Overlooked History
Blanca Canales Led Puerto Rico’s Historic Rebellion for Independence
“We are a people who want to be free,” Canales said.
By Karla Méndez
What the Ghost of Madame Lalaurie Teaches Us About Systemic Racism
A closer look at the story of the Lalaurie mansion reveals a lot about systemic racism and what drives it: power.
By Eugenia Rainey
This Organization Changed Everything for Black Feminists
“I was looking for people like myself who thought and believed and aspired.”
By Houreidja Tall
The 1970s West Virginia Textbook Panic That Turned Violent
Bombs were planted in at least two schools and snipers fired on school bus escorts.
By Zack Budryk
Meet the Jazz Icon Who Was Blacklisted for Fighting Segregation
Hazel Scott was labeled a communist for her advocacy.
By Gennette Cordova
The Incredible Story of the Jewish Prisoners Who Revolted Against the Nazis
Hundreds of prisoners at the Treblinka death camp rose up against their captors.
By Yulia Khabinsky
ACT UP’s Radical Activism Saved Lives During the AIDS Epidemic
The movement stood up to the president, pharmaceutical companies, and the CDC.
By Zeb Larson
Astronaut Sally Ride Was a Queer Trailblazer—But Kept Her Personal Life Secret
Ride blazed a trail for women and queer people in space.
By Emily A. Margolis
This New Orleans Fire Was the 20th Century's Deadliest Attack on Queer People
32 people died in the 1973 fire at the UpStairs Lounge.
By Shahamat Uddin
The Untold Story of the High Schoolers Behind the First Gender Sexuality Alliance
The group was formed by queer students of color at a New York City high school in 1972.
By Catherine Caruso
This Jewish Activist Is the Reason We Use the Word Transgender
Leslie Feinberg helped change the way we talk about trans identity.
By Emma Breitman
The Surprising History Behind National Masturbation Month
It started because of a 1990s political firing.
By Natalie Arroyo Camacho
A 16-Year-Old Girl Made Brown v. Board of Ed Possible
Barbara Rose Johns organized a strike at her segregated school after the death of her best friend.
By Cainan Townsend
Black Women Made the March on Washington Possible
But at the march, men were front and center.
By Autumn Duncan and Cameron Katz
The Union-Busting Roots of the Oscars
Giving filmmakers and actors awards was a ploy to keep them from organizing.
By Sophie Hayssen
The Most-Wanted Black Woman in America Before Angela Davis
Civil rights activist Mae Mallory was framed by the FBI.
By Ashley D. Farmer
The ‘Divine Nine’ Helped Shape Civil Rights History
These all-Black sororities and fraternities played a role in pivotal social movements.
By Eric L. Ewing and Kate Doak-Keszler
Many Students Learn a Racist, Inaccurate History of Reconstruction
But this was a pivotal period in American history.
By Catherine Caruso
This College Is Unlike Any School You’ve Ever Heard Of
At this “self-governing” Vermont campus, students run the show.
By Cara Hoffman
How an Enslaved Woman Became an Icon of Resistance in Canada
Marie Joseph Angelique was accused of setting fire to much of old Montreal.
By Sienna Vittoria Asselin