black history

How Cairo Went From A Booming Steamboat Hub To A Ghost Town On The Mississippi River

Once a bustling hub for the steamboat and railroad industries, the town of Cairo, Illinois now sits abandoned due to economic decline and racial violence.

By Daniel Rennie • May 18, 2024

How Cairo Went From A Booming Steamboat Hub To A Ghost Town On The Mississippi River

Once a bustling hub for the steamboat and railroad industries, the town of Cairo, Illinois now sits abandoned due to economic decline and racial violence.

By Daniel Rennie • May 18, 2024

The Astonishing Story Of Marion Stokes, The Woman Who Spent Over 30 Years Recording Every Minute Of U.S. Television

Beginning in 1979, former librarian Marion Stokes privately recorded broadcasts from multiple televisions at once, 24 hours a day, eventually accumulating a startling 71,000 tapes of television history.

By Austin Harvey • Apr 26, 2024

The Astonishing Story Of Marion Stokes, The Woman Who Spent Over 30 Years Recording Every Minute Of U.S. Television

Beginning in 1979, former librarian Marion Stokes privately recorded broadcasts from multiple televisions at once, 24 hours a day, eventually accumulating a startling 71,000 tapes of television history.

By Austin Harvey • April 26, 2024

Bass Reeves’ Children: Inside The Many Trials Of The Wild West Lawman’s Family

Most of Bass Reeves' children followed quite different paths from their famous father — and some of them even got into serious trouble with the law.

By Kaleena Fraga • Apr 13, 2024

Bass Reeves’ Children: Inside The Many Trials Of The Wild West Lawman’s Family

Most of Bass Reeves' children followed quite different paths from their famous father — and some of them even got into serious trouble with the law.

By Kaleena Fraga • April 13, 2024

The Full Story Of Thomas Hagan And The Assassination Of Malcolm X

A former Nation of Islam member, Thomas Hagan was the only man who admitted to killing Malcolm X in 1965 — but he had several accomplices.

By Erin Kelly • Feb 28, 2024

The Full Story Of Thomas Hagan And The Assassination Of Malcolm X

A former Nation of Islam member, Thomas Hagan was the only man who admitted to killing Malcolm X in 1965 — but he had several accomplices.

By Erin Kelly • February 28, 2024

How 15-Year-Old Latasha Harlins’ Murder Helped Spark The L.A. Riots

On March 16, 1991, Latasha Harlins went to a grocery store to buy a bottle of orange juice — but the store's owner Soon Ja Du assumed she was stealing it and shot her in the back of the head.

By Hannah McKennett • Feb 24, 2024

How 15-Year-Old Latasha Harlins’ Murder Helped Spark The L.A. Riots

On March 16, 1991, Latasha Harlins went to a grocery store to buy a bottle of orange juice — but the store's owner Soon Ja Du assumed she was stealing it and shot her in the back of the head.

By Hannah McKennett • February 24, 2024

The Heartbreaking Death Of Otis Redding, The ‘Crown Prince Of Soul’ Who Perished In A Plane Crash

Just days after recording "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," 26-year-old Otis Redding and four members of his band died when their plane crashed in Wisconsin.

By Cara Johnson • Jan 22, 2024

The Heartbreaking Death Of Otis Redding, The ‘Crown Prince Of Soul’ Who Perished In A Plane Crash

Just days after recording "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," 26-year-old Otis Redding and four members of his band died when their plane crashed in Wisconsin.

By Cara Johnson • January 22, 2024

Meet Bass Reeves, The Trailblazing Black Deputy Who Patrolled The Wild West

From escaping slavery as a young man to arresting 3,000 outlaws as a deputy, the story of Bass Reeves is the stuff of legend.

By Briana Jones • Jan 7, 2024

Meet Bass Reeves, The Trailblazing Black Deputy Who Patrolled The Wild West

From escaping slavery as a young man to arresting 3,000 outlaws as a deputy, the story of Bass Reeves is the stuff of legend.

By Briana Jones • January 7, 2024

How Did James Brown Die? Inside The Mysterious Death Of The ‘Godfather Of Soul’

Though James Brown's cause of death on Christmas Day 2006 was listed as heart failure due to pneumonia, some believe he was actually murdered.

By Marco Margaritoff • Jan 4, 2024

How Did James Brown Die? Inside The Mysterious Death Of The ‘Godfather Of Soul’

Though James Brown's cause of death on Christmas Day 2006 was listed as heart failure due to pneumonia, some believe he was actually murdered.

By Marco Margaritoff • January 4, 2024

How Literacy Tests Were Used To Stop Black Americans From Voting

Presented as a means for assessing whether voters were educated enough to vote, literacy tests and other methods were designed for a single purpose: to stop Black Americans from voting.

By Katie Serena • Dec 22, 2023

How Literacy Tests Were Used To Stop Black Americans From Voting

Presented as a means for assessing whether voters were educated enough to vote, literacy tests and other methods were designed for a single purpose: to stop Black Americans from voting.

By Katie Serena • December 22, 2023

How Racism Turned Chicago’s Cabrini-Green Homes From A Beacon Of Progress To A Run-Down Slum

Cabrini-Green was an example of what a public housing project could be, but became so neglected that it was used as the setting for the horror movie Candyman.

By Morgan Dunn • Nov 12, 2023

How Racism Turned Chicago’s Cabrini-Green Homes From A Beacon Of Progress To A Run-Down Slum

Cabrini-Green was an example of what a public housing project could be, but became so neglected that it was used as the setting for the horror movie Candyman.

By Morgan Dunn • November 12, 2023