Heritage
‘Tell what happened’: Pastor and last surviving eyewitness urges Christians to remember Emmett Till
The brutal murder of Emmett Till became a catalyst for the civil rights movement and has enduring relevance in today’s anti-racist activism.
Civil Rights & Civic Engagement: An Interview with Rep. Jim Clyburn
UrbanFaith sat down with Congressman Jim Clyburn to discuss his faith, his legacy, and his work to strengthen democracy and justice in the United States.
PBS docs depict Frederick Douglass’ and Harriet Tubman’s paths of freedom, faith
‘Religion for both Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass was the foundation in many ways of who they are,’ said co-director Stanley Nelson.
Marcus Garvey’s Dark Mirror
In NPR’s February 17th episode of Throughline, Marcus Garvey takes center stage as an enigmatic, underrated, revolutionary figure on a mad quest to reconnect former American slaves to their motherland via the Black Star Line.
Mary Lou’s Sacred Jazz
Commentary: Mary Lou Williams inspired Duke Ellington and a generation of future jazz legends. But it’s her sacred jazz, and journey of faith, that captivated my spirit.
Why Christians Should Celebrate Black History Month
Jemar Tisby makes a case for the relevance and importance of Black History Month.
How 18th-century Quakers led a boycott of sugar to protest against slavery
Buying items that are fair trade, organic, locally made or cruelty-free are some of the ways in which consumers today seek to align their economic habits with their spiritual and ethical views. For 18th-century Quakers, it led them to abstain from sugar and other goods produced by enslaved people.
Sidney Poitier – Hollywood’s first Black leading man reflected the civil rights movement on screen
Poitier, who died at 94 on Jan. 7, 2022, broke the mold of what a Black actor could be in Hollywood.
Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.
In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., we’ve compiled several of the stories we’ve published over the years about his life and ministry.
How a heritage of black preaching shaped MLK’s voice in calling for justice
A long heritage of black preachers who played an important role for enslaved people shaped Martin Luther King Jr.’s moral and ethical vision.
Remnants of Black church uncovered in Colonial Williamsburg
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — The brick foundation of one of the nation's oldest Black churches has been unearthed at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum in Virginia that continues to reckon with its past storytelling about the country's origins and the role of...
Fisk Jubilee Singers continue to sing spirituals 150 years later
A century and a half ago, nine young men and women embarked on a trip from Fisk University, establishing a tradition of singing spirituals that both funded their Nashville, Tennessee, school and introduced the musical genre to the world.
Frederick Douglass: ‘What Is July 4th to the Negro?’
The legendary abolitionist’s speech ‘The Meaning of July 4th for the Negro’ became his most famous statement on America’s struggle to live up to its own creed. What can we learn from it today?
Remembering the Black Wall Street Massacre
On that Memorial Day weekend, June 1st, 1921, Greenwood, Oklahoma, was brought to an abrupt end. Black wall street was wiped off the map. 300 African Americans murdered, possibly more. Our rural and urban Black communities deserve better. Take our stories and biblical connections and use them to make a difference.
The soundtrack of the Sixties demanded respect, justice and equality
Perhaps in no other time in American history did popular music more clearly reflect the political and cultural moment than the soundtrack of the 1960s – one that exemplified a new and overt social consciousness.
Duke Ellington’s melodies carried his message of social justice
From spirituals about the trials of slavery to the fight for civil rights and the modern rhythms of swing music, Duke Ellington told a story about black life that was both beautiful and complex.
How Black poets and writers gave a voice to ‘Affrilachia’
Three decades after poet Frank X. Walker coined the term ‘Affrilachia,’ the region’s poets and artists continue to create work that probes the world of a people long ignored.
How civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker revived hope after MLK’s death
In a sermon two weeks after MLK’s funeral, civil rights leader, Wyatt Tee Walker, urged young seminarians to be hopeful and take action for making change happen. His sermon has valuable lessons today.
Black sororities have stood at the forefront of Black achievement for more than a century
Members of the nation’s four Black sororities, including Vice President Kamala Harris, commit to lifelong acts of service for their communities.
Fighting school segregation didn’t take place just in the South
In the 1950s, Harlem mother Mae Mallory fought a school system that she saw as ‘just as Jim Crow’ as the one she had attended in the South.
How Black people in the 19th century used photography as a tool for social change
Cameras played a critical role in the quest for social equality for Black Americans in the post-slavery era.
Henry Louis Gates’ new book and TV series distills centuries of Black church history
Gates’ book, “The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song,” will be released Tuesday (Feb. 16), the same day the four-hour documentary will begin a two-day run on PBS stations. Musicians John Legend and Yolanda Adams are featured in the series.
Do you know the history of The Brownies’ Book?
At the turn of the 20th century, with few children’s books featuring Black characters, one young editor implored his peers to ‘Let us make the world know that we are living.’
An Innovative and Interactive Way to Learn Black History
When you first see the Black History 365 curriculum book, it looks like any other textbook. But take a peek inside and that’s where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
The story of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, America’s first black pop star
When Greenfield appeared on the scene, she shattered preexisting beliefs about artistry and race.
