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Make History. Create Change.

The largest `student-built`
archive of America's civil rights history.

High schoolers across the country are researching the landmarks, churches, courthouses, and streets where civil rights history was made — and recording the story of each one in their own words.

Explore the archive →▶ Listen to the voices

Logan Dorton

Founder & Director·Senior, Landon School·Bethesda, MD

The idea

“Most states didn't have anything like this. So I decided to take the idea national.”

In 2020, my sisters started a civil rights tour app based in DC, and watching it come together showed me how powerful local history can be when it's made accessible. But I realized something — even in a city with as much history as Washington, DC, a lot of students didn't know the civil rights history in our own area.

So much important history is out there that people never learn, simply because no one has collected it or shared it in a way students can connect with. I founded Civil Rights History America to bring high schoolers across the country together to research the civil rights events, movements, and stories of their own cities and states — and build a fully student-run civil rights archive across America.

Become a state chapter president →▶ Hear Logan's message

50 states + DC

A story from every corner of the country.

Each chapter documents the civil rights history of its own state.

Alaska

alaska

Alabama

Montgomery chapter — 8 stories

alabama

Arkansas

Little Rock chapter — 5 stories

arkansas

Arizona

arizona

California

LA + SF chapters — 15 stories

california

Colorado

colorado

Connecticut

connecticut

District of Columbia

Howard University chapter — 10 stories

district-of-columbia

Delaware

delaware

Florida

florida

Georgia

Atlanta chapter — 11 stories

georgia

Hawaii

hawaii

Iowa

iowa

Idaho

idaho

Illinois

Chicago chapter — 9 stories

illinois

Indiana

indiana

Kansas

kansas

Kentucky

kentucky

Louisiana

New Orleans chapter — 6 stories

louisiana

Massachusetts

Boston chapter — 6 stories

massachusetts

Maryland

maryland

Maine

maine

Michigan

michigan

Minnesota

minnesota

Missouri

missouri

Mississippi

mississippi

Montana

montana

North Carolina

north-carolina

North Dakota

north-dakota

Nebraska

nebraska

New Hampshire

new-hampshire

New Jersey

new-jersey

New Mexico

new-mexico

Nevada

nevada

New York

NYC chapter — 12 stories

new-york

Ohio

ohio

Oklahoma

oklahoma

Oregon

oregon

Pennsylvania

pennsylvania

Rhode Island

rhode-island

South Carolina

south-carolina

South Dakota

south-dakota

Tennessee

Memphis chapter — 7 stories

tennessee

Texas

texas

Utah

utah

Virginia

virginia

Vermont

vermont

Washington

Seattle chapter — 8 stories

washington

Wisconsin

wisconsin

West Virginia

west-virginia

Wyoming

Laramie chapter — 3 stories

wyoming

Story published

Stonewall National Monument

Shema A.

New York, NY

The Stonewall National Monument is an encapsulated memory of the uprising on June 18, 1969, where both gay and lesbian people got tired and angry of the often discriminatory police raids.

LGBTQ+ rights

stonewall-national-monument

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/462d5df0t9fkvh42ouu43/Stonewall.m4a?rlkey=bhx4j72m8qaxwiiqvv8f8nucm&st=y9dndywu&dl=0

The 1975 Menominee Warrior Society Occupation of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate

Shan

Gresham, Wisconsin

The 1975 Menominee Warrior Society Occupation of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate (Gresham, Wisconsin)

Native American Rights

the-1975-menominee-warrior-society-occupation-of-the-alexian-brothers-novitiate

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/pq8kf5yhrrwort1jt79e3/menominee-warrior-society-occupation.mp3?rlkey=2exq4llxxtxdqqwwq3x2233tx&st=cvy4t3y9&dl=0

Hawks Nest Workers Memorial and Grave Site (Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster)

Shan

Mount Lookout, West Virginia

This small hillside cemetery holds the graves of Black migrant workers who died building the Hawks Nest Tunnel in 1930–31, in what one landmark study titled "America's Worst Industrial Disaster." A monument dedicated in 2012 finally marked the spot after the graves went unmarked for decades.

Workers' Rights

hawks-nest-workers-memorial-and-grave-site

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/konhnt39wc0ie8y8a2rii/hawks-nest-workers-memorial.mp3?rlkey=u8yodswrwdhxwwyyzkdpfkqga&st=hrn06ml1&dl=0

The "Tacoma Method" — the 1885 Expulsion of Tacoma's Chinese Community (Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park)

Shan

Tacoma, Washington

In 1885, a mob led by Tacoma's own mayor forced the city's entire Chinese community out of town in an event so infamous it became known as the "Tacoma Method." Today the waterfront Chinese Reconciliation Park sits near the site to remember what happened and to apologize for it.

Immigrant Rights

the-tacoma-method-1885-expulsion-of-tacomas-chinese-community

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/lm3ov2oo0qvjiei32crc2/tacoma-method-chinese-reconciliation-park.mp3?rlkey=oqsy0uza8xkz00wp7qsva2ikq&st=8sdthx7p&dl=0

Vermont Equality for Same-Sex Couples Marker at the Vermont State House

Shan

Montpelier, Vermont

This is where Vermont became the first U.S. state to give same-sex couples legal recognition, first through civil unions in 2000 and then marriage in 2009. A green-and-gold state historic marker on the State House lawn tells the story.

