Black History Month
After receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1912, Carter Woodson became known as the “father of Black history,” launching Negro History Week, which later expanded into Black History Month.
What Black History Month means for spiritual and ethical movements
Listen, read, explore, learn
Black Women Oral History Project
The project recorded a cross section of women who had made significant contributions to American society during the first half of the 20th century.
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History still impacts today
What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)?
Derrick Albert Bell Jr., Harvard Law School’s first tenured African American professor of law, is often credited as one of the originators of CRT, a theory that examines why racial inequalities persist even after civil rights legislation is enacted. Graduate School of Education alum Tauheedah Baker-Jones says efforts to ban CRT from the K-12 curriculum demonstrate a misunderstanding of what CRT is and why honest, brave, and respectful discussions about race and racism are important.
Read Tauheedah Baker-Jones’ thoughts on the value—and misconceptions—of CRT
Makers and moments of change
Vaccine research
Immunology expert Kizzmekia Corbett played a key role in developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Teaching
Jarvis Givens discusses how Black educators worked together—often employing covert actions—to lead valuable learning for students in the Jim Crow South.
Politics
In theory, the 19th Amendment granted all women the right to vote. But most Black women—stymied by poll taxes, literacy tests, and other racist measures—didn’t gain suffrage until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Social justice
“Just Mercy” is based on the life of Harvard Law alum Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor and the incarcerated.
Literature
Annette Gordon-Reed’s book “On Juneteenth” explores the complexities of the past and how we reflect on them.
Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Art
The works of artist and visual activist Zanele Muholi—who works in photography, video, and installation—focuses on race, gender, and sexuality.
Space
NASA’s Jeanette J. Epps and Charles F. Bolden Jr. reflect upon the challenges and success of their unique paths in public service and science.
History
John Hope Franklin, a scholar who helped create the field of African American history, was instrumental in documenting America’s long and long-ignored legacy of slavery and racism.
Commemorating our Black history
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