Why Martin Luther King Jr paid for Julia Roberts’ birth
She’s best known for her larger-than-life appearances on the big screen in titles like Runaway Bride, Pretty Woman, and Erin Brockovich, but long before she was winning Academy Awards, Julia…
This African American Green Beret battled communists and racism in Vietnam
Colonel Paris Davis is one of the first Black officers to earn the coveted Green Beret of U.S. Special Forces. In the 1960s, America underwent the trials of the civil…
8 amazing facts about Harriet Tubman
There are some important things about Harriet Tubman that your teacher forgot to mention while you were in school. Aside from helping her family (and thousands more) escape slavery, she led troops in combat, cured a disease, and was generally way m…
Armistead was Marquis de Lafayette’s slave. He was also his friend – and a spy.
James Armistead was an enslaved African-American man who was born in Virginia. Different historical sources put his birth in either 1748 or 1760. He was owned by William Armistead of…
9 things you didn’t know about MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech
Public speaking is the name of the game for activists and politicians, but few speak with such power that the message of their words echoes for generations. The words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his iconic ‘I Have a Dream’ speech were some o…
Josephine Baker: Roaring ’20s symbol of the jazz age, WWII spy, civil rights activist
Sitting on a bar stool at the bar of Le Jockey, a classy nightclub in Montparnasse on the Left Bank of Paris, was Ernest Hemingway. African American musicians on stage…
The 369th Support Brigade is now officially the Harlem Hellfighters
The Harlem Hellfighters spent more time in combat during WWI than any other American unit. Comprised primarily of African-American soldiers, the 369th Infantry Regiment spent 191 days in frontline trenches…
Children’s books to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Black History Month
Military families are often better positioned to learn the history of our country as they move to new communities with different museums, landmarks, and parks. As parents, we can take…
Everything you need to know about the MLK Memorial, the Mall’s newest monument
Adjacent to the FDR Memorial, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial sits on a four-acre site along the National Mall’s Tidal Basin. It shares a direct site line between the…
Iconic civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis leaves legacy of hope
Congressman John Lewis lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 17, 2020. He was an icon for the civil rights movement but more than that, he was a continuous beacon of hope for peace and social justice.