LGBTQ+ Rights

vermont-equality-for-same-sex-couples-marker-at-the-vermont-state-house

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/jeevglen0mewqrknj2hjp/vermont-equality-same-sex-couples.mp3?rlkey=i4y3rs4d8tuu02ej6tgt5e0m5&st=gv4gfex8&dl=0

The Grave of Robert Marshall — Marker for the Last Documented Lynching in the American West (Price City Cemetery, Utah)

Shan

Price, Utah

Robert Marshall, a Black coal miner, was lynched by a mob near Price, Utah, in 1925 in what is often called the last lynching in the American West. His grave sat unmarked for over 70 years until a headstone was finally placed at the Price City Cemetery in 1998.

Racial Violence & Lynching

the-grave-of-robert-marshall-marker-for-the-last-documented-lynching-in-the-american-west

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/3px74acp872i2rla9uofq/robert-marshall-last-western-lynching.mp3?rlkey=175vgwpsj9u59s6q51fxf9v06&st=02cw9toj&dl=0

Highlander Folk School (Highlander Folk School Library Building)

Shan

Monteagle, Tennessee

The Highlander Folk School near Monteagle, Tennessee, trained many of the people who led the civil rights movement, including Rosa Parks. The restored library building at 120 Old Highlander Lane is one of the few original structures still standing.

Civil rights Education & Organizing

highlander-folk-school-highlander-folk-school-library-building

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/jo75qfqw0zs9sxvnzwf5i/highlander-folk-school-civil-rights.mp3?rlkey=gzdfhmclljkfd5oo7nx3wbeag&st=4n4qli1c&dl=0

Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973 (Wounded Knee National Historic Landmark)

Shan

Wounded Knee, South Dakota

This is the place where, in 1973, American Indian Movement activists and Oglala Lakota traditionalists took over the tiny town of Wounded Knee for 71 days to protest the treatment of Native Americans. It sits on the same ground as the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, where an estimated 150 to 300 Lakota people were killed.

Indigenous Rights

wounded-knee-occupation-of-1973

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/qpwis2bijgjhqwfhwtxmw/wounded-knee-occupation-1973.mp3?rlkey=6hyambnfe5h4jqrr7dw4h8qvr&st=0o4159te&dl=0

The Orangeburg Massacre — South Carolina State University (South Carolina State College Historic District)

Shan

Orangeburg, South Carolina

On February 8, 1968, state police shot into a crowd of unarmed Black student protesters at South Carolina State College, killing three young men and wounding 28. It was the first deadly campus shooting of student protesters in U.S. history, and the campus now holds several memorials to the victims.

Leave Blank

the-orangeburg-massacre-south-carolina-state-university

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/umuou2zltsowb7uoigrac/orangeburg-massacre-south-carolina-state-university.mp3?rlkey=07ch3m2sfukse920strqvtmsv&st=ew4h6yur&dl=0

The Old State House and the Dorr Rebellion: Rhode Island's Fight to Expand the Vote

Shan

Providence, Rhode Island

In the 1840s Rhode Island still let only landowning men vote, so Thomas Wilson Dorr and thousands of shut-out residents wrote their own constitution and set up a rival government. The Old State House in Providence was the seat of the government they were fighting to change, and the struggle helped win the vote for poorer men and, in 1843, for Black men.

Voting Rights & Democratic Reform

the-old-state-house-and-the-dorr-rebellion-rhode-islands-fight-to-expand-the-vote

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/k25qh890p35ctal66j15y/old-state-house-dorr-rebellion-voting-rights.mp3?rlkey=n13tc4qw77q3u1qet4t97joph&st=cgqaykdq&dl=0

Pennhurst State School and Hospital — Birthplace of the Disability Rights Movement

Shan

Spring City, Pennsylvania

Pennhurst was a Pennsylvania state institution where thousands of people with disabilities were locked away and mistreated. A 1968 TV exposé and a 1974 lawsuit made it a turning point for disability rights in America.

Disability Rights

pennhurst-state-school-and-hospital-birthplace-of-the-disability-rights-movement

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/61rdm9oxc6rkw6opnstmt/pennhurst-state-school-disability-rights.mp3?rlkey=74a217akhe7avokvtx10fp35k&st=j68hwz3n&dl=0

Chinese Massacre Cove, Hells Canyon — Site of the 1887 Massacre of Chinese Gold Miners

Shan

Imnaha, Oregon

This quiet cove on the Snake River is where a gang of white horse thieves murdered as many as 34 Chinese gold miners in 1887. A stone memorial placed here in 2012 finally marks one of the worst hate crimes against Chinese immigrants in U.S. history.

Anti-Asian Violence and Immigrant Rights

chinese-massacre-cove-hells-canyon-site-of-the-1887-massacre-of-chinese-gold-miners

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/ohqbru22j987a0jk0lf5n/chinese-massacre-cove-hells-canyon-1887.mp3?rlkey=1lyae99nhv2l3305ocouumhjv&st=kza9f50m&dl=0

Boley Historic District — Oklahoma's "Crown Jewel" All-Black Town

Shan

Boley, Oklahoma

Boley is the largest and best-known of the more than fifty all-Black towns founded in Oklahoma, where Black settlers and Creek freedmen built and governed their own community during the Jim Crow era. Its downtown business district is a National Historic Landmark.

