Roots of racism: 6 essential reads
When were the seeds of racism sown in the US and why is it so hard to root out?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on African Americans
Displaying 1 - 20 of 81 articles
During Vietnam War, music spoke to both sides of a divided nation
Musicians were able to connect with confused, scared and angry Americans – including those who supported the war – in a way actors, broadcasters and writers could not.
Remembering America’s lost buildings
We asked five architecture experts to name one building or structure they wish had been preserved, but couldn't resist the tides of decay, development and discrimination.
The untold stories of women in the 1967 Detroit rebellion and its aftermath
In the film 'Detroit,' the voices of women are largely absent.
Why Detroit exploded in the summer of 1967
Fifty years ago, Jeffrey Horner watched news broadcasts of the riots that erupted just miles from his home. But he was worlds apart from the racial tensions that had been festering for decades.
Why a 2,500-year-old Hebrew poem still matters
Psalm 137 – best known for its opening line, 'By the Rivers of Babylon' – is a 2,500-year-old Hebrew psalm that deals with the Jewish exile -remembered each year on Tisha B'av.
100 years ago African-Americans marched down 5th Avenue to declare that black lives matter
Thousands marched in silence against racial violence after a riot left hundreds of blacks dead and thousands homeless. The demands of black people in 2017 remain the same as they did in 1917.
A philosopher argues why no one has the right to refuse services to LGBT people
There are three very different kinds of liberty. When people talk about religious liberty, what kind of liberty they might mean?
African-American Music Appreciation Month: 5 essential reads
The story of African-American music is a story of eclipsing expectations and subverting norms.
American slavery: Separating fact from myth
On Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the ending of slavery in the US, a historian dispels myths about the 'peculiar institution' of slavery.
In Tupac’s life, the struggles and triumphs of a generation
Tupac's sensitivity, intelligence and creativity confronted the hostile forces that antagonized black youth across the country in the 1970s and 1980s.
Why taking down Confederate memorials is only a first step
Monuments to the Confederacy in New Orleans and many other cities are problematic. But a mere erasure will not address the issues around racism and racial inequality.
Does changing style of hair or dress help black people avoid stigma?
Research on how black people try to avoid racism in their daily lives shows that following white, mainstream standards can have mixed results.
How African-Americans disappeared from the Kentucky Derby
Black jockeys won more than half of the first 25 runnings of the Kentucky Derby. Then they started losing their jobs.
Too pretty to play? Stephen Curry and the light-skinned black athlete
To white Americans, the idea that skin color and toughness go hand-in-hand might seem odd. But in the black community, it's a big deal.
Ella Fitzgerald’s flirtation with reefer songs
Just as Fitzgerald's career was taking off, jazz was under attack for its purported connection to drug culture. If she wanted to become a mainstream superstar, she needed to make a choice.
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.
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.
Can the black press stay relevant?
From the treatment of black World War II veterans to Emmett Till's murder, the black press helped lay the groundwork for the civil rights movement. What role can it play today?
Hidden Figures takes us back to a time when computers were people, women, and black
Hidden Figures is certainly inspirational, but the racial politics of the space programme were hardly so easily settled.
Top contributors
-
Professor of Journalism, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
-
Associate Professor of Communications, Elon University
-
Associate Professor of African and Afro-American Studies, Brandeis University
-
Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies, Department of People and Organisation, The Open University
-
Associate Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies, University of Texas at Austin
-
Adjunct Lecturer of American Studies, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
-
Director of the Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
-
Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
-
Senior Lecturer in Politics, De Montfort University
-
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
-
Professor of Sociology and Program Head, New York University
-
Director, Center for Civic Media, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
-
Professor of French and Postcolonial Studies, University of Stirling
-
Professor of History, Western New England University
-
Instructor, DePaul University
Most read on The Conversation
Why today’s teens aren’t in any hurry to grow up
Does marijuana affect your sleep?
Hurricanes drive immigration to the US
Massive sunspots and huge solar flares mean unexpected space weather for Earth
The ‘internet of things’ is sending us back to the Middle Ages
Have children? Here’s how kids ruin your romantic relationship
Languages don’t all have the same number of terms for colors – scientists have a new theory why
Want to fix America’s health care? First, focus on food
Why Trump’s tirades are losing their potency
