A Suffragist at the Carter White House: 1917 Meets 1977

Today’s post is written by Daria Labinsky, an archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and a member of NARA’s Women’s Affinity Group. President Carter signed a proclamation in honor of Women’s Equality Day on August 26, 1977, to commemorate the certification date of the 19th Amendment, “guaranteeing that the right of United States citizens … Continue reading A Suffragist at the Carter White House: 1917 Meets 1977

NAACP vs the Washington DC Police Department

Today's post is a reposting of an earlier article written by M Marie Maxwell, an Archives Specialist in the Archives Processing & Holdings Security Branch in Washington, DC. This was originally posted on November 28, 2014. Earlier this month millions of Americans voted. Voting is one of the hallmarks of our democracy, and one method … Continue reading NAACP vs the Washington DC Police Department

Three women working on exhibit cases.

The Freedom Train, 1947-1949

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Early in my career at the National Archives, my branch chief assigned me the task of describing the records of the American Heritage Foundation, part of the National Archives Gift Collection. This sounded boring, and somewhat was … Continue reading The Freedom Train, 1947-1949

The Closed Door of Justice: African American Nurses and the Fight for Naval Service

Today's post is written by Alicia Henneberry, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. Commissioning ceremony in which Phyllis Dailey, second from right, became the first black nurse in the Navy Nursing Corps. March 8, 1945. NAID 520618. In October 1908, twenty nurses reported for duty at the Naval Medical School Hospital … Continue reading The Closed Door of Justice: African American Nurses and the Fight for Naval Service

The War after the War: the American Indian Fight for the Vote after WWII

Today's post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records “We all know Congress granted the Indian citizenship in 1924, but we still have no privilege to vote, we do not understand what kind of citizenship you would call that.” - Pvt. … Continue reading The War after the War: the American Indian Fight for the Vote after WWII

Image of Stedman Elementary School with the caption "An example of later evidence submitted to the court; 1973 site surveys of Denver schools. Stedman, still open today, is located in North Park Hill."

Keyes v. School District Number One, Denver, Colorado: Eliminating the “Root and Branch” of School Segregation

Today’s post is written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver.  The stark, black and white Denver Post photograph one finds online is startling; in it two firemen are sweeping broken glass from a window shattered by a pipe bomb while Wilfred Keyes and his wife, just shadows in the dark of … Continue reading Keyes v. School District Number One, Denver, Colorado: Eliminating the “Root and Branch” of School Segregation

War of Words: Race-Based Propaganda During World War II

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. World War II was not only a war of battleships and bullets.  Words, in the form of overt and covert propaganda and psychological warfare, played an important role.  See the post Airplanes over France for examples … Continue reading War of Words: Race-Based Propaganda During World War II

An image of Harvey Milk and Jimmy Carter shaking hands.

Jimmy Carter and Harvey Milk: On the Campaign Trail and Beyond

Today’s post is written by Daria Labinsky, an Archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum June 25 marks the fortieth anniversary of gay rights activist and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk’s Gay Freedom Day speech, sometimes called the “Hope” speech, in which he called on President Jimmy Carter to speak out against Proposition 6, … Continue reading Jimmy Carter and Harvey Milk: On the Campaign Trail and Beyond

U.S. Domestic Discrimination as a Problem in the United Nations, 1949

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The effect of race discrimination on U.S. international relations during the years after World War II was a critical issue for U.S. foreign policy and remains so to this day. After World War II, … Continue reading U.S. Domestic Discrimination as a Problem in the United Nations, 1949

1953 anti-desegration letter

A Record of Protest

Today’s post is written by M Marie Maxwell, an archives specialist who works at Archives I.   Recently, as a citizen, I attended a local community meeting regarding a contentious proposal, hosted by a city government department. Besides the subject being contentious, attendees against the proposal and the city representatives did not agree on how to voice … Continue reading A Record of Protest