Black self-government & Voting Rights

boley-historic-district-oklahomas-crown-jewel-all-black-town

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/hykzq8hingcgbybmhspxo/boley-historic-district-boley-oklahoma.mp3?rlkey=2djx6don23lx61x3bs9y2yv0a&st=co4829is&dl=0

The Flooding of Fort Berthold — The Garrison Dam and the "Taking" of the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Homeland

Shan

New Town, North Dakota

In the 1950s a federal dam flooded the best land on the Fort Berthold Reservation and forced most of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people out of their homes. The Three Affiliated Tribes Museum in New Town tells that story today, because the reservation's old capital, Elbowoods, is now underwater.

Indigenous Land & Water Rights

the-flooding-of-fort-berthold-the-garrison-dam-and-the-taking-of-the-mandan-hidatsa-arikara-homeland

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/0h1n565sbfhh4uoti2c28/flooding-of-fort-berthold-new-town-north-dakota.mp3?rlkey=rguh9zqmrjj197ael2n16m3mu&st=3dqpebrv&dl=0

The 1967 Tierra Amarilla Courthouse Raid

Shan

Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico

In 1967, armed activists raided this small-town New Mexico courthouse to fight for land they said was stolen from Hispano families. The building still stands and still serves as the Rio Arriba County courthouse today.

Chicano Civil Rights & Land-grant Rights

the-1967-tierra-amarilla-courthouse-raid

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/lm7nwpyllv0smmpqrm0p1/1967-tierra-amarilla-courthouse-raid-new-mexico.mp3?rlkey=rz65v27zfaun50vu7n16fr2gb&st=j1hw2rat&dl=0

Storming Caesars Palace — Ruby Duncan and the 1971 Welfare Rights March

Shan

Las Vegas, Nevada

On March 6, 1971, welfare mother Ruby Duncan led a march of poor mothers and children down the Las Vegas Strip and into Caesars Palace, shutting down the casino's gaming floor for hours to protest Nevada's welfare cuts. Caesars Palace still stands at 3570 South Las Vegas Boulevard, and Clark County lists the spot as part of its America 250 Nevada history project.

Welfare Rights & Economic Justice

storming-caesars-palace-ruby-duncan-and-the-1971-welfare-rights-march

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/x3wl58drgrlbb6lxa5uv1/storming-caesars-palace-ruby-duncan-las-vegas-nevada.mp3?rlkey=3qa4trtb4u2uf4crfmqeogcr5&st=d73d9cww&dl=0

Meyer v. Nebraska and the Zion Lutheran Schoolhouse (Hampton, Nebraska)

Shan

Hampton, Nebraska

In 1920 a teacher near Hampton, Nebraska, was arrested for teaching a Bible lesson in German. His fight led to Meyer v. Nebraska (1923), a Supreme Court ruling that still protects the rights of parents, teachers, and immigrant families.

Language Rights & Religious Freedom

meyer-v-nebraska-and-the-zion-lutheran-schoolhouse-hampton-nebraska

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/9jl3nkfwkr1b29p0zr6l0/meyer-v-nebraska-zion-lutheran-schoolhouse-hampton-nebraska.mp3?rlkey=4pp291vm2bn0m4qzjhcjvz69o&st=d44xz4ic&dl=0

Montana State Capitol — Where the Nation's Harshest Sedition Law Was Passed and, 88 Years Later, Undone

Shan

Helena, Montana

This is the Montana State Capitol in Helena, where lawmakers passed the country's harshest World War I sedition law in 1918. In 2006, a governor stood in the same building's rotunda and pardoned 78 people who had been jailed for speaking their minds.

Free Speech & Civil Liberties

montana-state-capitol-where-the-nations-harshest-sedition-law-was-passed-and-88-years-later-undone

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/vrymxxul76xh7afb0u9ri/montana-state-capitol-helena-montana.mp3?rlkey=ifnv9nr15rt7lmfu1yklsok3m&st=mf7z19wr&dl=0

Homer G. Phillips Hospital (now Homer G. Phillips Senior Living Apartments / Dignity House)

Shan

St. Louis, Missouri

For decades this was the only public hospital where Black St. Louisans could get care, and where Black doctors and nurses could train, during segregation. The huge building still stands in The Ville neighborhood and is now senior apartments.

Healthcare Segregation

homer-g-phillips-hospital

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/wra19xfbgfk3463eegnlh/homer-g-phillips-hospital-st-louis-missouri.mp3?rlkey=2tj4f4ajm3wje7xdncybvvwjy&st=3hpmdwji&dl=0

Camp Savage and the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS)

Shan

Savage, Minnesota

During World War II, the U.S. Army secretly trained thousands of Japanese American soldiers to speak, read, and write Japanese at Camp Savage, Minnesota. Many of them served the country as translators and interrogators while their own families were locked up in incarceration camps.

Leave Blank

camp-savage-and-the-military-intelligence-service-language-school-misls

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/24oem36uu1hbrhsxzvyjl/camp-savage-military-intelligence-service-language-school-minnesota.mp3?rlkey=m7ad77f5lddmhelwf91x5l207&st=3lfu30yp&dl=0

Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School

Shan

mount-pleasant-indian-industrial-boarding-school

This is the last standing federal Indian boarding school in Michigan, where Native American children were taken from their families and forced to give up their language and culture. The site is now owned by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and includes a cemetery connected to children who died there.

