1945 Archives

Dec. 5, 1955: Montgomery Bus Boycott Began

The Montgomery Bus Boycott is one of the most powerful examples of organizing and social change in U.S. history.

Newspaper clipping of the Wayland Town Crier for June 1954. Headline reads: “Public Hearing on Hale is Scheduled for June 8; School Committee Makes Charges.”

June 25, 1954: Elementary School Teacher Fired in Red Scare

At the height of the anti-Communist Red Scare, Massachusetts second-grade teacher Anne P. Hale Jr. was removed from her position because of her prior membership in the Communist Party.

Oct. 30, 1956: Texas School District Found Guilty of Discriminating Against Mexican-American Students

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas Corpus Christi found a South Texas school district guilty of discriminating against Mexican-American students in one of the first cases that directly applied the ruling made in Brown v. Board of Education to Mexican-American students.

Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Enduring Message to America

Book — Non-fiction. By Keisha N. Blain. 2021. 200 pages.
A riveting account of the life of Fannie Lou Hamer, highlighting the relevance of her activism on the politics of today.

July 11, 1947: Anguilla Prison Massacre

A camp warden and guards shot dead seven prisoners being held at the Anguilla Prison in Georgia. The Anguilla Prison Massacre Quilt Project tells that story, drawing on records from the NAACP.

June 14, 1943: Supreme Court Finds Compulsory Flag Salutes Unconstitutional

On Flag Day 1943, the Supreme Court invalidated a compulsory flag salute law in public schools and established that students possess some level of First Amendment rights.

We Hereby Refuse: Japanese American Resistance to Wartime Incarceration

Book — Non-fiction. By Frank Abe and Tamiko Nimura; illustrated by Ross Ishikawa. 2021. 160 pages.
This graphic novel tells the story of Japanese American imprisonment during World War II, and the resistance and defiance that existed in these internment camps.

Still Dreaming / Seguimos soñando

Picture book. Written by Claudia Guadalupe Martínez, illustrated by Magdalena Mora, and translated by Luis Humberto Crosthwaite. 2022. 40 pages.
The story of a boy and his family who leave their beloved home to avoid being separated by the government during the Mexican Repatriation.

The Young Crusaders: The Untold Story of the Children and Teenagers Who Galvanized the Civil Rights Movement

Book — Non-fiction. By V. P. Franklin. 2021. 328 pages.
This books tells the story of the hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers who engaged in sit-ins, school strikes, boycotts, marches, and demonstrations in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other national civil rights leaders played little or no part.

Teaching Activity by V. P. Franklin

May 27, 1954: “Black Monday” Speech Incites White Supremacy

Future Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Tom P. Brady delivered a racist speech called “Black Monday” in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, inspiring many white leaders to join the White Citizens’ Council.

The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation

Book — Non-fiction. By Anna Malaika Tubbs. 2021. 288 pages.
This book details the lives of Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little, the mothers of James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X, respectively.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Film. Directed by Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen. Produced by Soledad O’Brien. 2022. 101 minutes.
This documentary sheds light on Rosa Parks' extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to justice.

April 20, 1954: Virginia Interscholastic Association Established

The Virginia Interscholastic Association (VIA) was established to provide African American high school students in Virginia with athletic, artistic, academic, and leadership opportunities unavailable to them in segregated schools.

Our Kind of Historian: The Work and Activism of Lerone Bennett Jr.

Book — Non-fiction. By E. James West. 2022. 328 pages.
This biography examines the life of historian and activist Lerone Bennett Jr. and his influence on African American culture and history.

Anne Braden sitting under poster of Ho Chi Minh

Anne Braden Speaks: Selected Writings and Speeches, 1947-1999

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Ben Wilkins. 2022. 216 pages.
A representative collection of Anne Braden's writings, speeches, and letters, from the relationship between race and capitalism, to the role of the South in U.S. society, to the function of anti-communism.

Being Clem

Book — Fiction. By Lesa Cline-Ransome. 2021. 256 pages.
The final novel in the award-winning Finding Langston trilogy, this novel examines mid-twentieth century America through the eyes of Clem, a young boy whose family is torn apart after his father's untimely death.

Teaching Activity by Lesa Cline-Ransome

book cover showing old photos and torn paper

A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools

Book — Non-fiction. By Michael Hines. 2022. 224 pages.
The story of Madeline Morgan, a teacher and an activist who created curricula that bolstered Black claims for recognition and equal citizenship.

Rosa Parks: Countering the Master Narrative

Teaching Activity. By Jesse Hagopian. 4 pages.
With a short video and readings with competing viewpoints, students will learn about master narratives and counter-narratives and how they apply to Rosa Parks’ life. This activity can be introduced before watching the film or reading the book, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.