COLORLINES - History

Assata Shakur and a Brief History of the FBI’s Most Wanted Lists

by Jamilah King on May 8 2013, 8:07AM

What’s the purpose of the FBI’s lists? Basically, publicity and fear mongering.

How the Sierra Club Learned to Love Immigration

by Brentin Mock on May 8 2013, 6:00AM

A racist fringe of the nation’s oldest and largest environmental group lost its battle over immigration. An inside look at the power struggle.

Topics: Environment, History

The Cherokee Nation’s Baby Girl Goes on Trial

by Aura Bogado on April 24 2013, 9:56AM

The Supreme Court’s hearing about the Indian Child Welfare Act last week had everything to do with tribal sovereignty. Here’s why.

Topics: History, Politics

Who Was the Real Jackie Robinson?

by Jamilah King on April 12 2013, 6:00AM

“42,” the Hollywood film about Jackie Robinson’s first year in the racially segregated major leagues, comes out today. Inside the racial politics and legacy of the baseball trailblazer.

Topics: Arts & Culture, History, Jackie Robinson

What Is Alabama’s Problem With the Voting Rights Act?

by Brentin Mock on February 26 2013, 8:46AM

The Supreme Court will hear arguments this week in a case that could deeply gut the historic law. To understand where this is going, it’s crucial to know how we got here.

Topics: Voting Rights 2012, History, Politics, Voting Rights Act

From Selma to the Roberts Court: Reflections on Voting Rights History

by Brentin Mock on February 21 2013, 9:36AM

Diane Nash, Dorie Ladner and others who led and joined the March 1965 demonstrations that created the Voting Rights Act speak with Colorlines about their work then—and now.

Topics: Voting Rights 2012, History, Voting Rights Act

A Black History Month Comic

by Nia King on February 19 2013, 8:30AM

Nia King illustrates her journey through black history month.

Topics: History

10 Things You Should Know About Slavery and Won’t Learn at ‘Django’

by Imara Jones on January 9 2013, 10:02AM

Slavery as revenge fantasy is a far cry from the ugly truth: Slavery as the economic engine that created the inequitable world in which we still live.

Topics: 'Django', Economy, History

Hollywood’s Slavery Films Tell Us More About the Present Than the Past

by Dexter Gabriel on January 9 2013, 9:37AM

“Django Unchained” and “Lincoln” share a long history of Hollywood epics that feed our modern myths and expectations back to us, rather than genuinely explore our history.

Topics: 'Django', Arts & Culture, History

CNN Contributing Producer Probes Lingering Pain of the ‘One Drop’ Rule

by Akiba Solomon on December 7 2012, 9:43AM

CNN’s upcoming “Black in America 5” wades into the deep of black identity and skin color politics. Here, Dr. Yaba Blay, a Ghanain-American scholar whose independent work sparked the special, talks about the nuances of a topic often considered too hot TV.

Topics: Akiba Solomon, History, Media

On Sapelo Island, Another Case Study in How Black Exploitation Fuels Wealth

by Imara Jones on October 1 2012, 9:37AM

From Georgia to Brooklyn to sub-Sahran Africa, inequity and exploitive land deals are making a handful of people rich—again. But on Sapelo Island, we can stop it.

Topics: Economy, History, Sapelo Island

Richard Aoki, the FBI, and the Long (Ongoing) Saga of State Spying

by Jamilah King on August 21 2012, 9:24AM

A damning new report alleges that the late Black Panther Richard Aoki may have worked as an FBI informant. But is state intervention in progressive movements inevitable?

Topics: History, National Security, Richard Aoki

Texas’ Road To Victory in Its Decades Long Fight Against Voting Rights

by Brentin Mock on July 12 2012, 10:14AM

In 1944, a landmark Supreme Court decision over Texas’ Jim Crow laws changed the arc of voting history. This week, the case that’s expected to change things again began its trip to the Roberts court.

Topics: Voting Rights 2012, History, Politics

Texas vs. Voting Rights, 1944 to 2012 [Infographic]

by Hatty Lee on July 12 2012, 10:11AM

The state’s current challenge to the Voting Rights Act isn’t new. For decades, it’s put up the nation’s most aggressive fight against federal authority to protect voters of color.

Topics: Voting Rights 2012, History, Politics

Two Decades Later, Children of the L.A. Riots Share Memories

by Jorge Rivas on April 30 2012, 9:48AM

Watch a series of video portraits of young adults who were 8, 9 and 10-year olds during the LA Riots.

Topics: 1992 L.A. Riots, History

Understanding Hipster Racism: Lester Bangs’ 1979 “White Noise Supremacists”

by Channing Kennedy on April 27 2012, 4:30PM

The late rock critic took his scene, and himself, to task for “racist chic” back in 1979. His message and analysis is sadly relevant today.

Topics: Arts & Culture, History

An Interactive Look at the Heavy Price of American Freedom

by Jamilah King on April 25 2012, 8:55AM

An ambitious new timeline traces the brutal relationship between freedom and confinement in the United States.

Topics: Criminal Justice, History

Trayvon Martin and the Deadly Legacy of Vigilantism

by Jamilah King on March 20 2012, 10:33AM

A historian’s new look at the legacy of lynching, and its enduring relevance today.

Topics: Criminal Justice, History, Trayvon Martin

End Black History Month? Q&A with Filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman

by Channing Kennedy on February 29 2012, 9:39AM

In a new PBS documentary, a young black filmmaker decides Black History Month has outlasted its purpose, and tries to be proven wrong.

Topics: Arts & Culture, History

The Asian American Basketball Leagues That Helped Create Linsanity

by Jamilah King on February 21 2012, 9:57AM

It’s estimated that in Southern California alone, there are 14,000 Japanese Americans who play in regular club tournaments. Some teams have been around for more than 50 years.

Topics: Arts & Culture, History, Jeremy Lin

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