Breaking News! History in the Making

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 01: Donna Hylton attends the celebration of Harry Belafonte’s 95th Birthday with Social Justice Benefit at The Town Hall on March 01, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Activist Donna Hylton fights for criminal justice reform after 27 years in prison

Donna Hylton, who experienced unimaginable childhood trauma, discusses the path that led her to found the organization, A Little Piece of Light.

Ludacris performs at a private residence in Beverly Hills, Calif., last November. Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images file

Ludacris’s latest project celebrates the joy and complexities of Black girlhood

14 years in the making, Karma’s World is rapper Ludacris’s passion project to fill a representation void he discovered as a father to daughters. Reception to the animated show about Karma, a girl who aspires to be a musician, has been positive.

Harriet-Tubman-at-40-yo

Secrets of Harriet Tubman’s life are being revealed 100 years later

More than a century after her death, historians are still unraveling the secrets of her life. This month the nation celebrates Harriet Tubman’s bicentennial and the fifth anniversary of the two national parks named after her. From film screenings and historical lectures to art exhibits and monument installations, here’s how you can uncover the mystery that shrouds Tubman’s life and honor the legacy of a woman who inspired generations.

Activist Michael Harris demonstrates outside of the Glynn County Courthouse on November 23, 2021, during jury deliberations in the trial of the killers of Ahmaud Arbery. Greg McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan were found guilty. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

What’s Behind the Wave of Convictions for Police and Vigilantes? It’s More Than Woke Jurors.

Thanks in part to the Black Lives Matter movement, trials are seeing different outcomes as prosecutors tackle the impact of racism in crime.

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the first woman to lead the the World Health Organization’s regional Africa office, poses in her office in Brazzaville, Congo, Tuesday Feb. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

WHO Africa’s 1st woman leader helps continent fight COVID

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has overcome discrimination in apartheid South Africa to become one of the world’s top health administrators, and aids the fight against the COVID pandemic.

Collage of photos from The Black Male Archive

Unique Historical Database, The Black Male Archives, Chronicles the Success of Black Men

Launched in October 2021, The Black Male Archives exhibits photography to increase the positive representation of black men in the media and provides resources to an at-risk community.

A woman is tested for COVID-19 at a testing site on July 22, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

As COVID Precautions Drop, Black Americans Remain More Affected — and More Concerned

Surveys show that Black people have more lingering concerns about COVID-19 than white people, despite more relaxed guidelines for prevention.

Mablean Ephriam attends the 45th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on April 29, 2018 in Pasadena, California.
(Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

Judge Mablean reflects on her 20-year career for Women’s History Month

The Emmy-nominated television show host, Judge Mablean, talks about her career, Tyler Perry, the new Supreme Court nominee and her legacy.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event to celebrate Black History Month in the East Room of the White House, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Harris to mark ‘Bloody Sunday’ anniversary in Selma

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Alabama on Sunday as the nation marks a defining moment in the fight for the right to vote, a trip that comes as congressional efforts to restore the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act have faltered.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Questioning a Black woman’s credentials is par for the course in this country

In response to President Biden’s announcement of Supreme Court Justice pick Ketanji Brown Jackson, conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson demanded to see the judge’s LSAT score. Black people are all too familiar with having to prove themselves to those who are less qualified.

Sherrell Dorsey, tech founder and author of Upper Hand: The Future of Work for the Rest of Us (MECCA GAMBLE PHOTOGRAPHY)

Black women are creating a pipeline of diversity in the tech sector

Latoya Elder and Sherrell Dorsey weren’t happy with how few women have careers in tech, and each decided to offer her expertise to help others

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which was introduced by Rep. Bobby Rush in 2019, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday. Three Republican voted against it. (Photo: Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)

House passes anti-lynching bill after more than 200 failed attempts

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act passed in a 422-3 vote Monday, after more than 200 failed attempts since 1900.

Brandon Harris, left, and Sura Sohna on the day Sohna was released from prison. (Courtesy Brandon Harris)

A childhood bond inspired a college student to help free his friend from prison

Brandon Harris couldn’t let his childhood friend Sura Sohna sit in jail, so he dedicated a college project to Sohna’s case. With Harris’ help, Sohna received an early release.

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza after signing an executive order in 2020 to explore reparations for Black and Indigenous people. (The Providence Journal/ Kris Craig)

Providence mayor forms city reparations commission

Following a precedent set by cities such as Chicago, Providence, Rhode Island works toward a practical reparations plan in recognition of the past abuses Black and Indigenous people faced.

Black vacationers pose for the camera. (Getty Images)

Restoring Idlewild, a historic vacation spot for Black people — 110 years later

A relaxing vacation has often been out of reach for Black Americans. That’s why Idlewild, sometimes known as Black Eden, was such a paradise in the early 1900s.

Gillian White, Lauren Williams and Akoto Ofori-Atta. (Jared Soares)

How a new newsroom plans to inform and empower Black Americans

Talented journalists Lauren Williams and Akoto Ofori-Atta left their day jobs to launch their own news outlet, Capital B. The newsroom is dedicated to integrity of reporting and empowerment of readers.

Sybrina Fulton announced that she was running for the District 1 seat of the Miami-Dade County commissioners on May 20, 2019 in Miami Gardens, FL. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images file)

Trayvon Martin’s mother: ‘Don’t give up’ fight for justice

10 years after Trayon Martin’s unnecessary and tragic death, his mother encourages activists to continue the fight for Black lives.

If confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson would be the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. (Kevin Lamarque via Reuters)

Joe Biden Picks Ketanji Brown Jackson For The Supreme Court

President Joe Biden announced Friday that he is nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, handing progressives a win and moving forward with his promise to put the first Black woman onto the nation’s highest court.

ribbon cutting

America’s Black Holocaust Museum’s Grand Reopening Was a Celebration

Despite piles of snow, over 800 people attended the joyous ribbon-cutting, program, and free visits to celebrate the Grand Re-emergence of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, shuttered since summer 2008. Founded by a 74-year-old lynching survivor and scholar-activist, Dr. James Cameron, ABHM shares the 400+ year experiences of the descendants of Africa in America from captivity to today.

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / NYPL

The Afro Latino who redefined how Black history is remembered

Despite some attempting to erase Black history, Arturo Schomburg fought to preserve it so others could know their ancestry.

Eliana Rodgers for NBC News

Many African American last names hold weight of Black history

Black Americans know names hold power, which is why many took care choosing new names after they were free from enslavement. Many of their descendants still bear those names.