Check out a special episode of History Matters! Take a Stand to Keep a Seat is about examples of young people’s involvement in the civil rights movement, educating and encouraging them to take a stand and fight for what they believe in. Featuring interviews from experts and activists, it looks at a variety of successful movements like the 1958 Dockum Sit-ins and the Morgan Stage College-led protests. Click here to watch!

We are proud to present a set of student documentaries for the National History Day Contest! This June, over 2,600 students and teachers from the United States and beyond attended the annual competition, where students spent months researching their chosen topic’s significance in history and communicating their ideas in creative formats. Click here to see the work done on activism, the arts, social justice, and landmark dates in the civil rights movement!

Phase 2 of the I Fear For My Life campaign is led by Dr. Kideste Yusef, Dir. of the Center of Law and Social Justice at Bethune Cookman University in Daytona Beach, FL. It is a collaboration with the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ) and includes 11 HBCU’s and the National Alliance of Faith and Justice National Pen or Pencil Program. The students a members of NABCJ and took place in training to conduct discussions between law enforcement and communities to explore the fear held by both groups of each other and to come to an understanding of the need to establish relationships between both groups. Watch the films for Phase 1 and 2 here.

In this special program, we honor some of the contributions of African Americans whose stories have gone untold and uncelebrated, with interviews from descendants and advocates of fallen heroes from the Civil War to Vietnam to WWII. Even though they weren’t always recognized as full citizens, people of color have fought and died for this country and the freedoms that this democracy promises. Check out this and other episodes of the 400 Hour here.

This short documentary film is about the Pen or Pencil program in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which is a mentoring program that teaches young people about their history, which in turn empowers them to realize their worth and ultimately reduces violence amongst each other and emphasizes the importance of their education.