history

“How can I research Ghanaian genealogy online?” —Hillary Osei Letting History Point You in the Right Direction Before you begin your research in Ghana, or anywhere in West Africa, it is useful to have an understanding of the country’s history and how the ruling powers changed over time, since this will give you information that…

You can read this quote by Queen Mother Moore, from her contributions to Brian Lanker’s book I Dream a World (1989), in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read more about Queen Mother Moore here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He…

You can read this quote by Marian Anderson, from her autobiography My Lord, What a Morning (1956), in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the…

You can read this quote by Amy Jacques Garvey, from her essay “Women as Leaders” (1925), in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the…

This image is part of a weekly series that The Root is presenting in conjunction with the Image of the Black in Western Art Archive at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute, part of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Bundled in a heavy overcoat, high-collared jacket and knit cap, an…

You can read this quote by Hattie McDaniel, from her acceptance speech at the 1940 Academy Awards, and other quotes from McDaniel in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research…

Editor’s note:, to whom these “amazing facts” are an homage.  For those who are wondering about the retro title of this black-history series, please take a moment to learn about historian Joel A. Rogers, author of the 1934 book 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro With Complete Proof Amazing Fact About the Negro No. 67: What are the most…

You can read this quote by Benjamin E. Mays, from his eulogy for Martin Luther King Jr. at Morehouse College in 1968, and other quotes from Mays in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read the quote in its full context here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for…

You can read this quote by E. Franklin Frazier, from his book Black Bourgeoisie (1957), in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read how the quote is referenced here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He is also the editor-in-chief of The Root. Follow…

You can read this quote from Claude McKay’s novel, Home to Harlem (1928), and other quotes from McKay, in Bartlett’s Familiar Black Quotations. Read how the quote is referenced here. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and founding director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He…