African-American History Topics

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Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to African-American History

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  • Voices of Harlem: Voters in Historic Black Neighborhood Discuss Their Votes

    We speak with voters coming out of a polling site on 144th St. and Malcolm X Blvd. in Harlem, New York. [includes rush transcript]
    Nov 05, 2008 | Story

  • Democracy Now! Special: Martin Luther King's Life and Legacy 40 Years After His Assassination

    The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated forty years ago today. He was in Memphis, Tennessee to march with sanitation workers demanding a better wage. We spend the hour on his life and legacy. We hear from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was with King at the Lorraine Motel, where he was killed; Harry Belafonte, who was with Coretta Scott King at the King home in Atlanta on April 4, 1968; Dr. Vincent Harding, a close friend and colleague...
    Apr 04, 2008 | Story

  • David Paterson to Become First African American Gov in NY History, First Blind Gov in US History

    On Monday, New York Lieutenant Governor David Paterson will be sworn in to replace Eliot Spitzer as the state’s chief executive. Paterson will become New York’s first African American governor and the first blind governor in the nation’s history. We speak with Harlem journalist Herb Boyd, who has covered Paterson for years; New York State Senator Liz Krueger, who worked closely with David Paterson during his time in the New York...
    Mar 13, 2008 | Story

  • Former Black Panther Details Brutal Police Torture to Extract Confession in 1971 Murder Case

    Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates are calling for all charges to be dropped against eight former Black Panthers arrested earlier this year for allegedly killing a San Francisco police officer over 35 years ago. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mairead Maguire said the charges against the San Francisco Eight should be dropped, because the case is based in part on statements made under torture. Harold Taylor, one of the co-defendants, gives a detailed...
    Nov 30, 2007 | Story

  • Max Roach 1924-2007: Thousands Pay Tribute to the Legendary Jazz Drummer, Educator, Activist

    Over 2,000 people gathered at Riverside Church in New York on Friday for the funeral of the legendary drummer, educator and activist Max Roach, who died on August 16 at the age of 83. He was credited with helping to revolutionize the sound of modern jazz and for playing a prominent role in the struggle for black liberation at home and in Africa. We speak with two men who have known Roach for decades: Amiri Baraka and Phil Schaap. [includes rush...
    Aug 27, 2007 | Story

  • Murder Charges Against Former Black Panthers Based on Confessions Extracted by Torture

    Police in California, New York and Florida arrested eight former Black Panthers earlier this week on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Charges were thrown out in 1974 after it was revealed police used torture to extract confessions in the case. We speak with two of the defendants’ attorneys. [includes rush transcript]
    Jan 26, 2007 | Story

  • Will You Die With Me? My Life and the Black Panther Party

    Flores Forbes first joined the Black Panther Party when he was 16 years old. He became the youngest member of the Black Panther’s Central Committee and ended up spending nearly five years in prison for an attempted assassination. Flores is now chief strategic officer of the Abyssinian Development Corporation in Harlem. His new memoir is called "Will You Die With Me? My Life and the Black Panther Party." He joins us in our firehouse...
    Nov 22, 2006 | Story

  • Oprah Winfrey, Cicely Tyson, Julian Bond, Dorothy Height & Others Pay Tribute to Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks

    On Monday, thousands of mourners filled the Metropolitian AME church in Washington for a memorial service for the late Rosa Parks, who died last week at the age of 92. Over the past two days, more than 40,000 people filed past her casket in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Monday where her body had lain in honor. She was the first civilian and only second woman or African-American to receive such an honor. Speakers at Monday’s memorial included...
    Nov 01, 2005 | Story

  • African American Residents Tell Story of Survival, Blast Racially-Skewed Government Response

    Democracy Now! producers get reports from African-American survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. We hear from a woman at the convention center and a record store owner from the city’s Algiers neighborhood. [includes rush transcript]
    Sep 06, 2005 | Story

  • "You May Rejoice, I Must Mourn" - Fredrick Douglass' Fourth of July Oration

    On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass delivered one of his most powerful speeches against slavery in Rochester, NY. We hear a dramatic reading by Bernard White of Pacifica Radio station WBAI of Douglass’ historic Fourth of July Oration.
    Jul 02, 2004 | Story