mirtisr
This Week In Black History October 26 – November 1, 2022
Courier Newsroom October 27, 2022 October 26 1749—The British parliament legalizes slavery in the American colony, which would become known as Georgia. 1806—Benjamin Banneker dies at 74. He had become a recognized…
The stolen cells of Henrietta Lacks and their ongoing contribution to science
In the past century, Henrietta Lacks has, arguably, done more to advance medicine than any other person. She played a material role in the development of polio vaccines, cancer treatments,…
The racist history of America’s interstate highway boom
BY LIAM DILLON, BEN POSTON NOV. 11, 2021 3 AM PT When President Eisenhower created the U.S. Interstate Highway System in 1956, transportation planners tore through the nation’s urban areas with freeways that,…
Here’s What Happened the Night Mulugeta Seraw Was Murdered—and Afterward
In the wee hours of a Sunday morning in November 1988, the city’s self-image as a tolerant place was shattered. By Elise Herron October 31, 2018 at 8:08 am PDT Many…
How Pittsburgh’s Freedom House Pioneered Paramedic Treatment
March 1, 20155:19 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered ERIKA BERAS Twitter In the 1960s, Pittsburgh, like most cities, was segregated by race. But people of all colors suffered from…
The Failed 1846 Amendment That Tried to Contain Slavery
Debate over the Wilmot Proviso inflamed North-South divisions ahead of the Civil War. by AABYE-GAYLE D. FRANCIS-FAVILLA JUN 7, 2022 As the United States grew and expanded into new territories…
SERGEANT WILLIAM HARVEY CARNEY: FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
POSTED BY JAE JONES – SEPTEMBER 10, 2022 Sergeant William Harvey Carney was the first African American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was born a slave in Norfolk,…
California Once Tried to Ban Black People
The new state’s leaders banned slavery—but tried to kick free black people out. ERIN BLAKEMORE UPDATED: SEP 1, 2018 ORIGINAL: FEB 9, 2018 When Peter Burnett took the podium in…
How a High School Teacher Changed Early 20th-Century Insect Science
Systemic racism kept him from a position in higher education—but it didn’t stop Charles Henry Turner from rewriting our understanding of bees, ants, and cockroaches. BY EDWARD D. MELILLO AUGUST 15,…