The Historical Legacy of Watch Night
: Watch Night or “Freedom's Eve,” marks when African Americans across the country watched and waited for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect. Today, Watch Night service encourages reflection on the history of slavery and the previous year.Read More
The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa
There are Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba, that help us to continue building and maintaining unified and empowered communities.Read More
HBCUs Foster Scholarship, Culture and Community
HBCU campuses have always been places that foster the development and achievement of African Americans. The historic election of U.S. Vice President–elect Kamala Harris also has generated significant attention. Read More
The Power of Poetry: Post-1970s to Contemporary Performance Poetry
Poetry after the 1970s challenged the tendency of the preceding Black Arts Movement to view African Americans as a monolithic group—as a collective of people with the same values, goals, and cultural expressions. Read More
Marching on the Mall
In hindsight, the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom has taken on mythic proportions. Its importance as a turning point in the civil rights movement, a moment when the American public came to see race relations as a national, not a...Read More
The Stage Belonged to Her
If sheer talent were a measure of fame, Valaida Snow would be one of the most renowned performers of the 20th century. Her story epitomizes the history of countless gifted but underappreciated African American artists, performers, and musicians...Read More