Abel Meeropol, Billie Holiday and A Song Born in Protest

Learn about teacher and author, Abel Meeropol who penned the haunting song of protest, Strange Fruit, in this segment from Independent Lens.

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African American Daily Conditions

These photos depict typical daily activities of African Americans before the Civil Rights era.

The Atlanta Riot

Learn about the events leading up to the Atlanta Riot of 1906 in this segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

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Charles Hamilton Houston: Laying the Groundwork for Integration

In this video from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, observe how Charles Hamilton Houston laid the groundwork for the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education as he documented separate and unequal conditions for black and white students in the south.

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Charlotte Hawkins Brown

Learn about Charlotte Hawkins Brown, founder of an educational institution for young African Americans, in this video segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

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The Civil Rights Movement in America, 1945-1975

This interactive timeline provides a chronological and geographic view of the events of the Civil Rights era and its aftermath.

A Country Preacher: Rev. De Laine

In this video segment produced for the Levine Museum of the New South, the Reverend Joseph De Laine's son and daughter describe his role in the first public school desegregation lawsuit.

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Getting an Education

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, chronicles the education of leading chemist Percy Julian. Although Julian began his elementary school years in the Deep South under Jim Crow laws, he became one of the few African Americans of his time to earn a Ph.D.

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Harry Briggs, Sr. and Eliza Briggs

In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, Harry and Eliza Briggs describe their experience in the first school desegregation case, Briggs v. Elliott.

Ida B. Wells: A Lifetime of Activism

Learn about Ida B. Wells’ life-long fight for African-American civil rights in this segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

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Julian the Trailblazer

Learn how chemist Percy Julian overcame prejudice and segregation to become one of the leading scientists of the 20th century. This interactive slideshow adapted from NOVA documents milestones in Julian's life and career.

Moving to Oak Park

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, shows the racial violence sparked when the African American chemist Percy Julian and his family moved into an exclusive Chicago suburb in 1950.

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Ned Cobb: Fighting for the Farmer

Learn how Ned Cobb, an African American farmer, became president of the Sharecroppers Union in this segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.

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The Road to Brown

This video segment looks at the history of the NAACP's efforts to convince the Supreme Court that segregated schools were unconstitutional, leading up to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education cases.

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Strange Fruit: A Song Born of Protest

The historical and cultural significance of the legendary anti-lynching song, Strange Fruit, is examined in this video segment from Independent Lens.

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Understanding Character: The Life of Percy Julian

In this lesson designed to enhance literary skills, students learn about the character of chemist Percy Julian through his struggles with racism in his education, work, and community.

Walter White: Reporting the Crime

In this segment from The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, White Walter put his life on the line passing for white to investigate the crime of lynching.

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Why We Fight

This video from the series The Supreme Court explains how World War II changed American ideas about democracy and liberty.

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