Martin Luther King Jr.: Beyond “I Have a Dream”
Resources about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., beyond the traditional narrative.
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Theme: African American
African American
Jan. 13, 2014: CeCe McDonald Released from Prison
CeCe McDonald, a Black trans woman, was imprisoned following an act of white supremacist and transphobic violence in which McDonald defended herself and, in the process, her assailant was killed.
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Oct. 16, 1776: Petition for Religious Freedom
In Virginia, under threat of persecution, Baptists preached and petitioned for freedom of religion to be carved into law.
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Medgar Evers
Profile. By Dernoral Davis.
Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925—June 12, 1963), Civil Rights Movement activist in Mississippi.
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Medgar Evers (July 2, 1925—June 12, 1963), Civil Rights Movement activist in Mississippi.
Jan. 20, 1870: Hiram Rhodes Revels Elected to U.S. Senate During Reconstruction
Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American to be elected to serve in the U.S. Senate.
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Martin Luther King in New York City
Teaching Activity. By Jeanne Theoharis and Jessica Lovaas. 2026. 10 pages.
Reading, discussion questions, and activity about Martin Luther King's activism in New York on labor rights, police brutality, housing, and education. The reading is from a chapter in King of the North: Martin Luther King’s Freedom Struggle Outside of the South.
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Reading, discussion questions, and activity about Martin Luther King's activism in New York on labor rights, police brutality, housing, and education. The reading is from a chapter in King of the North: Martin Luther King’s Freedom Struggle Outside of the South.
Aug. 17, 1774: Freedman Caesar Sarter Rebukes “Revolutionary” Enslavers
Just months after the Boston Tea Party, formerly enslaved African American Caesar Sarter made front-page news in Newburyport, Massachusetts when he wrote a an essay rebuking “revolutionary” enslavers.
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Feb. 11, 1774: Phillis Wheatley Pens Letter on Natural Rights of African Americans
In a letter to a friend, Phillis Wheatley wrote of the idea of natural rights for African Americans, challenging patriot enslavers years before the Declaration of Independence.
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April 21, 1784: Enslaved Continental Army Veteran Sues for Freedom
Enslaved Continental Army veteran Ned Griffin successfully sued for his freedom in North Carolina.
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Aug. 19, 1791: Benjamin Banneker Tells Thomas Jefferson to End His “Narrow Prejudices”
A land surveyor, almanac writer, and correspondent of Thomas Jefferson’s, Benjamin Banneker told Thomas Jefferson to end his “narrow prejudices.”
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Dec. 3, 1955: Clinton Melton Killed
Just four months after the brutal murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in nearby Money, Mississippi, Clinton Melton was shot and killed while working at a gas station in nearby Glendora, Mississippi.
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Jan. 25, 1972: Shirley Chisholm Began Historic Campaign for President
Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, opened her historic campaign for President.
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Jan. 22, 1964: Freedom Day in Hattiesburg
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) voting rights campaign held a Freedom Day in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
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How the Word Is Passed (Adapted for Young Readers)
Book — Non-fiction. By Clint Smith and adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul. 2025. 272 pages.
Takes readers to historical sites across America, exploring the legacy of slavery to help readers make sense of our nation's past and present, and be better stewards of their own future.
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Takes readers to historical sites across America, exploring the legacy of slavery to help readers make sense of our nation's past and present, and be better stewards of their own future.
Aug. 21, 1860: Eliza Winston Wins Freedom via Courts
Enslaved African American Eliza Winston was freed from her Mississippi owner in a Minneapolis court.
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Sept. 9, 1971: Attica Prison Uprising
The Attica Prison Uprising began when prisoners took control of part of the prison in Upstate New York.
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Feb. 3, 1964: New York City School Children Boycott School
More than 450,000 New York City school children boycotted school as part of a protest for quality schools for Black and Latino students.
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Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts
Book — Non-fiction. By Rebecca Hall. Illustrated by Hugo Martinez. 2021.
Rebecca Hall documents the process of her own research — and what she learned — about women who organized to challenge slavery. In graphic novel format.
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Rebecca Hall documents the process of her own research — and what she learned — about women who organized to challenge slavery. In graphic novel format.
I’ll Take You There: Exploring Nashville’s Social Justice Sites
Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Amie Thurber and Learotha Williams. 2021. 300 pages.
An exploration of Nashville's social justice sites and people's history, celebrating the power of counternarratives as a tool to resist injustice.
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An exploration of Nashville's social justice sites and people's history, celebrating the power of counternarratives as a tool to resist injustice.
July 16, 1960: Greenville Eight Stage Read-In at Local Library
In an act of civil disobedience against the whites-only Greenville County Public Library, eight young Black people entered the library, began reading, and were subsequently arrested. They became known as the Greenville Eight, and the library finally desegregated months later after many legal battles.
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Feb. 27, 1960: McKenney Library Sit-in
In attempt to end segregation at the William R. McKenney Central Library in Petersburg, Virginia, a group of African American students held a sit-in.
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March 23, 1940: Pauli Murray Arrested on Bus in Virginia
Pauli Murray and Adelene McBean were arrested on a Greyhound bus near Petersburg, Virginia for refusing to move to the back of the bus and were subsequently arrested and jailed.
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We Refuse Discussion Questions
Questions to accompany Chapter One: Revolution of We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson.
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Aug. 14, 1908: Springfield Massacre
This massacre was committed against African Americans by a mob of about 5,000 white people in Springfield, Illinois.
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August 23, 1968: Forty-Three Black Soldiers Stage Sit-In at Ft. Hood
When the “Fort Hood 43” refused to board a plane to Chicago for riot-control duty against fellow African Americans, their non-violent act became one of the largest demonstrations of dissent in U.S. military history.
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