During World War II black sailors were used to load ships with  bombs and some of it's most dangerous weapons (Only black sailors).  On July 17th, 1944, at Port Chicago, an explosion killed 332 people, most of them African Americans.   All of the sailors were asked to go back to work two weeks later.   Fifty of the 258 surviving sailors refused to load more bombs.  They organized and stop working August 9th, 1944.  They were ALL put on trial and found guilty of mutiny.  Through the efforts of of Joseph Small, Thurgood Marshall and El ..read more

The accomplishments of Anna May Wong were recently highlighted by the New York Historical Society.  She was a Chinese-American born in Los Angeles in 1905. She was sent to an all Chinese-American School after she was bullied in a predominantly white public school.  At the age of fourteen she was an extra in a movie called The Red Lantern. After this positive experience she dropped out of school to pursue a career in film.  Her first big break came when she was seventeen.  She played the lead character in the silent film The Toll of the Sea.  Success in the entertainmen ..read more

Read about two Montford Point Marines who leave behind a legacy of courage and excellence.  They were recenlty highlighted by the Marine Times  ..read more

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In 1921 there was a massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  It was the home for a thriving black community dubbed "Black Wall Street." It had hundreds of successful black business owners.  While the community thrived, racial tension mixed with envy and anger.   One false accusation caused an unnecessary massacre.  A 17 year old white girl who shared an elevator with a 19 year old black boy falsely accused him of assault.  Within days, her claim of assault turned into cries of rape.  Within 24 hours, the young black boy was arrested and the 35 square blocks of ..read more

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Read about more Civil Rights advocates that did their part in improving our society.   The article is  entitled Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement was published in AARP Bulletin Feb/2024.  ..read more

Published on Academy of American Poets Shoulders Naomi Shihab give voice to her experience as an Arab-Ameican throught poetry about heritage and peace ..read more

 Susie Baker King Taylor  was a slave, teacher, nurse and author from Georgia during the Civil War.  She is a testament to black strength in the face of overwhelming odds.  As a young child she was taught how to read and write in an underground secret school even though it was illegal.  In 1862 she fled to Union-occupied St. Solomon Island.  When the Union Army discovered she could read, she was charged with the responsibility of educating other escape slaves, making her the first black teacher to work in an operating Freedmen School.  After teaching freedmen ..read more