Picturing Black History

Photographs and stories that changed the world

A collaboration of and

1940s

Leaning on a porch rail, waiting for their turn at morning exercises are (l-r): 2nd Lts. Joan L. Hamilton, Marjorie S. Mayers, Prudence L. Burnes, and Inez E. Holmes. All are military nurses training to be sent to advanced posts on the Southwest Pacific.

The Integration of the American Military

Hoping to court Black voters in the 1948 Presidential election, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981, an act that significantly changed the armed forces and the Black experience in America.

Photograph of Class SE 43 K newly commissioned pilots (Tuskegee Airmen) at Tuskegee Army Flying School, in bomber jackets with a fighter airplane, Tuskegee, Alabama, 1942.

Outside the Frame

Without images of African Americans, depictions of important military moments are incomplete.

Paul Robeson, singer, performer and civil rights activist, is welcomed in Russia, Moscow, Russia, January 19, 1935.

Paul Robeson in the Soviet Union

Between the 1930s and 1960s, the famous singer and actor made many visits to the world’s first socialist country, which made a lasting impression on his art and politics.

A drill instructor during an inspection of paratroopers at Fort Benning in Chattahoochee County, Georgia, 24th February 1944

Walter Morris and the “Triple Nickles” Jump into History

Despite systemic racism, Black soldiers forced their way into parachute training and took one major step toward integration.

Gladys Bentley: Pioneering Queer Performer

Gladys Bentley consistently and unapologetically broke the unspoken rules of gender norms

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