Bridge the Diaspora home

Theme

Civil Rights

Explore this theme across 113 historical figures, 77 heritage sites,62 lessons, 48 cultural references, and 4 journeys.

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Historical Figures

Richard Allen

Richard Allen

1959–?

Absalom Jones

Absalom Jones

1746–1818

Daniel Payne

Daniel Payne

1978–?

Henry McNeal Turner

Henry McNeal Turner

1834–1915

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman

1822–1913

Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass

1818–1895

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth

1797–1883

Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson

1898–1976

James Varick

James Varick

1750–1827

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

1929–1968

James Forman

James Forman

1928–2005

Julian Bond

Julian Bond

1940–2015

Alice Walker

Alice Walker

1944–?

Spike Lee

Spike Lee

1957–?

Fred Shuttlesworth

Fred Shuttlesworth

1922–2011

Four Little Girls

–?

Huey P. Newton

Huey P. Newton

1942–1989

Bobby Seale

Bobby Seale

1936–?

Eldridge Cleaver

Eldridge Cleaver

1935–1998

Angela Davis

Angela Davis

1944–?

Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton

1948–1969

William Lloyd Garrison

William Lloyd Garrison

1805–1879

Lewis Hayden

Lewis Hayden

1811–1889

54th Massachusetts Regiment

54th Massachusetts Regiment

1863–1865

Robert S. Abbott

1870–1940

Oscar Stanton DePriest

–?

Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells

1862–1931

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong

1901–1971

Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall

1908–1993

Linda Brown

–?

Earl Warren

Earl Warren

1891–1974

Charles H. Wright

Charles H. Wright

1918–2002

Motown artists

–?

Coleman Young

Coleman Young

1918–1997

Charles Harrison Mason

Charles Harrison Mason

1864–1961

Andraé Crouch

Andraé Crouch

1942–2015

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks

1913–2005

Ralph Abernathy

Ralph Abernathy

1926–1990

Jo Ann Robinson

1912–1992

Dr. Margaret Burroughs

Dr. Margaret Burroughs

1915–2010

Jean Baptiste Point DuSable

Jean Baptiste Point DuSable

1745–1818

Denmark Vesey

Denmark Vesey

1767–1822

Clementa Pinckney

Clementa Pinckney

1973–2015

Nine Charleston Martyrs

–?

Emmett Till

Emmett Till

1941–1955

Mamie Till-Mobley

Mamie Till-Mobley

1921–2003

Medgar Evers

Medgar Evers

1925–1963

John Handy

John Handy

1933–?

Saunders King

Saunders King

1909–2000

Fillmore jazz community

–?

Urban renewal displaced residents

–?

Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

1899–1974

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday

1915–1959

Miles Davis

Miles Davis

1926–1991

Minnie Evans

1892–1987

Five Points community leaders

–?

Bass Reeves

Bass Reeves

1838–1910

Judge Isaac Parker

–?

Grant Johnson

–?

James Farmer

1901–?

John Lewis

John Lewis

1940–2020

O.W. Gurley

1868–1935

J.B. Stradford

–?

John Brown

John Brown

1800–1859

William Still

William Still

1821–1902

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

1964–?

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison

1931–2019

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston

1891–1960

Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman

1976–2020

Mordecai Wyatt Johnson

Mordecai Wyatt Johnson

1890–1976

Charles Hamilton Houston

Charles Hamilton Houston

1895–1950

Little Rock Nine

–?

Daisy Bates

Daisy Bates

1914–1999

Ernest Green

Ernest Green

1941–?

Orval Faubus

Orval Faubus

1910–1994

Maggie L. Walker

Maggie L. Walker

1867–1934

Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott King

1927–2006

Martin Luther King Sr.

Martin Luther King Sr.

1899–1984

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

1929–1968

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary McLeod Bethune

1875–1955

Myrlie Evers-Williams

Myrlie Evers-Williams

1933–?

Fannie Lou Hamer

Fannie Lou Hamer

1917–1977

James Chaney

James Chaney

1943–1964

Andrew Goodman

Andrew Goodman

1943–1964

Michael Schwerner

Michael Schwerner

1939–1964

Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson

1959–?