Indigenous rights

mount-pleasant-indian-industrial-boarding-school

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/f86mcxrmgaj1y702855lk/mount-pleasant-indian-industrial-boarding-school-michigan.mp3?rlkey=7knjieomi1vlaysvnjswceiee&st=p2wejief&dl=0

Old Indian Meeting House, Mashpee — Indigenous Rights and Religious Freedom of the Mashpee Wampanoag

Shan

Mashpee, Massachusetts

The Old Indian Meeting House in Mashpee is the oldest Native American church in the eastern United States. It was the center of the 1833 Mashpee Revolt, when the Mashpee Wampanoag demanded the right to govern themselves.

Indigenous rights & Religious freedom

old-indian-meeting-house-mashpee-indigenous-rights-and-religious-freedom-of-the-mashpee-wampanoag

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/nnjzbg6itxzx7jflaj1y8/old-indian-meeting-house-mashpee-massachusetts.mp3?rlkey=k32yj3tbxhez1la13v4215st6&st=qf7ujhih&dl=0

Malaga Island — Site of Maine's 1912 Forced Eviction of a Mixed-Race Island Community

Shan

Phippsburg, Maine

Malaga Island is a small island off Phippsburg, Maine, where a mixed-race fishing community lived until the state forced everyone off the island in 1912. Today it is a public preserve and a place to remember what happened there.

Racial discrimination & Forced displacement

malaga-island-site-of-maines-1912-forced-eviction-of-a-mixed-race-island-community

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/6237m63b6oqgd2j30k8gc/malaga-island-phippsburg-maine.mp3?rlkey=2kxhjtx9ssrdy15xvebi4q70y&st=yvuge47v&dl=0

Buchanan v. Warley Marker — Where a Supreme Court Case Struck Down Housing Segregation

Shan

Louisville, Kentucky

In 1917 the U.S. Supreme Court used a court fight over a lot at 37th Street and Pflanz Avenue in Louisville to strike down a city law that forced Black and white families to live on separate blocks. A historical marker now stands at that corner.

Housing discrimination

buchanan-v-warley-marker-where-a-supreme-court-case-struck-down-housing-segregation

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/mkjqedxnckaikw8j0ikce/buchanan-v-warley-marker-louisville-kentucky.mp3?rlkey=6fdu5ovwbnol43l1fd1szszpb&st=8v6f66qg&dl=0

Dockum Drug Store Sit-In (1958), Wichita, Kansas

Shan

Wichita, Kansas

In 1958, a group of Black students in Wichita held one of the country's first successful lunch counter sit-ins at the Dockum Drug Store. The store is gone, but the site is now the Ambassador Hotel at Douglas and Broadway.

Civil rights

dockum-drug-store-sit-in-1958-wichita-kansas

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/fqf8zcpmb6orhwk72lmwl/dockum-drug-store-sit-in-wichita-kansas.mp3?rlkey=ln3sgkwliizjwmczz48gjdoic&st=6q9fjndf&dl=0

Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home — Where a Future Suffrage Leader First Questioned Voting Inequality

Shan

Charles City, Iowa

This is the farmhouse near Charles City, Iowa, where Carrie Chapman Catt grew up. As a girl here, she first noticed that women could not vote, and she later became one of the most important leaders in winning American women the right to vote.

Voting rights

carrie-chapman-catt-girlhood-home-where-a-future-suffrage-leader-first-questioned-voting-inequality

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/sfk8kdqce66oiqm1p4n3x/carrie-chapman-catt-girlhood-home-charles-city-iowa.mp3?rlkey=1uxpginkk42cju6z2p8r1thn7&st=ztiuixm5&dl=0

Freeman Field Mutiny — Freeman Army Airfield Museum, Seymour, Indiana

Shan

Seymour, Indiana

In April 1945, Black officers of the Tuskegee Airmen were arrested at this Indiana air base for challenging its segregated officers' clubs, leading to 162 separate arrests in all. A state historical marker now stands at the spot, in front of the Freeman Army Airfield Museum.

Leave blank

freeman-field-mutiny-freeman-army-airfield-museum-seymour-indiana

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/o1569jzgemww28sigd4ma/freeman-field-mutiny-seymour-indiana.mp3?rlkey=u7fkb4kieotk2a0ckg7502yjw&st=a0vthw4i&e=2&dl=0

Minidoka National Historic Site

Julia B.

Jerome, ID 83338

Nearly 13,000 Japanese Americans, most of them U.S. citizens, were imprisoned in the Idaho desert during World War II simply because of their ancestry.

School desegregation

minidoka-national-historic-site

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/h5rvlwlz3s9vksrp4blzn/Minidoka.mp3?rlkey=k4qg1hq181u7pyzk8kblt13nb&st=0b0lq368&dl=0

The Atlanta Student Movement

Emma A.

Atlanta, GA

Students from Atlanta's Black colleges published a manifesto against segregation, then backed it up with sit-ins that got even Dr. King arrested.

Marches & sit-ins

the-atlanta-student-movement

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/ju2viwwrtbze66p5guwlp/The-Atlanta-Student-Movement.mp3?rlkey=k7le7hole3i0ikf2shwqeur78&st=vvs8yrc1&dl=0

The Monson Motor Lodge "Swim-In"

Isabella M.

