The 250th anniversary of the official founding of our country is in just a couple weeks, and as usual I have a lot to say about it. Like many, I grew up with the idea that our country was the best, the strongest, the smartest. Over time I learned about the dark parts of history…
The Black Panther Party for Self Defense started as an organization to address racially-motivated police violence. They patrolled the streets in groups and carrying loaded weapons to interfere if they witnessed instances of police brutality. The organization quickly grew to include a wide variety of social safety programs, like free school lunches, free health clinics, and voter registration…
In January 2025, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced Senate Resolution 33, calling for Congress to recognize January as Muslim-American Heritage Month. Though it was sent to the Senate Judiciary, as of January 2026, there is no further recorded advancement of the resolution. Why Should We Have Muslim-American Heritage Month? According to the non-profit Justice For…
On September 8, 1954, Ruby Bridges was born, mere months after the Brown vs Board of Education ruling declared segregated schools to be unconstitutional. The Bridges family moved from Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana, when Ruby was a baby. Brown vs Board of Education and the Delay of Integration Following the Brown vs Board of…
What was COINTELPRO? Have you heard of COINTELPRO? The full name is “Counter Intelligence Program,” and was a project under the Federal Bureau of Investigations, or FBI. The project lasted between 1956-1971, when it was discovered after the Citizen’s Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into a Pennsylvania FBI office and stole files. The FBI…
The Dark History of Lake Lanier – Rooted in Racial Violence Did you know that Lake Lanier in Georgia is not a “lake” at all, but a man-made reservoir? And did you know that its history is steeped in racial violence? Racial violence is never a pretty part of history, but it is important history…
What Happened in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911? On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in the building which housed the Triangle Waist Company. The company manufactured “shirt waists” (women’s blouses) on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors. The fire was especially deadly because the owners had locked the doors and stairwells…
Activists of All Ages On March 2, 1955, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was riding the bus home when she was asked to move to the back – and she stayed seated. She was arrested and thrown in jail for violating segregation laws. In October 1955, eighteen-year-old Mary Louise Smith refused to give up her seat. She,…
Who Were the Freedom House Paramedics? Today, we are used to the sight of ambulances roaring past us on the highway, as emergency care is provided in the back by EMTs and paramedics. But before the Freedom House Paramedics team was founded in 1967, emergency hospital transport was provided by police or funeral homes. The…
The mission of The Radical Agenda is to show every child that they belong in the pages of history and they are capable of making a difference in their communities, and what better way than to highlight the lesser-highlighted Civil Rights activists? You are probably familiar with some of the biggest names of the Civil…