June is African American Music Month! As usual, there are far too many influential Black musicians to name all of them in a single blog post, but these books will give a good start! Music is how the boys and I got started reading books about diverse Americans in the first place. I found a…
I have learned so much reading these children’s books for Disability Pride Month! I grew up learning about a few famous people with disabilities (like Ray Charles or Stevie Wonder, for my music lovers). But as the mission of showing all children that they belong in the pages of history is one of the pillars…
What is Alcatraz Prison? The Alcatraz prison sits on an island off of San Francisco Bay, abandoned by the government in 1963 because it was too expensive to maintain – all supplies had to be delivered by boat, including fresh water and fuel. Additionally, the salt water caused rapid deterioration of buildings. It was only…
Why do we have Jewish Heritage Month? President George W. Bush proclaimed the month of May to be Jewish Heritage Month on April 20, 2006, after resolutions introduced by Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), passed the House and the Senate, respectively, to honor the contributions of Jewish people to the…
I love to take advantage of any opportunity to learn, and Spring Break is no exception. While my boys and I are on a mission to visit as many National Parks as possible before my oldest turns 18, I make sure each trip has some element of diverse American history. Last year we went to…
Right after the Civil War and the end of legalized enslavement, disgruntled racists were upset that they could not subject African-Americans to forced labor, so they decided to use their power to create new “legal” ways to keep them from advancement. What are Poll Taxes? Amendment 15 was ratified on February 3, 1870, allowing freed…
“No Pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” – Marsha P Johnson Who Was Marsha P. Johnson? Marsha P Johnson was a Black transgender woman, drag queen, and activist. She was assigned male at birth on August 24, 1945, and recognized early on that she was more comfortable wearing clothing traditionally…
Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen? The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of pilots and crew most well known for their contributions during World War II. From 1941-1949, the Tuskegee Experience trained and sent out over one thousand pilots in the country’s first all-Black airmen crew. During World War II, this group of pilots, the 332nd…
Why Do We Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr Day? Martin Luther King, Jr. day is traditionally celebrated on the third Monday of January, to put it close to his birthday of January 15. The official declaration of the day was signed into law by President Reagan in 1986, after activism for the observation started in…
The History of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Military Policy You might be familiar with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy from the 1990s, but have you ever wondered how we got there? In the early 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy, leader of the fear-based anti-communism campaign known as the “Red Scare,” launched the “Lavender Scare.” A…