St. Augustine, FL

When Black and white protesters jumped into a whites-only motel pool together, the owner poured acid into the water to force them ou

Marches & sit-ins

the-monson-motor-lodge-swim-in

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/l9ni9h6oqleu7f1yakc3h/Monson-Motor-Lodge.mp3?rlkey=xfz876f1bwxhwjfcwcbzyqz3r&st=eq2goi5x&dl=0

The 1968 Occupation of Wilmington

Zanthia O.

Wilmington, DE

After MLK Jr.'s assassination, a two-day riot in Wilmington turned into a nine-month military occupation of the city's Black neighborhoods — the longest of any American city.

Marches & sit-ins

the-1968-occupation-of-wilmington

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/3bxgrufp6lg5d9t9bgguz/Wilmington-Occupation.mp3?rlkey=34zutbf2wp4mgr2v4j5ulret9&st=vwdtfo40&dl=0

The Crusade for Justice

Christa T.

Denver, CO

A former boxer turned activist built one of the country's most influential Chicano civil rights organizations out of a Denver building that police later riddled with bullets and set ablaze.

Voting rights

the-crusade-for-justice

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/tpgw4085tty8bi0aw1gld/Crusade-for-Justice.mp3?rlkey=e50rb06v9br0zkek2g3zp5pug&st=omjhqcro&dl=0

Little Rock Central High School

Eddie G.

Little Rock, AR

In 1957, nine Black students tried to enroll at an all-white high school in Little Rock, and the governor called in the National Guard to keep them out — so President Eisenhower ended up sending in federal troops to make sure they could go to school safely.

School desegregation

little-rock-central-high-school

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/069d2etupvt6rf84zjb22/Little-Rock-Central-High-School.mp3?rlkey=60q2gpu1js2tu1ztrfyom2cui&st=mst3yf71&dl=0

Gonzales v. Sheely Court Case

Juni S.

Tolleson, Arizona

Three years before Brown v. Board, Mexican American families in Tolleson, Arizona sued to end their kids' segregation into a separate "Mexican school" — and won, in one of the most decisive rulings against school segregation in the country's history.

School desegregation

gonzales-v-sheely-court-case

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/9lsppnzm48lv64ngcfnjz/Gonzalez-v.-Sheely.mp3?rlkey=dawbz3z6n5c6w4bgmdr181anx&st=s6qo9o3o&dl=0

The A.G. Gaston Motel

Regina B.

Birmingham, AL

The only first-class motel in Birmingham that accepted Black guests — and in 1963, it became command central for Dr. King and the campaign that helped push the Civil Rights Act into law.

Marches & sit-ins

the-a-g-gaston-motel

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/y5jjowkq4fwefnqqyouk1/AG-Gaston-Gaston-Motel.mp3?rlkey=2fg9fcxyot7h413zq8mgpiw4m&st=lzk53jrl&dl=0

The Alaska Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945

Harley G.

Juneau, AK

After growing up seeing signs that read "No Natives Allowed," Elizabeth Peratrovich stood before Alaska's legislature and helped pass the first anti-discrimination law in the country — almost 20 years before the federal Civil Rights Act.

Voting rights

the-alaska-anti-discrimination-act-of-1945

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/1dawah34o8g4xg9qnmpm9/The-Alaska-Anti-Discrimination-Act-of-1945.mp3?rlkey=h5od5h3ravj11q8d6y6k8hpws&st=e48gxheq&dl=0

Dover Mill Girls Strike of 1828

Tegan W.

Dover, NH

Four hundred teenage mill workers walked out, becoming the first all-women strike in U.S. history.

Labor

dover-mill-girls-strike-of-1828

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/u35a38lg1uvug15tuclua/New-Hampshire.mp3?rlkey=9pobjavjnzu5c8agjshtdftd4&st=qr9c7pnl&dl=0

Greensboro Sit-Ins

Jace J.

Greensboro, NC

Four college freshmen sat down at a whites-only lunch counter and refused to leave — sparking a movement that spread to over 55 cities in just three months.

greensboro-sit-ins

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/e2eh8he5f5tptxl7rwl49/Greensboro-Sit-In.mp3?rlkey=lblgpcwelox5ucbftzfuef36o&st=tesyf9jf&dl=0

Moton School Strike

Jayce J.

Farmville, VA

A school walkout that led to desegregated schools across the country.

moton-school-strike

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/8xdgyft9evw81htbfw6zb/Moton-School-Walkout.mp3?rlkey=treeitkypkkvwxsbedo19hw2l&st=rsd1y8m0&dl=0

Honouliuli Internment Camp

Celeste K.

Oahu, HI

The largest and longest-used confinement site during World War II.

honouliuli-internment-camp

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/c1jld4b63u0yf9w4ezh00/Black-Panther-Party.mp3?rlkey=ftdulqwqcxzb1ljzdgm7vo8b2&st=9b5poxzt&dl=0

The Black Panther Party

Maliah O.

Cleveland, OH

Like other Panther chapters across the United States, the Cleveland group focused on community organizing and political education.

the-black-panther-party

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/c1jld4b63u0yf9w4ezh00/Black-Panther-Party.mp3?rlkey=ftdulqwqcxzb1ljzdgm7vo8b2&st=9b5poxzt&dl=0

The Amistad Trial

Charlie S.

