Racism

The African Burial Ground National Monument in Manhattan commemorates the earliest and largest known black burial site discovered in the United States. More than 15,000 free and enslaved Africans who lived and worked in colonial New York were buried here between the mid-1630s and 1795.

New Legislation Seeks to Protect the U.S.' Historic Black Cemeteries

Now headed to the House, a bill passed by the Senate paves the way for the creation of the African American Burial Grounds Network

Mills (left) and Buck (right) use painstakingly gathered documents to spread knowledge of local black history.

Meet the 'Detectives' Documenting New Jersey's Overlooked Black History

Beverly Mills and Elaine Buck have spent more than a decade exploring neglected local stories

As of Monday morning, a statue of Confederate commander Robert E. Lee no longer stands in the U.S. Capitol's Crypt.

Statue of Civil Rights Activist Barbara Rose Johns Will Replace U.S. Capitol's Likeness of Robert E. Lee

Johns, whose efforts helped desegregate public schools, is set to represent Virginia in place of the Confederate general

This summer, activists in Richmond transformed a monument to Robert E. Lee (right) into a work of protest art (left).

Virginia Museum Will Lead Efforts to Reimagine Richmond Avenue Once Lined With Confederate Monuments

Governor Ralph Northam's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year earmarks $11 million for the project

Pakistan, home of Deosai National Park, is one of the countries whose leaders signed the pledge to protect 30 percent of land and water.

These Conservation Stories Prove 2020 Was Not All Bad News

From the Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism team, comes a surprising list of successful efforts making a difference

The portal currently features 613,458 entries documenting the people, events and places involved in the transatlantic slave trade.

Who Were America's Enslaved? A New Database Humanizes the Names Behind the Numbers

The public website draws connections between existing datasets to piece together fragmentary narratives

Johns Hopkins, founder of the Baltimore university that bears his name, enslaved at least four unnamed men in 1850. Pictured behind Hopkins is the 1850 "slave schedule" with his name (#33, circled in blue) and the enslaved individuals' ages.

Long Heralded as an Abolitionist, Johns Hopkins Enslaved People, Records Show

The Baltimore university that bears his name announced new research that "shattered" perceptions of the Quaker entrepreneur

Volunteers with the Navajo & Hopi Families Covid-19 Relief Fund distribute food and other essential supplies to isolated communities and farmsteads on Navajo Nation and Hopi lands. As part of the Smithsonian's virtual program 24 Hours in a Time of Change, Shandiin Herrera (Diné)—seated on the left, wearing a Duke University sweatshirt—describes how this grassroots response to the COVID-19 pandemic came together last March and shares her experiences as the fund's volunteer coordinator in Monument Valley, Utah.

Smithsonian Wants Your 2020 Stories

This Friday, December 11, 2020, ten Smithsonian museums and cultural centers offer a moment for reflection and sharing

This year's top titles include One Mighty and Irresistible Tide, You Never Forget Your First, and Caste.

The Ten Best History Books of 2020

Our favorite titles of the year resurrect forgotten histories and help explain how the country got to where it is today

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Why the Smithsonian Is Encouraging Americans to Talk More Openly About Race

In a year marked by calls to reckon with America’s racial past, the Smithsonian is taking a big step toward helping the nation heal

At least 38 people, including 12 stillborn infants, were buried in the Port Tampa cemetery, which disappeared from records following the base's opening in 1941.

Possible 20th-Century Black Cemetery Found Beneath Florida Military Base

Opened in 1941, the MacDill Air Force Base was built over a graveyard where at least 38 people were buried

The Nazis persecuted and murdered Roma people across Europe.

Remnants of Concentration Camp Used to Imprison Roma Found in Czech Republic

All of the 130-plus Roma people interned at the WWII–era site in Liberec were later murdered by the Nazis at death camps

Prominent local businessman July Perry was among the 1920 Ocoee massacre's victims.

The Little-Known Story of America's Deadliest Election Day Massacre

A new exhibition on the 1920 Ocoee massacre examines the Florida city's history of voter suppression and anti-black violence

This month's book picks include A Demon-Haunted Land, South to Freedom and The Light Ages.

The Heiress Who Stole a Vermeer, Witchcraft in Post-WWII Germany and Other New Books to Read

These five November releases may have been lost in the news cycle

Rocky Vaughan designed the new state flag, which features a magnolia blossom—the state flower—encircled by 20 stars representing Mississippi's status as the 20th state to enter the Union and one star representing Indigenous Native Americans.

Mississippi Voters Approve New Design to Replace Confederate-Themed State Flag

The redesigned banner—approved by on Tuesday by 68 percent of voters—features a magnolia bloom and the words "In God We Trust"

Part of the Crow reservation is in Montana's Big Horn County, but the at-large election system meant that the first Crow county commissioner wasn't elected until 1986.

To Make Native Votes Count, Janine Windy Boy Sued the Government

'Windy Boy v. Big Horn County' helped ensure the Crow and Northern Cheyenne were represented, but the long struggle for Native voting rights continues

An illustration from the May 26, 1882 issue of the San Francisco Illustrated Wasp depicts three ghoulish figures called malarium, smallpox and leprosy and one holding a sash that says “Chinatown.”

The Long History of Blaming Immigrants in Times of Sickness

Panelists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History discuss pandemics and scapegoating

President Lyndon B. Johnson shakes hands with Martin Luther King Jr. at the signing of the Civil Rights Act.

The Outsized Role of the President in Race Relations

A new podcast series explores how the presidency has shaped the nation's approach to pursuing racial justice

Eleanor Roosevelt talks to a child at the ceremonies inaugurating the slum clearance in Detroit, Michigan.

Why Eleanor Roosevelt's Example Matters More Than Ever

A new biography shows how decency, determination and generosity of heart can change the world

Parliament's halls are lined with art.

How the U.K. Parliament's Art Collection Is Linked to Slavery

An initial review identified 189 works depicting individuals associated with the slave trade

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