May 19, 1930: Lorraine Hansberry Born
Lorraine Hansberry was an author and activist who wrote “A Raisin in the Sun.”
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Theme: Women's History
Women’s History
July 10, 1972: Shirley Chisholm at Democratic National Convention
Shirley Chisholm was an historic candidate at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. Chisholm was outspoken on behalf of civil rights legislation, the Equal Rights Amendment, and a minimum family income; she opposed wiretapping, domestic spying, and the Vietnam War.
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July 16, 1854: Elizabeth Jennings Graham
Schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings Graham successfully challenged racist streetcar policies in New York City.
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Sept. 14, 1911: El Primer Congreso Mexicanista Convenes in Laredo
El Primer Congreso Mexicanista (First Mexicanist Congress) met in Laredo, Texas in order to discuss social, labor, educational, and economic issues facing Mexicans and Mexican Americans in the United States.
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Teaching SNCC: The Organization at the Heart of the Civil Rights Revolution
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools. 24 pages.
A series of role plays that explore the history and evolution of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, including freedom rides and voter registration.
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A series of role plays that explore the history and evolution of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, including freedom rides and voter registration.
Oct. 18, 1929: The Persons Case
The Persons Case, a legal milestone in Canada, established the right of women to sit in the Senate of Canada.
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Nov. 14, 1889: Nellie Bly Embarks on Travel Around the World
Pioneering journalist Nellie Bly began a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days.
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Jan. 31, 1938: Emma Tenayuca Leads Pecan Shellers Strike
Tenayuca was known as “La Pasionaria de Texas” for her commitment to justice for Mexican American laborers.
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Before She Was Harriet
Picture book. By Lesa Cline-Ransome and James E. Ransome. 2017. 32 pages.
An illustrated biography of Harriet Tubman written in verse.
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An illustrated biography of Harriet Tubman written in verse.
Dec. 14, 1917: Kate O’Hare Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
U.S. peace activist and suffragist Kate O’Hare was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for a speech denouncing WWI.
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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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Iep Jāltok: Poems from a Marshallese Daughter
Poetry. By Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner. 2017. 90 pages.
Poetry reveals the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, the legacy of American nuclear testing, and the impending threats of climate change.
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Poetry reveals the traumas of colonialism, racism, forced migration, the legacy of American nuclear testing, and the impending threats of climate change.
Climate Change, Gender, and Nuclear Bombs
Article. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools, Spring 2018.
Gender is one of the crucial variables determining how the climate crisis affects us.
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Gender is one of the crucial variables determining how the climate crisis affects us.
An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas
Book — Non-fiction. By Diane Wilson. 2006. 392 pages.
Shrimp-boat captain Diane Wilson takes on corporate greed and political corruption in a true story about environmental activism on the Texas Gulf Coast.
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Shrimp-boat captain Diane Wilson takes on corporate greed and political corruption in a true story about environmental activism on the Texas Gulf Coast.
June 4, 1919: Congress Passes 19th Amendment and Sends to States for Ratification
Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
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Rad American History A-Z: Movements and Moments That Demonstrate the Power of the People
Book — Non-fiction. By Kate Schatz and illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl. Ten Speed Press. 2020. 176 pages.
Paired with dynamic paper-cut art, readers explore several centuries of U.S. politics, culture, art, activism, and liberation.
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Paired with dynamic paper-cut art, readers explore several centuries of U.S. politics, culture, art, activism, and liberation.
How History Got the Rosa Parks Story Wrong
Article. By Jeanne Theoharis. The Washington Post. 2015.
The radical life history of Rosa Parks, before and after the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
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The radical life history of Rosa Parks, before and after the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Biddy Mason Speaks Up
Book — Non-fiction. By Arisa White and Laura Atkins. 2019. 112 pages.
An illustrated children's book tells the story of real-life champion for civil rights Bridget "Biddy" Mason.
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An illustrated children's book tells the story of real-life champion for civil rights Bridget "Biddy" Mason.
She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman
Book — Non-fiction. By Erica Armstrong Dunbar. 2019. 176 pages.
This book blends traditional biography with illustrations, photos, and engaging sidebars that illuminate the life of Harriet Tubman.
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This book blends traditional biography with illustrations, photos, and engaging sidebars that illuminate the life of Harriet Tubman.
A New Lesson on Rosa Parks
Bill Bigelow wrote a lesson about Rosa Parks' long life of activism, inspired by Jeanne Theoharis's stories in the People's Historians Online series.
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Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision
Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ransby. 2024 (Second Edition). 512 pages.
This biography chronicles Baker's long and rich political career as an organizer, an intellectual, and a teacher, from her early experiences in depression-era Harlem to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
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This biography chronicles Baker's long and rich political career as an organizer, an intellectual, and a teacher, from her early experiences in depression-era Harlem to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Eslanda: The Large and Unconventional Life of Mrs. Paul Robeson
Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ransby. 2013. 373 pages.
This biography of cosmopolitan anthropologist Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson explores her influence on her husband's early career, their open marriage, and her life as a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, and an outspoken anti-colonial and antiracist activist.
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This biography of cosmopolitan anthropologist Eslanda Cardozo Goode Robeson explores her influence on her husband's early career, their open marriage, and her life as a prolific journalist, a tireless advocate of women's rights, and an outspoken anti-colonial and antiracist activist.
Tigerbelle: The Wyomia Tyus Story
Book — Non-fiction. By Wyomia Tyus and Elizabeth Terzakis. 2018. 288 pages.
A young adult sports history that chronicles the life of Wyomia Tyus, the daughter of a tenant dairy farmer, who became the first person to win gold medals in the 100-meter sprint in two consecutive Olympic Games.
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A young adult sports history that chronicles the life of Wyomia Tyus, the daughter of a tenant dairy farmer, who became the first person to win gold medals in the 100-meter sprint in two consecutive Olympic Games.
A Black Women’s History of the United States
Book — Non-fiction. By Daina Ramey Berry and Kali Nicole Gross. 2020. 288 pages.
A history that emphasizes the perspectives and stories of African American women to show how they are — and have always been — instrumental in shaping our country.
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A history that emphasizes the perspectives and stories of African American women to show how they are — and have always been — instrumental in shaping our country.