New Haven, CT

A landmark moment in the fight against slavery, unfolding in Connecticut between 1839 and 1841. In 1839, a group of 53 Africans, mostly from the Mende people of present-day Sierra Leone, were kidnapped and illegally sold into the Spanish slave trade.

the-amistad-trial

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/jh3tfwcf2hoiy43ivq9fa/Amistad-CT.mp3?rlkey=pznelqqg6aff7tsbqr9mpvib3&st=4ert05q0&dl=0

Marian A. Spencer Statue

Emma T.

Cincinnati, OH

Spencer was a civil rights activist, nicknamed “Ms. Civil Rights”, politician and Vice Mayor of the Cincinnati City Council.

marian-a-spencer-statue

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/07cnodbw3z59coi691sg1/Marian-Spencer-Statue.mp3?rlkey=wwgcgafnobejiil9hmyqe41p8&st=6yvbj9qd&dl=0

Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery

Sydney M.

Sandy Spring

Founded in 1988 by Dr. Winston Anderson, a Howard University scientist and educator, the museum was created to educate visitors about African heritage, slavery, emancipation, and the achievements of African Americans.

sandy-spring-slave-museum-african-art-gallery

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/pb0i2czrmu2xjjmd2lyje/Sandy-Spring-Slave-Museum-African-Art-Gallery.mp3?rlkey=tytarc4fj6va80ofs7rga9zmf&st=7fres48m&dl=0

Stephen E. Howe Elementary School

Sarah Z.

Cleveland, OH

In 1964, the Cleveland Board of Education's plan to build Stephen E. Howe Elementary School in the Glenville neighborhood became a flashpoint in the city's civil rights struggle.

construction-of-the-stephen-e-howe-elementary-school

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/e6k72cl12f5jqb2d7xo79/Stephen-E.-Howe.mp3?rlkey=m37nkzckxg8498ioi89bp34i4&st=yr15lxct&dl=0

Hough Uprising

Ain C.

Hudson, OH

The Hough Uprising was a major civil disorder that occurred from July 18 to July 23, 1966, in Cleveland, Ohio. It begins after a white bar owner refused to serve a glass of water to African American customers. This incident was widely perceived as an act of racism and triggered anger among African Americans residents.

hough-uprising-cleveland-oh

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/omt7irteibzf7555vlsrb/Hough-Uprising.mp3?rlkey=u2fepyakttclpwfotiqc9gznz&st=lkk47d6r&dl=0

The Forty Acres

Isabella H.

30168 Garces Highway, Delano, California

This site was absolutely foundational for farmers civil rights in California. It was the birthplace of the United Farm Workers (UFW) which is the longest-running, most influential farm labor union in the U.S., founded in 1966 by Larry Itliong, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta. It has a list of necessary ideals that they advocate for including “better wages, safer working conditions, and immigration reforms for agricultural workers through strikes, boycotts, and political lobbying” (National Farm Worker Ministry, 2018...

the-forty-acres

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/jpk9h9pmr88bhjkw5srpc/The-Forty-Acres.mp3?rlkey=iulq44fu0yidyxo4gh8yy5olc

Elbert P Tuttle Courthouse

Aleksi U.

56 Forsyth St NW, Atlanta, Georgia

The Elbert P Tuttle Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia played an important part in the CivilRights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. When the building was completed in 1910, it wasused as both a courthouse and a post office, but later it became the United States Court ofAppeals for the 5th Circuit. During the Civil Rights Movement, this court ensured thatdesegregation and voting rights laws were upheld in Georgia....

elbert-p-tuttle-courthouse

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/liyoi9vmgra40nbaj75p1/Elbert-P-Tuttle-Courthouse.mp3?rlkey=ml1nrwvs5llbz39irce7cts4x

Women's Suffrage Monuments and Mural

Fiona M.

Capitol Building: 200 W 24th St, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Wyoming became the first U.S. territory to grant women the right to vote in 1869, and the first state to give women the right to vote when it became the 44th state in the Union in 1890. Wyoming was also the first territory and later state to allow women to hold public office....

womens-suffrage-monuments-and-mural

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/1cknfj0o40okjfv1hab59/Women-s-Suffrage-Monuments-and-Mural-11.mp3?rlkey=9fonnjboqm7v1vdyozhtp1u3d

The 16th Street Baptist Church

Emma A.

Birmingham Alabama at 1530 6th Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama

The 16th Street Baptist Church located in Birmingham Alabama is a key historic landmark which served as a central meeting place for civil rights activists and was the first ever black baptist church. During the 1950s and 1960s, the church led and organized protests, marches, and campaigns to end segregation....

the-16th-street-baptist-church

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/r7zqiw9ah6gszzkq3pmh7/16-street.mp3?rlkey=yllj2m5v3gdgxs3bmrgt68buc

Rensalier and Huntoon Underground Railroad Memorial

Henry S.

