Today in History–April 17–the Library of Congress features pioneering gay rights activist Frank (Franklin E.) Kameny, who led the first organized White House picket for gay rights on this date in 1965 with the Mattachine Society of Washington. Prior to that, in 1961, he was the first person to petition the Supreme Court with a discrimination claim based on sexual…
Today in History–September 04–the Library of Congress features Paul Robeson, who sang at an outdoor concert near Peekskill, New York, to a mixed-race audience of more than 20,000 people on this date in 1949. Violence followed the performance. Learn more about the Peekskill Riots and this artist, activist, and polymath/polyglot by visiting the Today in History section and then clicking the…
Chinese Girl Wants Vote New-York Tribune (New York [N.Y.]) 13 April 1912 | Curator’s note China Past & Present – The Economic History of China by Mabel Ping-Hua Lee The New York Herald (New York, N.Y.) 02 April 1922 Dr. Mabel P. Lee image c 1920-25 Celebrate Women’s History Month with Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and Suffragist…
Dorothea L. Dix (1802-1887) was an actively engaged citizen who tirelessly advocated for help for the less fortunate, particularly the mentally ill. Use the resources below to learn more. Dorothea Lynde Dix portrait Dorothea Lynde Dix to Abraham Lincoln, Monday, June 17, 1861 (transcription) To the Legislature of Massachusetts [protesting against the confinement of insane…
Today in History–November 17–the Library of Congress features reformer Grace Abbott, born on this day in 1878. Abbott gained recognition as an advocate for immigrants while working at the Hull House in Chicago and later fought to restrict child labor as the head of the U.S. Department of Labor Children’s Bureau. Learn more about this tireless…