Black History Month
Notable Black history abounds in Ohio’s past
As we celebrate Black History Month, with Black history under political attack in America’s classrooms, now is probably a good time to take a look back at significant Black history that happened right here in Ohio. In many ways, Ohio’s contribution to Black history began with its very founding. Considered one of the most important […]
Teach Black history — don’t ban it
When Republican President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, he called on Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans.” He also acknowledged that Black Americans had shown “courage and perseverance” when our country had failed to live up to its own ideals. Today, even Ford’s simple words […]
FBI probes bomb threats against HBCUs; campuses reopen after no explosives are found
More than 20 FBI field offices around the nation are investigating a series of bomb threats characterized as “hate crimes” against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and unidentified “houses of worship” but have found no explosives at the sites, the agency announced Wednesday. The statement did not say whether the threatened houses of worship, […]
Public invited to watch Statehouse programs honoring Black History Month
The Ohio Statehouse is helping promote a number of educational programs to honor February as Black History Month. Normally the events are presented at the Statehouse, but this year are being held through virtual means. All the events are free to view. The weekly series began earlier in February with a show detailing the Tuskegee […]
Honoring Black history and fighting for the future of education
On Feb. 1, as Black History Month began in Ohio’s classrooms and virtual classrooms, Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled his proposed budget for the next two years, which continues the education funding policies that systematically underfund public schools that educate Black students and even shift some of that funding away toward unaccountable, for-profit private schools. Black […]
Black history, childhood trauma, coronavirus, and scamming seniors
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching Our Eye: History Thursday. As we come to the end of Black History Month, the Ohio […]
Civil rights in Columbus: The Vanguard League
Most of us have heard the national story of civil rights. But did you know that many cities and towns across Ohio had (and still have) incredibly active local civil rights organizations? The Ohio History Connection holds the papers of one of these local organizations: the Vanguard League. In May 1940, in the home of […]
On the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, a look back at what was lost
During the half century that baseball was divided by a color line, black America created a sporting world of its own. Black teams played on city sandlots and country fields, with the best barnstorming their way across the country and throughout the Caribbean. A century ago, on Feb. 13, 1920, teams from eight cities formally […]