125 Broadway, Paterson, New Jersey

The Rensalier and Huntoon Underground Railroad Memorial honors one of the more overlooked yet important factors of the early Civil Rights Movement. Beginning in the wake of American independence from the British Empire, the Underground Railroad was one of the earliest but largest acts of resistance to slavery and civil inequality, ...

rensalier-and-huntoon-underground-railroad-memorial

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/cgnbw83029vvn532n3nso/Huntoon-Underground-Railroad-Memorial.mp3?rlkey=335fe1h22a1ltfzmnbe2wj1j8

Dooky Chase Restaurant

Chase K.

2301 Orleans Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana

Dooky Chase in New Orleans, Louisiana is a world-renowned restaurant and one of the first African American-owned establishments to offer fine dining in the United States. Built in 1941 by Edgar "Dooky" Chase Sr., it began humbly as a sandwich shop and numbers parlor, but through the musical talent and entrepreneurial vision of his son, Edgar "Dooky" Chase Jr.,....

dooky-chase-restaurant

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/v5t0vkxc0lskonw8sw8nt/Dooky-Chase-Civil-Rights-Assignment-10.28.01-PM.mp3?rlkey=6xi2bn7e4mgem9wt1nk2utxnx

Ellis Island

Shania S.

Ellis Island, New York, NY 10004

Ellis Island was the major immigration station in the United States between 1892 and 1954 during which time it processed over 12 million immigrants most of whom were escaping poverty, persecution, and lack of opportunity in their native lands. As such, it was the location where many peoples’ hopes and dreams of a better future were either realized or cut short...

ellis-island

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/a7ghbzpxg6jfr0xy8gwpv/Ellis-Island.mp3?rlkey=5d9b7m7vxxrukyn8kb47hc2ks

Ellicott City Colored School

Sydney M.

8683 Frederick Rd, Ellicott City, Maryland

The Ellicott City Colored School was established during a time when racial segregationshaped every aspect of life, especially education. In 1879, the Secretary of the Board ofEducation was directed to acquire land for an African American school within the SecondDistrict of Howard County. The following year, John G. Rogers and his wife, Rebecca, sold aparcel of land to the Board of Education. ...

ellicott-city-colored-school

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/jh5cevzjihiumua1zd0yt/The-Ellicott-City-Colored-School.mp3?rlkey=446n2xvquvzzy1na9zq0es1xj

The History & Significance of the 1977 National Women’s Conference

Siya M.

801 Bagby St, Houston, Texas

In November of 1977, Houston became the center of a historic and deeply complex moment in the American struggle for equality. The National Women’s Conference was not just a large gathering—it was the first and only time the United States government formally supported a national conversation about women’s rights....

the-history-significance-of-the-1977-national-womens-conference

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/c84tsb99hcszz31yasdko/The-History-Significance-of-the-1977-National-Women-s-Conference-audio-1.mp3?rlkey=cd9po2ux4lop1r9vrhoxhlfjn

Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market

Lakisha H.

27998 County Road 518 (Money Rd), Greenwood, Mississippi

In 1955, you could buy two cents’ worth of bubble gum at Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market—but for a fourteen-year-old boy from Chicago, that small transaction cost him his life. Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market is a landmark connected to Emmett Till. This is where Till was accused of behaving inappropriately toward a white woman named Carolyn Bryant....

bryants-grocery-and-meat-market

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/scl/fi/hvj7ctdrojyli675o3jy0/Bryant-s-Grocery-Meat-Market.m4a?rlkey=3hb26ftlejcfqv39e0ci87asl

The Archive

Student research, place by place.

Every entry is researched, written, and — where you see the badge — narrated by a high school student.

★ Featured story

School desegregation

Little Rock Nine — nine students who changed a city.

SMSarah Martinez◉ Little Rock, AR

A first-hand look at Central High School in September 1957 — the confrontations, the federal response, and the students who walked into history.

Sarah tells the story

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Voting rights

As Seen On

Recent blog posts

October 11, 2022

7News DC: 2 Md. high schoolers create app to highlight DC civil rights landmarks

Lily and Eliza Dorton were only 15 and 13 years old when they started doing their homework on the history of civil rights here in the District of Columbia.

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October 5, 2022

Fox 5 Washington DC: Teens create DC Civil Rights Tour app

While learning about D.C.'s central role in the African American civil rights movement, the sisters decided to create an app so that others could learn too. They consulted a Black studies professor at Suffolk University and reached out to Rohulamin Quander, a multi-generation Washingtonian and retired judge, to mark less-familiar locations.

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October 3, 2022

Washington City Paper

Two Maryland high school students, Lily and Eliza Dorton, created an app that features an interactive map of civil rights landmarks throughout D.C.

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The Sacramento Observer: High Schoolers Launch Civil Rights Tour App

“Washington, D.C. and our country have been shaped by the dedication and hope of Black Americans,” the sisters said in a statement. “Black Americans were leading the fight for equal rights. As kids living in the D.C. area, we wanted to create a tour reflecting the truth about civil rights in Washington, D.C. so that everyone, including young people, can learn more about this important history.”The app showcases an interactive map that aids users navigate their way through 17 locations with visuals, audio recordings, and synopses telling the stories of each landmark and the people connected to them.

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September 29, 2022

The Washington Informer: High Schoolers Launch D.C. Civil Rights Tour App

Two Washington, D.C.-area high school students have created an interactive app that highlights the history of civil rights in the District.Lily and Eliza Dorton, co-founders of the DC Civil Rights Tour app, have an instrument providing an easy way for residents and tourists to learn more about the civil rights movement in the city.The Dorton sisters, who attend the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda., Md., wanted to focus on places where African Americans challenged segregation and broke down barriers in the face of oppression.

