Category: African Americans

COVID Recollections: American Folklife Center to Host Symposium on COVID-19 and Cultural Heritage, March 12-13

February 2, 2026

Posted by: Douglas D. Peach

This COVID Recollections entry details an upcoming American Folklife Center symposium and concert, both focused on COVID-19 and cultural heritage, which will take place at the Library of Congress on March 12 and 13, 2026. These events are free and open to the public, but the concert requires pre-registration. The American Folklife Center is organizing these events as part of the COVID-19 American History Project.

Posted in: AFC 50th Anniversary, African Americans, COVID-19 American History Project, COVID-19 pandemic, Cultural Heritage, ethnomusicologists, Fieldwork, Folk Art, Folk Drama, Folk Music, Folklorists, Foodways, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Material Culture, Narratives, Native Americans/indigenous communities, Puerto Rico

MLK’s Philosophy of Non-Violence Considered

January 19, 2026

Posted by: Guha Shankar

This blog post commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday draws on interviews recorded for the Civil Rights History Project collection, accompanied by selected images in the Glen Pearcy collection. The narratives offers viewpoints on the topic of non-violent direct action such as Dr. King's “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” tensions surrounding the formation of SNCC, and the reality of life on the front lines for activists confronted by violent segregationists .

Posted in: African American History, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Dr. Martin Luther King, Freedom Struggle, SCLC, Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March, SNCC, Uncategorized