Elias Camp Morris

Elias Camp Morris

1855–1922

Joseph H. Jackson

1884–1963

T.J. Jemison

–?

William Augustus Jones Jr.

1934–2006

James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray

1928–1998

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

1961–?

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama

1964–?

Harold Washington

Harold Washington

1922–1987

Laura Towne

–?

Ellen Murray

Ellen Murray

–?

Enslaved laborers

–?

Ralph David Abernathy

Ralph David Abernathy

1926–1990

Gardner C. Taylor

1918–2015

L. Venchael Booth

1919–2002

Prudence Crandall

Prudence Crandall

1803–1890

George Pullman

George Pullman

1831–1897

A. Philip Randolph

A. Philip Randolph

1889–1979

Robert Gould Shaw

Robert Gould Shaw

1850–1931

William Harvey Carney

William Harvey Carney

1840–1908

Amelia Boynton Robinson

Amelia Boynton Robinson

1911–2015

Diane Nash

Diane Nash

1938–?

Marian Wright Edelman

Marian Wright Edelman

1939–?

Esther A. H. Hopkins

Esther A. H. Hopkins

1926–2021

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller

1839–1937

Sophia Packard

Sophia Packard

1824–1891

Harriet Giles

Harriet Giles

1828–1909

Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams

1973–?

Heritage Sites

African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church — National Headquarters

Philadelphia, PA

African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church — National Headquarters

Charlotte, NC

Alabama State University

Montgomery, AL

Albany State University

Albany, GA

American Baptist College

Nashville, TN

Atlanta University Center Historic District

Atlanta, GA

Bennett College

Greensboro, NC

Bethune-Cookman University

Daytona Beach, FL

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Birmingham, AL

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Birmingham, AL

Black Panther Party National Headquarters Site

Oakland, CA

Boston African American National Historic Site

Boston, MA

Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area

Chicago, IL

Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park

Topeka, KS

Caribbean Hill, Brooklyn

Brooklyn, NY

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

Detroit, MI

Church of God in Christ (COGIC) — World Headquarters

Memphis, TN

Clark Atlanta University

Atlanta, GA

Commercial Slave Markets of Washington D.C. — Taverns & Hotels

Washington, DC

Decatur House — Slave Quarters & Pens

Washington, DC

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

Montgomery, AL

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

Chicago, IL

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church

Charleston, SC

Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Sumner, MS

Fillmore District — Harlem of the West

San Francisco, CA

Five Points — Welton Street Cultural Historic District

Denver, CO

Fort Smith National Historic Site

Fort Smith, AR

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Washington, DC

Freedom Riders National Monument

Anniston, AL

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

San Francisco, CA

Greenwood Cultural Center

Tulsa, OK

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Harpers Ferry, WV

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park

Church Creek, MD

Howard University

Washington, DC

Howard University Historic District

Washington, DC

Interdenominational Theological Center

Atlanta, GA

Jackson State University

Jackson, MS

Lawson State Community College

Birmingham, AL

LeMoyne-Owen College

Memphis, TN

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Little Rock, AR

Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Richmond, VA

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park

Atlanta, GA

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Washington, DC

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site

Washington, DC

Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument

Jackson, MS

Miles College

Fairfield, AL

Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

Jackson, MS

Montgomery Square

Montgomery, Alabama

Morehouse College

Atlanta, GA

Morehouse School of Medicine

Atlanta, GA

Mother Bethel AME Church

Philadelphia, PA

National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. (NBC) — Baptist World Center

Nashville, TN

National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

Memphis, TN

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Washington, DC

North Carolina A&T State University

Greensboro, NC

North Carolina Central University

Durham, NC

Obama Presidential Center

Chicago, Illinois

Penn Center

St. Helena Island, SC

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial

Concord, CA

President's Park (White House)

