What would MLK do if he were alive today: Six essential reads
Martin Luther King Jr. led one of the most successful, nonviolent resistance movements in American history. Here's a roundup of key coverage from our archive.
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Articles on Civil rights movement
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Lessons in resistance from MLK, the ‘conservative militant’
King led one of the most successful resistance movements in American history. It was related to his Christian faith. He urged his followers to emulate the love that Christ epitomized.
African-American GIs of WWII: Fighting for democracy abroad and at home
When war broke out, black Americans fought in segregated units to serve their country. The breath of freedom they experienced in Europe flamed the fight for equality when they returned home.
Is mass murder becoming a form of protest?
New ways of expressing discontent are constantly emerging. Could mass shootings join what sociologist Charles Tilly has dubbed the 'repertoire of contention'?
Celebrity voices are powerful, but does the First Amendment let them say anything they want?
Americans enjoy a right to free speech, and some public figures really exercise that right. The Constitution might not protect them the way they think it does, though.
Rosa Parks and Rob Williams sparked a revolution against racism – but has the US squandered their legacy?
How far we've really come since two very different individuals took a stand against racism 60 years ago.
Why a fractured nation needs to remember King’s message of love
Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of love was not sentimental. It demanded that individuals tell their oppressors what they were doing was wrong. How can this vision help with community-building today?
The revolt of South Africa’s metropoles: a revolution of rising expectations
Populations revolt when lives are improving but not fast enough to meet their rising expectations.
Dallas and Baton Rouge shooters: A reminder of the troubled history of black veterans in America
The men who killed police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge were black veterans. A historian explains black veterans' long struggle to live with inequality in their military service, and back home.
What troubled US police forces can learn from the civil rights era
The reforms today's police departments desperately need were set out five decades ago.
What Black Lives Matter means beyond policing reform
A historian examines what it means to value black life, then and now.
Why the stakes are so high for the Black Panther
In the entertainment industry, the success or failure of a minority lead can be a referendum on whether or not to use diverse leads for future projects.
How politics played a major role in the signing of Jackie Robinson
Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey liked to take credit for breaking the color barrier. In truth, it was the culmination of a long campaign waged by the left wing press and labor unions.
Who was Rosa Parks, and what did she do in the fight for racial equality?
Rosa Parks was a hero in the fight against segregation ... but she was just one of many.
Here’s how history is shaping the #studentblackout movement
A former activist turned professor says previous student movements may have opened the door for people of color to have greater opportunity but fell short of changing the power structure.
In Go Set a Watchman, the legal debate that racked America’s conscience
The novel's two main characters represent the constitutional conundrum that many Americans grappled with in the pre-civil rights era.
Will the Charleston tragedy serve as an inflection point for race relations?
On July 6, the South Carolina Senate voted to remove the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds. In the past white-on-black violence has led to real change - but under specific conditions.
Foreign students not a threat, but an advantage
The number of international students on American campuses has increased by 55%. Are they taking the place of American students ?
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