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James Baldwin photographed by Allan Warren in 1969, seated and in conversation, his gaze direct and unguarded.
Daily Spotlight

The
Fire Next Time

Honoring James Baldwin: the voice that challenged a nation's conscience and redefined the American narrative through the lens of truth.

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Positive Headlines

Celebrating the architects of today's progress and the victories of the spirit.

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Opal Lee standing behind President Biden as he signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in June 2021.
Federal Recognition

Opal Lee: The Grandmother of Juneteenth

At eighty-nine, she started walking. Five years later, at ninety-four, she watched Juneteenth become a federal holiday because of her.
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Arts & Letters

Amanda Gorman: The Hill We Climb

Amanda Gorman read 'The Hill We Climb' at the 2021 inauguration — and, in five minutes, changed what American poetry was allowed to be for.

 Nikole Hannah-Jones photographed in 2017, wearing a blue jacket and looking at the camera.
Journalism & History

Nikole Hannah-Jones and the 1619 Project

Archival Deep Dives

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Portrait of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, seated in formal dress, her expression composed and unyielding.
Journalism & Justice • 14 Min Read

Ida B. Wells and the Anti-Lynching Crusade
A crowded Harlem nightclub in the 1920s, the bandstand glowing with brass instruments under warm stage lighting.
Cultural Movements • 20 Min Read

The Harlem Renaissance: A Decade That Remade American Culture
Featured Archive

Hidden Figures: The Human Computers of NASA

Long before they were icons, they were the 'human computers' — the Black women mathematicians whose calculations made the American space program possible.

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Katherine Johnson at NASA Langley Research Center, photographed at her desk in 1983.

From the Community

The pulse of our collective narrative, told by you.

Angela Davis photographed in 1972, her hair in a natural and her expression composed.
Angela Davis
Philosopher, organizer, abolitionist

"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept."

bell hooks photographed in October 2014, wearing glasses and smiling gently.
bell hooks
Writer and cultural critic

"Love is an action, never simply a feeling."

Fannie Lou Hamer at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, testifying before the Credentials Committee.
Fannie Lou Hamer
Civil rights organizer, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party

"I am sick and tired of being sick and tired."

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