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People are loving Civil Rights Tour

The Civil Rights Tour of DC exemplifies the fight for civil rights through clear, impactful audio recordings. I love the accessibility and layout of each location and how easy it is to navigate the app!

Lisa B.

I really enjoyed the fluidity of the content in the app and how diligent it all is. The message behind the app is direct; its purpose is to educate on black people's civil oppression and
inequality during the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Tour of DC concisely reminds and educates the audience of that.

Martin M.

The tour/app is truly worth the time and an excellent recounting of history! All of the locations on the app connect to one another, whether it is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial or Lafayette Square Park. The historical content is captivating as the voice actor retells the story of several African Americans fighting for their rights in the nation's capital.

David R.

As Seen On

Student Submission

The 1975 Menominee Warrior Society Occupation of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate (Gresham, Wisconsin)

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Hawks Nest Workers Memorial and Grave Site (Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster)

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The "Tacoma Method" — the 1885 Expulsion of Tacoma's Chinese Community (Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park)

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Vermont Equality for Same-Sex Couples Marker at the Vermont State House

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The Grave of Robert Marshall — Marker for the Last Documented Lynching in the American West (Price City Cemetery, Utah)

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People are loving Civil Rights Tour

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

History sounds more powerful when a student tells it.

Six of our contributors recorded their stories aloud. There's something about hearing a sixteen-year-old explain why a courthouse, a bridge, or a bus stop changed the country.

Look for the LISTEN badge across the archive.

"They marched across this bridge knowing exactly what was waiting on the other side. I wanted whoever finds this to hear that — not just read it."

Marcus T.

Edmund Pettus Bridge · Selma, AL

Hear it

Is your state still gray?

Bring your state's story into the archive.

We're recruiting rising sophomores to start a chapter, research local civil rights sites, and record their own story. No experience needed — just the will to dig.

Start a chapter →How it works

The largest `student-built`
archive of America's civil rights history.

Logan Dorton

“Most states didn't have anything like this. So I decided to take the idea national.”

A story from every corner of the country.

Student research, place by place.

Little Rock Nine — nine students who changed a city.

Selma to Montgomery, retold

Nashville sit-ins remembered

Boston busing, told by students today

Stonewall: an uprising in Greenwich Village

Delano grape strike — the workers’ voices

Fannie Lou Hamer and the MFDP

As Seen On

Recent blog posts

7News DC: 2 Md. high schoolers create app to highlight DC civil rights landmarks

Fox 5 Washington DC: Teens create DC Civil Rights Tour app

Washington City Paper

The Sacramento Observer: High Schoolers Launch Civil Rights Tour App

The Washington Informer: High Schoolers Launch D.C. Civil Rights Tour App

People are loving Civil Rights Tour

Lisa B.

Martin M.

David R.

As Seen On

Student Submission

The 1975 Menominee Warrior Society Occupation of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate (Gresham, Wisconsin)

Hawks Nest Workers Memorial and Grave Site (Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster)

The "Tacoma Method" — the 1885 Expulsion of Tacoma's Chinese Community (Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park)

Vermont Equality for Same-Sex Couples Marker at the Vermont State House

The Grave of Robert Marshall — Marker for the Last Documented Lynching in the American West (Price City Cemetery, Utah)

People are loving Civil Rights Tour

Lisa B.

Martin M.

David R.

History sounds more powerful when a student tells it.

Bring your state's story into the archive.

Links

Contact Us

Download Civil Rights Tour App

Download DC Civil Rights Tour App

The largest student-built archive of America's civil rights history.

Logan Dorton

“Most states didn't have anything like this. So I decided to take the idea national.”

A story from every corner of the country.

Student research, place by place.

Little Rock Nine — nine students who changed a city.

Selma to Montgomery, retold

Nashville sit-ins remembered

Boston busing, told by students today

Stonewall: an uprising in Greenwich Village

Delano grape strike — the workers’ voices

Fannie Lou Hamer and the MFDP

As Seen On

Recent blog posts

7News DC: 2 Md. high schoolers create app to highlight DC civil rights landmarks

Fox 5 Washington DC: Teens create DC Civil Rights Tour app

Washington City Paper

The Sacramento Observer: High Schoolers Launch Civil Rights Tour App

The Washington Informer: High Schoolers Launch D.C. Civil Rights Tour App

People are loving Civil Rights Tour

Lisa B.

Martin M.

David R.

As Seen On

Student Submission

The 1975 Menominee Warrior Society Occupation of the Alexian Brothers Novitiate (Gresham, Wisconsin)

Hawks Nest Workers Memorial and Grave Site (Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster)

The "Tacoma Method" — the 1885 Expulsion of Tacoma's Chinese Community (Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park)

Vermont Equality for Same-Sex Couples Marker at the Vermont State House

The Grave of Robert Marshall — Marker for the Last Documented Lynching in the American West (Price City Cemetery, Utah)

People are loving Civil Rights Tour

Lisa B.

Martin M.

David R.

History sounds more powerful when a student tells it.

Bring your state's story into the archive.

Links

Contact Us

Download Civil Rights Tour App

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The largest `student-built`
archive of America's civil rights history.