Washington, DC

Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) — National Headquarters

Washington, DC

Prudence Crandall Museum

Canterbury, Connecticut

Pullman National Historical Park

Chicago, IL

Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial

Boston, MA

Selma University

Selma, AL

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

Selma, AL

Shaw University

Raleigh, NC

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, SC

Southern University Law Center

Baton Rouge, LA

Southern University and A&M College

Baton Rouge, LA

Spelman College

Atlanta, GA

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX

The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration

Montgomery, Alabama

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice

Montgomery, Alabama

Tougaloo College

Tougaloo, MS

Virginia Union University

Richmond, VA

Curriculum Lessons

How Do We Know What We Know? An Introduction to the Curriculum's Questions

Unit 1

Women, Power & Leadership

Unit 1

The Congo Free State: When a Conference Gave Away a Country as Personal Property

Unit 2

The Sons of Africa: Black Britons Argue Their Own Case

Unit 3

French Assimilation: A Promise Kept for a Tiny Few

Unit 3

The Political Convention & Public Voice (1820–1840)

Unit 4

The Debate That Shaped a Century: Douglass, Washington, Du Bois & the Question of Black Freedom

Unit 4

Black Reconstruction: The Congressmen, the Legislation, and the Collapse

Unit 4

The Architecture of Community — Churches & Aid Societies (1840–1860)

Unit 4

The General Strike & The End of Slavery (1861–1865)

Unit 4

Serving and Sacrificing: Black Military Service from Reconstruction to World War II

Unit 4.5

Black Women's Leadership & the Civil Rights Movement

Unit 4.5

The Black Church: Institution, Liberation & the HBCU Pipeline

Unit 4.5

Marcus Garvey, the UNIA & the Black Star Line

Unit 4.5

Ida B. Wells: The Science of Lynching & the Architecture of Anti-Black Terror

Unit 4.5

Black Feminist Political Thought: Wells, Hamer, and Baker as Theorists

Unit 4.5

HBCU to Independence: The African Leaders of Lincoln University

Unit 4.5

The Three Pillars: Black Church, HBCUs, and the Divine Nine

Unit 4.5

King's Ghana Trip & Malcolm's OAAU Charter

Unit 5

Pan-Africanism: The Full Ideological Arc — Blyden to the OAU

Unit 5

Third World Marxism & Black Radical Thought: Rodney, Fanon, and C.L.R. James

Unit 5

Muhammad Ali: Resistance, Religion, and Refusal

Unit 5.5

Jackie Robinson and the Integration Bargain

Unit 5.5

The Voting Rights Act, Shelby County, and the Unfinished Franchise

Unit 6

African Americans as Americans: 400 Years of Presence, Contribution, and Cultural Innovation

Unit 6

The Civil Rights Movement: From Brown to Selma (1954–1965)

Unit 6

Malcolm X & the Nation of Islam: Black Nationalism and Self-Defense

Unit 6

Vietnam: Black Service, Black Resistance

Unit 6

The New Jim Crow: The War on Drugs and the Rise of Mass Incarceration

Unit 6

Algeria: The War France Refused to Call a War

Unit 6

The White Normative Gaze and Its Shadows: Respectability, Authenticity, and the Politics of Black Identity

