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Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

Six elder Black women pose on a grassy hillside, each holding an enlarged black-and-white photo of a schoolhouse, protestors with signs, and a class photo.

The Mothers Who Marched for Equality in Hillsboro, Ohio

In May 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schooling was illegal. That didn’t mean that schools changes overnight—or without a fight.

Two protesters hold signs saying "You're on Abenaki land" and "This is Abenaki land."

This Land is Whose Land? Interrogating the Shortcomings of Settler Protest

In order to dismantle this nation’s blind spot for Native struggles, we must examine how ignorance about Indian Country and anti-Nativism are disseminated.

Gray stone etched with the words, I am innocent.

Why This Monument Offers Some Humanity to the Tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials

Now, 330 years after the executions, visitors to this seaside city will find a simple, peaceful memorial next to an aged colonial graveyard

This illustration shows Lady Liberty over the states that had adopted suffrage, in white.

A Glimpse Into New Mexico’s Suffrage Movement

More than one hundred years ago, women across New Mexico mobilized to fight for the right to vote. Today, we highlight this noteworthy activism in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

A beautiful rust colored hill against a blue, cloudy sky.

The Power of “Bears Ears” and Indigenous Place Names

What’s in a name? It’s an important part of our identity, our existence, connecting us to our cultural and social realms.

Suffragists stand holding a banner quoting Susan B. Anthony: "No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her sex."

The Lasting Legacy of Suffragists at the Lorton Women’s Workhouse

Now the Workhouse Arts Center, the facility does not stand in spite of its past, but because of it.

Two civilians look at a poster featuring the face of Martin Luther King Jr., his head depicted beneath the words 'Nonviolence... Our Most Potent Weapon.'

MLK's Unswerving Commitment to Nonviolent Activism

Martin Luther King Jr. and countless individuals laid their bodies and lives on the line in order to make the dream of an equal and just society for all citizens a reality.

Several men and women dressed in all black, standing in formation with a towering stone mountain behind them.

A Catalan Choir Reinterprets Musician Raimon’s Anti-Fascist Lyrics

The Coral Càrmina of Catalonia answers the challenge to arrange a song from the Smithsonian Folkways catalog.

Lisa Marie Thalhammer holds her original LOVE poster with her mural in the background. (Photo by Grant Langford)

This D.C. Muralist Finds Pride and Power in Public Art

Living in Washington, D.C., allows Thalhammer to be close to the political action. It’s important for her to be part of the national conversation. She participates in rallies supporting LGBTQ rights as well as the Women’s March.

인삼주 Insam-ju is a ginseng liquor made by preserving ginseng in alcohol above thirty proof. Korean people often make insam-ju at home and take a shot daily for its health benefits. It is also shared with special guests and is often paired with samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup). (Photo by Grace Dahye Kwon)

How Ginseng Connects Me to the Roots of My Korean American Community

Although I grew up in the Northern Virginia area, with the third largest Korean American population in the United States, I always felt foreign, even in my own neighborhood. Adults butchered my name “Dahye” until I finally changed it to “Grace,” just to get through morning roll call.

Photo courtesy of Alicia D. Williams

How Alicia D. Williams Is Reviving Storytelling for Black Children

Williams wanted a different story for her daughter—and for herself. So, she set out to write it.

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