Controversial crusader Marcus Garvey was determined to see African people take pride in and ownership of their race. Find out more about this legendary organizer in this video.

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Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. That same night, Robert F. Kennedy delivered the devastating news of King’s death to a group of African American supporters at a campaign rally. This is audio and video from that event.

Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes stresses racial equality in his introduction of African-American singer Marian Anderson, who performs a concert on April 9, 1939, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Anderson had previously been denied a booking at Washington's Constitution Hall because of her race. In the wake of public outrage, Ickes stepped in and secured Anderson's performance at the memorial.

Jackie Robinson's accomplishments on and off the field opens doors for all African Americans.

Althea Gibson was a trailblazer in the enormously segregated sport of tennis. Find out more about her achievements and influence in this video.

Born a slave, Booker T. Washington became one of the most celebrated educators and orators in the world. Find out more about his life and work in this video.

In 1619, the Dutch introduced the first captured Africans to America, planting the seeds of a slavery system that evolved into a nightmare of abuse and cruelty that would ultimately divide the nation.