Unit 6

The Wretched of the Earth: Violence, Sartre's Preface, and the Pitfalls Ahead

Unit 6

From Plantation to Algorithm: The Digital Life of Colorism

Unit 6

Beyond the Salon: Présence Africaine and the 1956 Congress

Unit 6.5

Dance as Liberation: Alvin Ailey & Dance Theater of Harlem

Unit 6.5

The Literary Diaspora: Black Pulitzer Prize Winners & the Canon They Built

Unit 6.5

Black Cinema: From Oscar Micheaux to Ava DuVernay

Unit 6.5

South Africa: Apartheid as Formal Law, and the Decades-Long Fight to End It

Unit 7

The Caribbean Connection: Haiti, Jamaica, and the Making of the African Diaspora

Unit 7

Reform or Abolition: The Carceral State and the Movement for Black Lives

Unit 7

Black Political Representation: From Reconstruction to the Senate Floor

Unit 7

Lusotropicalism and Its Limits: Race in Portugal Today

Unit 7

Economic Self-Determination: From Mutual Aid to Black Wall Street

Unit 7

From Civil Rights to Black Lives Matter

Unit 7

Modern Caribbean Immigration: The Post-1965 Diaspora in Motion

Unit 7.5

Modern African Immigration: The Newest Diaspora

Unit 7.5

Forty Acres: The Promise, the Theft, and the Template

Unit 8

The March That Shouldn't Have Been Necessary: 1983

Unit 8

Banlieues, 2005, and the Sans-Papiers: An Unfinished Argument

Unit 8

The Ring as Refuge: Cuban Boxing After Maceo

Unit 8

The Racial Wealth Gap Today: What the Numbers Mean

Unit 8

Mutual Aid and Cooperative Economics: The Tradition That Survived Everything

Unit 8

Ideas That Changed the World: The Black Intellectual Tradition

Unit 10

Art as Memory, Resistance and Imagination

Unit 10

Many Paths, One Community: Religious Diversity in Black America

Unit 10

The Black Church: Faith, Community and Freedom

Unit 10

A Word Before It Was a Book

Unit 10

Justice for a Million Cases: The Gacaca Courts and Their Limits

Unit 10

Between Two Movements: Organizations Bridging Black and Latino America

Unit 11

The Sahel, 2020-2023: A Coup Wave That Rejected the Gambian Model Entirely

Unit 12

From a 'Dictators' Club' to an Institution With Actual Tools

Unit 12

Leaderless, Tribeless, Online: Kenya's Gen Z Uprising

Unit 12

Cultural References

12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen · Film · 2013

13th

Ava DuVernay · Documentary · 2016

1619

Nikole Hannah-Jones · Literature · 2019

A Change Is Gonna Come

Sam Cooke · Music · 1964

A Raisin in the Sun

Lorraine Hansberry · Literature · 1959

American People Series #18: The Flag Is Bleeding

Faith Ringgold · Visual Art · 1967

August Wilson's Century Cycle

August Wilson · Literature · 1982

Becoming

Michelle Obama · Literature · 2018

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates · Literature · 2015

Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee · Film · 1989

Eyes on the Prize

Henry Hampton · Documentary · 1987

Get Out

Jordan Peele · Film · 2017

Gordon Parks: Civil Rights and Black Power

Gordon Parks · Photography · 1967

Hidden Figures

Theodore Melfi · Film · 2016

I Am Not Your Negro

Raoul Peck · Documentary · 2016

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou · Literature · 1969

Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison · Literature · 1952

Just Mercy

Destin Daniel Cretton · Film · 2019

Lift Every Voice and Sing

James Weldon Johnson · Music · 1900

Lovecraft Country

Misha Green / Matt Ruff · Series · 2020

Malcolm X

Spike Lee · Film · 1992

Migrating Birds

Norman Lewis · Visual Art · 1954

Mississippi Burning

Alan Parker · Film · 1988

Native Son

Richard Wright · Literature · 1940

Reconstruction: America After the Civil War

Henry Louis Gates Jr. · Documentary · 2019

Roy DeCarava: Civil Rights and Everyday Life

Roy DeCarava · Photography · 1963

Say It Loud — I'm Black and I'm Proud

James Brown · Music · 1968

Seeing White

Scene on Radio / John Biewen · Podcast · 2017

Selma

Ava DuVernay · Film · 2014

Sharecropper

Elizabeth Catlett · Visual Art · 1946

Slavery by Another Name

Douglas Blackmon / TPT · Documentary · 2012

Strange Days in America

Code Switch / NPR · Podcast · 2016

Strange Fruit

Billie Holiday · Music · 1939

The 1619 Project Podcast

Nikole Hannah-Jones / The New York Times · Podcast · 2019

The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross

Henry Louis Gates Jr. · Documentary · 2013

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Malcolm X & Alex Haley · Literature · 1965

The Fire Next Time

James Baldwin · Literature · 1963

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas · Literature · 2017

The New Jim Crow

Michelle Alexander · Literature · 2010

The Souls of Black Folk

W.E.B. Du Bois · Literature · 1903

The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead · Literature · 2016

The Wiz

Charlie Smalls / William F. Brown · Music · 1975

This Little Light of Mine

Fannie Lou Hamer / Spiritual Tradition · Music · 1963

To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Nina Simone · Music · 1969

To Pimp a Butterfly

Kendrick Lamar · Music · 2015

We Shall Overcome

Pete Seeger / Civil Rights Movement · Music · 1963

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye · Music · 1971

When They See Us

Ava DuVernay · Series · 2019

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