TED Talks
TED: The case for a new Great Migration in the US | Charles M. Blow
Social progress in the United States often seems to take two steps forward and one step back, with hard-fought civil rights wins countered by a seemingly inevitable backlash. In this spirited talk, writer Charles M. Blow makes the case...
Crash Course
School Segregation and Brown v Board: Crash Course Black American History
In 1955, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that public schools should be racially integrated, and overturned the separate but equal doctrine established in Plessy v Ferguson decades before. This was made possible by a concerted legal...
Crash Course
Race Melodrama and Minstrel Shows: Crash Course Theater #30
We’re continuing our discussion of nineteenth-century American theater with a look at some upsetting parts of the US's theatrical past. In the nineteenth century, race and racism contributed to a unique and troubling performance culture,...
Crash Course
Women and the Black Power Movement: Crash Course Black American History #40
Women have been a powerful (and largely underappreciated) force in the movement for Black equality in the United States. The Black Power Movement is no exception to that trend. Today, we'll learn about how women contributed to several...
TED Talks
The Great Migration and the power of a single decision
Sometimes, a single decision can change the course of history. Join journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson as she tells the story of the Great Migration, the outpouring of six million African Americans from the Jim Crow South to cities...
Wonderscape
The Tulsa Race Massacre: The Tragedy of Greenwood
Explore the events leading to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, where tensions between Black residents of Greenwood and white citizens erupted after the arrest of Dick Rowland. Learn how a white mob attacked Greenwood, leading to devastating...
Wonderscape
The End of Jim Crow and the Fight for Civil Rights
Follow the relentless struggle for civil rights in the face of Jim Crow laws, from early desegregation efforts to the historic marches in Selma. Learn about the pivotal events that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting...
Wonderscape
The Devastating Impact of Jim Crow: From Freedmen’s Towns to Black Wall Street
Discover the tragic events that unfolded during the Jim Crow era, from the destruction of thriving Black communities like East St. Louis and Tulsa's Black Wall Street to the widespread violence of the Red Summer. This video highlights...
Wonderscape
The Origins and Impact of Jim Crow Laws
Learn about the origins of Jim Crow laws and how they enforced racial segregation in the United States. This video traces the history from the minstrel character "Jim Crow" to the establishment of laws that restricted the freedoms of...
Wonderscape
The Rise of Ragtime and the Blues
Discover the emergence of ragtime and blues music during and after the Reconstruction Era. Learn how ragtime brought a rhythmic, danceable sound to America, while the blues gave voice to personal stories of struggle and resilience....
Wonderscape
Segregated Beaches and the Fight for Equal Access
Explore the struggles and protests for equal access to public beaches during the Jim Crow era, including the tragic story of Eugene Williams and the Chicago riots of 1919. Learn about wade-ins and the efforts to desegregate beaches,...
Brainwaves Video Anthology
Matthew Delmont - Beaumont to Detroit by Langston Hughes
Matthew Delmont is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College. A Guggenheim Fellow and expert on African American history and the history of civil rights, he is the author of four books: Black...
Curated Video
Susan Clark Holley: Breaking Barriers in Education
Facing racial barriers in 19th-century Iowa, Susan Clark Holley’s legal battle pioneered school desegregation, laying early groundwork for the monumental Brown v. Board of Education case.
Curated Video
Gwendolyn Brooks
The first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the hardship and struggles of ordinary people.
Curated Video
Richard Wright
At a time when Jim Crow laws made racial segregation legal across much of the United States, author Richard Wright gave voice to a struggle – as the first African American author to achieve widespread critical and commercial success.
Curated Video
Alice Walker
As the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Alice Walker helped to bring the Black experience to readers across the globe. A true trailblazer, her work continues to entertain and enlighten.
PBS
Why Are There 12 People on a Jury?
When picturing a jury, you probably imagine 12 people - no more, no less. But did you know there is no hard and fast rule about how many members are required on a jury? Today, Danielle looks at the differences between petit and grand...
PBS
Evolution of Law Enforcement
With ongoing protests across the United States and the globe against law enforcement violence and extrajudicial killings of people in Black, brown, and impoverished communities, the world is contemplating the place of police in our...
PBS
Health Disparities in the Black Community: Past & Present
You're probably aware that the United States healthcare system is letting down many Black Americans. Today, Danielle looks at the historic reasons for distrust of medical establishment in the Black community as well as why these huge...
Curated Video
Why Do We Say "African American"?
Language is constantly changing and ethnonyms are no exception. From "Negro" to "Colored" and "African American" to "Black," the people and cultures of African origin living in the United States have had many names. Today Danielle looks...
PBS
The Racist Origins of U.S. Law
Laws are intended to maintain order and promote justice, but what happens when those laws promote and spread discrimination and bigotry? Today Danielle analyzes the discriminatory history US law, tracing its origins in colonialism and...
Curated Video
Pauli Murray: Breaking Barriers of Race and Gender
As a queer Black lawyer, poet and civil rights activist, Pauli Murray understood how our different identities can overlap to create multiple levels of discrimination. Her groundbreaking work in championing equality for all helped change...
Curated Video
Katherine Johnson: Trailblazing NASA Mathematician
At a time when American space exploration was dominated by men, mathematician Katherine Johnson broke through gender and racial barriers to help change our understanding of the cosmos forever.
Curated Video
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskagee Airmen, otherwise known as the Red Tails, were the first all-Black air squadron in US history. Their immense bravery and skill during the Second World War is still the stuff of legend.