2020

July 28 is Buffalo Soldiers Day. What do you know about these brave men? Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help…

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2020 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction to be Awarded to Colson Whitehead Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced that Colson Whitehead, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels “The Nickel Boys” and “The Underground Railroad,” will receive the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction during the 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept.…

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Library of Congress Announces 2020 Homegrown Concert Series: Homegrown at Home American Folklife Center to Present Music and Dance on Wednesdays Online through September 16th Each concert is pre-recorded at the home of the featured artists and presented on the American Folklife Center Facebook page on the scheduled date at noon Eastern time. During the concert premiere,…

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Pentagon effectively bans Confederate flags on all military property The flags we fly must accord with the military imperatives of good order and discipline, treating all our people with dignity and respect. Defense Secretary Mark Esper By LARA SELIGMAN The Pentagon on Friday unveiled a new policy that effectively bans the display of the Confederate flag…

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Historic Public Affairs Series “Black Journal” Now Available Online at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting Interviews from the 1960s and 1970s Include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Lewis, Angela Davis, and others A collection of episodes from “Black Journal,”the first nationally televised public affairs program produced for, about, and by Black Americans has been released by The…

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How a party spent decades making itself white. By Clare Malone Published Jun. 24, 2020 Editor’s note: This story includes a historical quote that uses a racial slur. Election Day 1981 was ugly in some largely Black and Hispanic districts of Trenton, New Jersey. Ominous signs hung outside several polling places: WARNING THIS AREA IS BEING PATROLLED BY…

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Library of Congress Awarded Kluge Prize for Achievement in the Study of Humanity to Danielle Allen Allen, Director of Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Will Work with the Library to Share Expertise on Justice, Citizenship and Democracy with a Wide Audience “We are proud to honor Danielle Allen, a leading expert on justice,…

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There’s nothing else to say. With the deaths of Rep. John Lewis and the Rev. Cordy Tindell “C.T.” Vivian, the U.S. has lost two civil rights greats who drew upon their faith as they pushed for equality for Black Americans. Vivian, an early adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died July 17 at the age of…

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Today the final Supreme Court decisions of the term were announced. Here are a few highlights of this term’s rulings: The court ruled that nearly half of Oklahoma is an Indian reservation in the eyes of the criminal justice system, preventing state authorities from prosecuting offenses there that involve Native Americans. The court on Thursday cleared…

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