A centralized resource for information about historical and current discrimination of African Americans in the United States, Michigan, and Kalamazoo College
Information on this site has been meticulously sourced from the three most comprehensive and impartial crowdsourced databases on police killings in the US: FatalEncounters.org, the U.S. Police Shootings Database, and KilledbyPolice.net. Data includes extensive original research to further improve the quality and completeness; searches on social media, obituaries, criminal records databases, police reports, and other sources to identify the race of 90 percent of all victims in the database. Site creators believe the data represented is the most comprehensive accounting of people killed by police since 2013.
Born as a Twitter hashtag, Black Lives Matter has evolved into a potent alternative to the political paralysis and isolation that racial justice proponents have faced since the election of Obama. The movement has reinvigorated confrontation politics, giving voice to a popular and righteous rage, establishing a new touchstone of grassroots resistance, and ending the acquiescence that has crippled progressive forces in the age of Obama. The upsurge, centered on the crucial, galvanizing issue of police misconduct, also addresses larger questions of social inequity. With continued momentum, Black Lives Matter may help reverse the counteroffensive against workers and people of color that has defined the long aftermath of the 1960s and 1970s liberation struggles.
Impact of racial inequity in lending and real estate, with graphs and statistics from The Center for Investigative Reporting and the Associated Press. Article, text, and audio by Michigan Radio.
By Ibram X. Kendi, director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Reflects on being a Black male in the United States and how black identity is tied to fear - both fear of Black people and the fear Black people have due to police and other white citizens. "Americans don’t see me, or Ahmaud Arbery, running down the road—they see their fear." Article appeared in the Atlantic, May 12, 2020.
Fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for! Hosted by journalists of color, this podcast tackles the subject of race head-on. It explores how it impacts every part of society - from politics and pop culture to history, sports and everything in between. This podcast makes ALL OF US part of the conversation - because we're all part of the story.
Two decades of school reform initiatives have not changed the fact that American public schools do not guarantee each child an equal education. Journalist Chana Joffe-Walt looked at inequality in education and saw that most reforms focused on whom schools were failing: Black and brown kids. But what about whom the schools are serving? In this five-part series, she turns her attention to what is arguably the most powerful force in our schools: white parents.
Serial unfolds one story - a true story - over the course of a whole season. The show follows the plot and characters wherever they lead, through many surprising twists and turns.
Site that connects the present with the past. Underlying almost every cultural divide and fervent debate on the 2020 election is one basic question: Who is the USA for? Who’s allowed to live here? Who has control over whose body? Who gets to vote? Who gets access to a good public education? Who sets the definition of justice?
#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning improvements in our lives.
Hosted by social justice filmmakers Erika Alexander (Living Single, Get Out) and Whitney Dow (Two Towns of Jasper, Whiteness Project). Erika, a black woman, and Whitney, a white man use their unique storytelling skills and experiences to explore the argument for and against reparations for Black Americans.
Hosted by The Arcus Center is a podcast that connects with social justice leaders around the world to talk about how to organize, how to be in movement, and how to build radical futures now.
The women of Black Lives Matter are carving out space for black women to fight for justice. A growing number of Black Lives Matter activists—including the women behind the original hashtag—have been refocusing attention on how police brutality impacts black women and others on the margins of today’s national conversation about race, such as poor, elderly, gay, and trans people.
Compilation of reading and teaching resources to help families, friends, and colleagues (better) understand and discuss the myriad ways white supremacy, structural racism, and systems of oppression affect our lives.
In the US, devastated by the deaths and injuries of hundreds of people, many of them unarmed, at the hands of police officers, drastic changes are needed in our approach to public safety. Such excessive force by police is particularly disturbing given its disproportionate impact on people of color. The Criminal Law Reform Project envisions and fights for a country where law enforcement treats all communities with dignity, employs restraint on police power, and uses only the degree of force necessary to maintain the community’s safety.
"New Era of Public Safety," a report from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, is about the possibility of healing and transformative reform, and aspires to redefine public safety in such a way that serves every person and every community. The report asserts that real transformation must involve stakeholders working together, bridging deep divides, and committing to the promise of safe, fair, and effective policing.
The American Medical Association (AMA) policy recognizes that physical or verbal violence between law enforcement officers and the public, particularly among Black and Brown communities where these incidents are more prevalent and pervasive, is a critical determinant of health and supports research into the public health consequences of these violent interactions.
From the Center for Policing Equity. Despite the importance of understanding how race intersects with police use of force, little research has used police administrative data to investigate whether or not disparities exist. Because the dominant narrative around race and law enforcement is that crime rates drive police behavior, the Center used data from the National Justice Database — Center for Policing Equity’s project to provide national-level data and analyses on police behavior—to investigate racial disparities in use of force benchmarking against demographics of local arrest rates.
African American published newspapers from the late 19th century through the 21st century. Click "more" to see titles and dates.
Afro-American, Baltimore; Apr 29, 1893 - Feb 06, 1988, some exceptions
Atlanta World; Dec 2, 1931 - Mar 17, 1932
Atlanta Daily World; Mar 18, 1932 - Dec 25, 2003, some exceptions
Cleveland Call and Post, Cleveland; Jan 6, 1934 - May 12, 1962
Call and Post, City edition, Cleveland ; May 19, 1962 - Jul 31, 1982
Call and Post, Cleveland; Aug 7, 1982 - Dec 26, 1991
The Chicago Defender (National edition); Apr 2, 1921 - Dec 23, 1967
The Chicago Defender (Big Weekend Edition); Jul 31, 1909 - Mar 26, 1921
Daily Defender, (Daily Edition), Chicago; Feb 6, 1956 - Nov 7, 1960
Chicago Daily Defender (Daily Edition); Nov 8, 1960 - Feb 15, 1973
Chicago Daily Defender (Big Weekend Edition); Jan 6, 1968 - Feb 17, 1973
Chicago Defender (Daily Edition); Feb 19, 1973 - Dec 31, 1975
Chicago Defender (Big Weekend Edition); Feb 24, 1973 - Dec 27, 1975
New Journal and Guide, Norfolk, VA.; Sep 30, 1916 - Dec 30, 2003, some exceptions
The New York Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.; Nov 29, 1922 - Aug 27, 1938, some exceptions
New York Amsterdam News, City edition, New York, N.Y.; Sep 3, 1938 - Jan 4, 1941
New York Star & Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.; Jan 11, 1941 - Feb 1, 1941
New York Amsterdam Star-News, New York, N.Y.; Feb 8, 1941 - Mar 27, 1943
New York Amsterdam News, City edition, New York, N.Y.; Apr 3, 1943 - Dec 30, 1961
New York Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.; Jan 6, 1962 - Dec 25, 1993
Philadelphia Tribune; Jan 6, 1912 - Dec 30, 2001, some exceptions
Courier, City Edition, Pittsburgh; Aug 19, 1950 - Dec 25, 1954
Pittsburgh Courier, City Edition; Jan 1, 1955 - Oct 29, 1966
New Pittsburgh Courier, City Edition; Nov 5, 1966 - Jun 27, 1981
New Pittsburgh Courier; Jul 4, 1981 - Dec 28, 2002
African American religious life & organizations documented in newspapers and magazines, published 1829 -1922
Archive of periodicals documenting the history of African American religious life and culture between 1829 and 1922. Includes newspapers and magazines, plus reports and annuals from African American religious organizations, churches, and social service agencies.
