Civil Rights and Social Justice

Black history is filled with heroes who have overcome unspeakable obstacles in the fight for racial equality, civil rights, and social justice. Every day, and especially this month, these leaders serve as inspiration for the ongoing struggle in the Black community in the face of police brutality, economic disparities, and other inequities. In this blog post, we use HeinOnline to explore five Black leaders who you may not have heard of, or know much about, to illustrate some of the rich and often untaught history of Black America.

Prior to the Civil War, African Americans weren’t allowed to receive an education. Black children weren’t allowed in schoolhouses. Many Black adults were unable to read, or even spell their own name. The Emancipation Proclamation may have freed the enslaved according to legislation, but truly, African Americans couldn’t achieve equality without education. And that’s where HBCUs, or Historically Black Colleges and Universities, came into play.

Critical race theory is a concept that has been around for decades but became a hot topic of discussion in 2020 after the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African Americans by police officers. Join HeinOnline as we explore what Critical Race Theory is, and its history.

On May 19, 2021, three survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre testified before a House Judiciary Subcommittee. Through their testimony they urged Congress to act and give them and other survivors justice while they were still alive. The Tulsa Race Massacre, also known as the Tulsa Race Riot and the Black Wall Street Massacre, is one of the most devastating incidents of racial violence in American history, but one that, until recently, has largely been hidden from the general popular consciousness. Keep reading to bring the details into the light with HeinOnline.