Stories

Untold stories and rarely seen images of the Black experience

Black CCC Laborers

Picturing the Black CCC Experience with Company 526

The Civilian Conservation Corps, one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s most popular New Deal programs, provided work, education, and recreation opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young African American men.

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. waits to address the combined session of the Massachusetts State Legislature at the Massachusetts State House in Boston on April 23, 1965.

The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Preaching peace, yet struck down by violence, the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reshaped America’s urban spaces and fundamentally changed how the country remembers this civil rights leader.

Singer and actor Harry Belafonte speaks at a news conference at the United Nations Headquarters to announce the formation of Artists and Athletes Against Apartheid. At left are actors Gregory Hines and Tony Randall and tennis notable Arthur Ashe.

African Americans and the Fight Against Apartheid

African Americans were closely involved in the fight against South African apartheid, with cultural icons, legislators, civil rights activists, and athletes all playing their part to call attention to the issue and to ultimately pass sanctions against South Africa.

Heavyweight champion George Foreman (r) and Muhammad Ali (l) exchange punches during their world heavyweight title boxing match in 1974.

The Rumble in the Jungle

In one of the most iconic and celebrated heavyweight fights, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman clashed in Zaire in 1974.