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W.E.B. Du Bois

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W.E.B. Du Bois

Struggle and Progress

On the abolitionists, Reconstruction, and winning “freedom” from the Right.
by Eric Foner via Jacobin
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on August 17, 2015

Remembering President Wilson's Purge of Black Federal Workers

Woodrow Wilson arrived at the White House determined to eliminate the gains African-Americans made during Reconstruction.
by Josh Marshall via Talking Points Memo on June 26, 2015

There's No National Site Devoted to Reconstruction—Yet

The National Parks Service, which preserves many Civil War sites, is finally looking for a way to mark the struggles that defined its legacy.
by Gregory P. Downs, Kate Masur via The Atlantic
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on April 29, 2015

The Unlikely Paths of Grant and Lee

The two men met at Appomattox. The loser would become a role model, the victor an embarrassment.
by Jamelle Bouie via Slate
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on April 9, 2015
Scene from Birth of a Nation.

“A Public Menace”

How the fight to ban "The Birth of a Nation" shaped the nascent civil rights movement.
by Dorian Lynskey via Slate
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on March 31, 2015

The Problem of Slavery

David Brion Davis’s philosophical history.
by Scott Spillman via The Point
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on July 23, 2014

The Massive Liberal Failure on Race, Part III

The Civil Rights movement ignored one very important, very difficult question. It’s time to answer it.
by Tanner Colby via Slate
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on February 27, 2014
Circus Sideshow, by Georges Seurat, 1887–88.

Unforgettable

W.E.B. Du Bois on the beauty of sorrow songs.
via Lapham’s Quarterly on January 1, 1903
Paul Robeson listens to a speech during the Peace Partisans World Congress in Moscow on April 20, 1949.

Paul Robeson Defended Jewish Anti-Fascists From Stalinism

At a time of rising Stalinist antisemitism, Paul Robeson’s act of solidarity made clear his stand against any form of racism.
by Alexey Markin, Maria Markina, Inge Mandos, Leonid Kharlamov, Ziad Nehme, Kirill Medvedev via Jacobin
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on May 20, 2026
Midcentury Black marchers walk down the street, one carrying a sign memorializing Crispus Attucks.

New Declarations

By invoking the American Revolution, 20th-century anticolonial figures connected their project with the movement for civil rights in the United States.
by Adom Getachew via Dissent on May 18, 2026
Washington DC landmarks lighting up the skyline as fireworks flare in the background.

America’s 250th Is Repeating a Familiar Mistake

The question of how to reckon with America's past of slavery during the celebrations, such as the U.S. semiquincentennial, has a history of controversy.
by John Garrison Marks via TIME on April 7, 2026
Church steeple.

How Christianity Was Used By the Powerful and the Marginalized to Shape Post-Civil War America

On the role of religion in Reconstruction.
by Matthew Avery Sutton via Literary Hub on March 4, 2026
Norman Rockwell painting of Ruby Bridges being escorted to school by U.S. Marshals.

The Trump Administration Can’t Kill Black History Month

We don’t need permission from the government to commemorate a complex past.
by Clint Smith via The Atlantic
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on February 25, 2026
Prisoners at the Attica Correctional Facility give the Black Power salute on September 10, 1971.

The Black Anti-Fascist Tradition Recognized Fascism Didn’t Begin in Europe

Black anti-fascists have long warned about creeping fascism, from slavery to mass incarceration to ICE terror.
by George Yancy, Jeanelle K. Hope via Truthout on February 21, 2026
NAACP protest in support of anti-lynching legislation in 1934 holding signs about lynching.

Philanthropy for Radicals

The Garland Fund was not a typical foundation, but its history shows the potential role philanthropy can play in moments of rising authoritarianism.
by Claire Dunning via Dissent on February 12, 2026
A protestor climbs the flagpole to remove the American flag during an Anti-Vietnam War rally in 1971.

Another Country: Visions of America

The rise of a violent authoritarian state under Trump unveils a deep uncertainty over what America is.
by Adam Shatz via London Review of Books
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on January 26, 2026
Slavery exhibit outside Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, later removed by the National Park Service.

We’ve Never Agreed About George Washington and Slavery

America continues to grapple with the legacy of one of its favorite Founders.
by John Garrison Marks via TIME on January 23, 2026
Albert Einstein collage photo with scientific diagrams.

Albert Einstein’s Brilliant Politics

The physicist fought for the promise of a diverse, meritocratic America. We need his optimism today.
by Joshua Bennett via The Atlantic
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on January 2, 2026
Victor Berger

When the Sewer Socialists Struggled for Racial Equality

A close examination of the writings of Wisconsin's Victor Berger shows that his views on race changed dramatically over time.
by Eric Blanc via Jacobin
This publication restricts nonsubscriber access to some or all of its articles.
on December 29, 2025
Illustration of Rudolph Fisher sitting and typing.

Renaissance Man

Doctor, writer, musician, and orator: Rudolph Fisher was a scientist and an artist whose métier was Harlem.
by Harriet Washington via The American Scholar on December 1, 2025
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