Your browser is not supported. For the best experience, you should upgrade to a modern browser with improved speed and security.
Tag: protest
  • Remembering the forgotten history of the Women's Suffrage Movement's "Night of Terror"

    The Silent Sentinels picketing the White House in 1917 The Silent Sentinels picketing the White House in 1917.

    When we tell our children about the fight for women's suffrage in America, we often tell a sanitized version of the story. We talk about letter-writing campaigns, activist conferences, and stirring speeches — and occasionally, we mention defiant suffragists being hauled to jail. But we often shy away from the darker truths about the sacrifices and suffering many suffragists had to endure in the fight for women's right to vote. Continue reading Continue reading

  • Mamie Nell Ford's picture made headlines around the world and helped spur the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

    When she joined a "swim-in" in St. Augustine, Florida on June 18, 1964, 17-year-old Mamie Nell Ford had little idea that her picture would soon be seen around the world — and help spur the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. On that day, seven civil rights activists, including Ford, jumped into the segregated pool at the Monson Motor Lodge to protest its 'whites-only' policy. As journalists looked on, the motel owner's James Brock responded by dumping acid into the pool in an effort to drive them out. Ford recalls that her immediate reaction was "I couldn't breathe," and a photo of her with an alarmed expression as Brock pours acid nearby appeared in newspapers around the world. When people learn about the incident today, Ford says, "I'm often asked, ‘How could you have so much courage?’ Courage for me is not ‘the absence of fear,’ but what you do in the face of fear.” Continue reading Continue reading

2 items