How the Ebenezer Baptist Church has been a seat of Black power for generations in Atlanta
The church has played a vital role in America’s civil rights struggle. It was the spiritual home to MLK, to the generations that shaped the vision of the late civil rights leader, and now to Sen. Raphael Warnock.
Meet the theologian who helped MLK see the value of nonviolence
African-American minister, theologian and mystic, Howard Thurman, left a profound influence on Martin Luther King Jr.
W.E.B. Du Bois embraced science to fight racism as editor of NAACP’s magazine
As editor of the magazine for 24 years, Du Bois featured articles about biology, evolution, archaeology in Africa and more to refute the rampant scientific racism of the early 20th century.
Podcast Shorts: How Do People of Faith Address Violence?
The constant drumbeat of negative news stories about violence, from the rioters who stormed the Capitol to the latest neighborhood or school shooting, is all so unnerving. Dr. Melvin E. Banks offers biblically based, two-minute podcast shorts that cover injustice, gang violence, drug dealers, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
New Mississippi flag almost official: Lawmakers move for final ratification
Today, the Mississippi state Senate is expected to pass on to the governor final ratification of a new state flag — sans the divisive Confederate battle emblem that flew for 126 years.
A century ago, James Weldon Johnson became the first Black person to head the NAACP
The influential civil rights group got its start following a wave of brutal white-led violence against Black people in Springfield, Illinois.
One-on-One with Nikole Hannah-Jones on the 1619 Project and more
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist on the reaction to the 1619 Project, racial disparities during the pandemic, and the fight for a true democracy.
Women, Black History, and the Right to Vote
Roslyn M. Brock, Associate Minister at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, and the youngest person elected Chairman of the NAACP National Board, speaks on social justice, Black history, and celebrating the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.
Black Panthers and Black Lives Matter — parallels and progress
Comparing the 1960s and 1970s Black Panther Party and today’s Black Lives Matter movement reveals parallels and progress.
John Lewis traded the typical college experience for activism, arrests and jail cells
Though he had a speech impediment and came from humble beginnings, John Lewis went on to become a giant of the civil rights movement.
Black religious leaders are up front and central in US protests – as they have been for the last 200 years
From the earliest days of the anti-slavery movement, Black religious leaders have infused the fight for civil rights with spirituality.
An Innovative and Interactive Way to Learn Black History
When you first see the Black History 365 history curriculum book, it looks like any other textbook. But take a peek inside and that’s where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Juneteenth: Freedom’s promise is still denied to thousands of blacks unable to make bail
Just as with so many other criminal justice policies, pretrial detention disproportionately affects African-American men and women, destabilizing black families in the process.
Miniseries about Madam C.J. Walker Leaves Out Philanthropic Legacy
America’s first self-made female millionaire and founder of a black hair-care empire supported the NAACP and the Tuskegee Institute, helped preserve Frederick Douglass’ home. She also tried to used her prominence to stop lynching.
America’s always had black inventors, even when excluded from patents
Though U.S. patent law was created with color-blind language to foster innovation, the patent system consistently excluded black inventors born or forced into American slavery from recognition.
Meet the Black snowshoers who walked 621.3 miles across Canada in 1813
The Canadian soldiers who took part in one of the biggest feats of the War of 1812 included Black soldiers of the 104th New Brunswick Regiment of Foot.
Let America be America again
An uncompromising voice for social justice, Langston Hughes is heralded as one of America’s greatest poets. It wasn’t always this way.
60 Years Later, SNCC Offers Important Lessons for Today’s Student Activists
April 15, 2020, marks 60 years since the founding of SNCC, one of the most important organizations to engage in grassroots organizing during the modern civil rights movement, radically transforming youth culture.
How civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker revived hope after MLK’s death
In a sermon two weeks after MLK’s funeral, civil rights leader, Wyatt Tee Walker, urged young seminarians to be hopeful and take action for making change happen. His sermon has valuable lessons today.
7 lessons from NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson’s life and career
NASA scientist Katherine Johnson was instrumental in getting people to the moon. Here are some of the lessons one mathematics professor believes she taught us all.
How one man fought to end whites-only Dem primaries – and why that matters now
South Carolina’s black community has a long history of fighting for democratic rights.
The power of a song in a strange land
Spirituals were created out of the experience of enslaved people in the US. They weren’t songs of anger – but of an abiding belief in the victory of good over evil.
Often-reticent Justice Clarence Thomas speaks about his faith in new documentary
Justice Clarence Thomas, the member of the Supreme Court known for his reticence, speaks for much of a new two-hour documentary about his life called “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words.”
On the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, a look back at what was lost
While segregation was a shameful period in baseball history, the Negro Leagues were a resounding success and an immense source of pride for black America.
How African American folklore saved the cultural memory and history of slaves
All over the world, community stories, customs, and beliefs have been passed down from generation to generation. This folklore is used by elders to teach family and friends about their collective cultural past. And for African Americans, folklore has played a particularly important part in documenting history too.