civil rights movement
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'Billie Holiday Is Probably One of Our First Civil Rights Leaders': Lee Daniels Discusses His Upcoming Biopic at The Root Institute
It’s been nearly 50 years since the debut of Lady Sings the Blues, which was a huge inspiration for writer-director-producer Lee Daniels—so much so, that he is now directing his own biographical drama about the iconic Billie Holiday, The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Through her art—especially her stirring song, “Strange Fruit”—Holiday became pivotal in…
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'We Ran Strong and That Was a Revelation': Remembering Civil Rights Activist and Political Pioneer Emma Sanders
In light of the recent losses of civil rights icons Rep. John Lewis and Rev. C.T. Vivian, America, now in the throes of what is widely recognized as a revived civil rights movement, has had ample cause to reflect on some of the movement’s pioneering personalities and changemakers. And as we celebrate those legacies, there…
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Civil Rights Icon, Prominent Preacher Joseph Lowery Passes Away at 98
His is the epitome of a life well-lived. The Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a veteran civil rights leader and a co-founder of the influential Southern Christian Leadership Conference, died on Friday at 98. His family issued a statement confirming the passing, saying he died peacefully at his Atlanta home Friday night, surrounded by his daughters.…
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Rep. John Lewis to Receive Prestigious Honor at 51st NAACP Image Awards
Congressman John Lewis—not to be mistaken for the late Elijah Cummings—will be honored for his decades of civil rights activism and congressional service at the 51st NAACP Image Awards later this month. According to the NAACP, the 79-year-old icon will receive the prestigious Chairman’s Award in honor of his “lifelong dedication of protecting human rights,…
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Hoodwinked History: How False Civil Rights Narratives Distort Modern Freedom Struggles
Black history is American history. Full stop. But somehow the narratives we’re taught often grossly misrepresent the history of black people in America. After all, a true and full history of the United States would require a reckoning of a not-so-great country, one that’s mired in hate and fear. The history of the civil rights…
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A Long Time Coming: Montgomery Elects Its First Black Mayor, Steven Reed
In more than 200 years, Montgomery, Ala.—the first capital of the Confederacy and the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement—has never had a black mayor. That changed Tuesday night, with voters decisively electing county probate judge Steven Reed to office. Reed secured 67 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff election, beating his opponent, local…
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The Department of Justice Is Still Investigating Emmett Till’s Murder…Kinda
Six decades after a white woman’s murderous lie incited the white supremacist lynching that pushed the civil rights movement into second gear, Department of Justice officials told Congress they were still looking into it. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that the Department of Justice updated Congress on the progress of cold civil rights cases.…