Profiles Archives

Black Abolitionists

Profiles. Zinn Education Project. 2014. Brief biographies of 25 Black abolitionists.

Charles Sumner

Profile. Charles Sumner, Civil War and Reconstruction era politician in the United States.

Asian Americans in the People’s History of the United States

Profile. Brief profiles of people and events from Asian American and Pacific Islander people's history.

Berta Cáceres: Environmental Organizer

Profile. Overview and related resources about Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres.

Native American Activism: 1960s to Present

Overview of Native American activism since the late 1960s, including protests at Mt. Rushmore, Alcatraz, Standing Rock, and more.

Italian Americans Who Fought for Justice

Profile. Brief bios of people of Italian heritage who were committed to social justice.

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Profile. Overview of the farm labor organization, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, with artwork by Erin Currier.

People’s History of Fourth of July

A collection of more than a dozen people's history stories from July 4th beyond 1776. The stories include July 4th anniversaries such as when slavery was abolished in New York (1827), Frederick Douglass's speech "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" (1852), the Reconstruction era attack on a Black militia that led to the Hamburg Massacre (1876), protest of segregation at an amusement park in Baltimore (1963), and more.

William Loren Katz: A People’s Historian

Profile. A brief biography based on an interview of historian and author William Loren Katz.

Hartman Turnbow

Profile. Hartman Turnbow (March 20, 1905–August 15, 1988), was Mileston, Miss., farmer and fiery orator known for inspiring people during the Civil Rights Movement.

Moses, Robert “Bob” Parris

Profile. Robert "Parris" Moses (born Jan. 23, 1935) is a voting rights organizer, educator, and founder of the Algebra Project.

Dave Zirin

Profile. People's history of sports author and commentator.

Dorie Ladner

Profile. Dorie Ladner (June 28, 1942-March 11, 2024) was a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) veteran, social worker, and lifelong activist.

Women in Labor History

Profile. Zinn Education Project. Brief bios of two dozen women of note in the labor movement.

Freedom Summer 1964

Profile. Summer initiative to register African American voters in Mississippi.

Hubert Harrison

Profile. By Jeffrey B. Perry.
Overview of the life and work scholar and activist Hubert Harrison.

Fred Ross

Profile. By Gabriel Thompson. 2013.
Introduction to little-known but influential labor organizer Fred Ross (1910-1992), who trained many activists of note including Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez.

Noam Chomsky

Profile. Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is a political activist, professor, linguist, and author.

James Baldwin

Profile. A brief biography of James Baldwin, writer and social critic.

Judy Richardson

Profile. Brief biography of Judy Richardson, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) veteran, author, and filmmaker.

Medgar Evers

Profile. By Dernoral Davis.
Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925—June 12, 1963), Civil Rights Movement activist in Mississippi.

Ronald Takaki

Profile. Ronald Takaki (April 12, 1939 - May 26, 2009) was an academic, historian, ethnographer, author, and activist who is credited with founding ethnic studies.