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Category: African American History

Photograph of young, light-skinned Black woman with short dark curly hair and black eyeglasses, standing in front of library book stacks.

Junior Fellow Spotlight: Zoe Harrison

Posted by: Malea Walker

This summer, Junior Fellow Zoe Harrison researched and wrote essays about African American newspaper titles available in the Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers database. In this interview, Harrison shares her research interests and background, her internship experience, and more about the project, “Researching the Black Press in Chronicling America.”

Three mastheads and headlines from the front pages of The Echo, The Daily Bulletin, and the Omaha Guide.

Mary McLeod Bethune: Newspapers and Comic Books

Posted by: Joanna Colclough

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) dedicated her whole life to advocating for civil rights, especially the education of youth. You can find her work making headlines in Chronicling America newspapers, as well as her friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and other high profile people of the day. Even some comic books featured her biography.

Headshot of Courtney smiling.

Junior Fellow Spotlight: Courtney Murray

Posted by: Malea Walker

This summer, Junior Fellow Courtney Murray researched and wrote essays about African American newspaper titles available in the Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers database. In 2021, the Library began to digitize a collection of miscellaneous 19th and early 20th century newspapers from the Black American press. Murray wrote ten well-researched newspaper history essays that represented significant titles from this collection. In this interview, Murray shares her research interests and background, her internship experience, and more about the project.

Front page a newspaper with text, an image of a man's face and shoulders, and visible headline Richmond Planet.

Searching African American Newspapers in Chronicling America

Posted by: Malea Walker

Chronicling America has grown its collection of African American newspapers through the contributions of state partners. Interviews with partners from Arkansas and Virginia highlight three titles that provide details about the early civil rights movement, the end of school segregation, and post-Civil War Reconstruction; and strategies are provided for searching these newspapers in Chronicling America.

A child carrying a bundle of newspapers in one hand, the other arm held high with a copy of the Anchorage Daily Times, the headline reading

Negro Leagues Baseball Trivia

Posted by: Mike Queen

Only recently have the exploits of Negro Leagues players been officially recognized by Major League Baseball (MLB). These players along with their statistics, records, and teams are now considered Major League. A wrong has finally been righted, so let’s get to know some of these greats and have some fun at the same time with a trivia quiz!

Historical Women in STEM

Posted by: Heather Thomas

Throughout history there have been many women who have greatly contributed to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While names like Marie Curie and Florence Nightingale are familiar to most, there are so many ingenious others who may not be as familiar; women who were leaders in their fields, who made major discoveries, and whose work led to critical social and political change. Below is a list of just some of the women who have made significant contributions to the fields of STEM. You can discover their stories through historical newspapers.