Shirley Sherrod - Moments of the Movement

For former United States Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod, experiencing the death of her father at the hands of a white farmer while growing up in rural Georgia in the 1960s forced her to abandon some of her dreams and propelled her commitment to fight for civil rights. This commitment included fighting for the right to vote and working to create new communities in rural areas.

John Churchville - Moments of the Movement

Opinions about the best strategy for winning civil rights for African-Americans in the 1950s and 1960s were almost as numerous as the many leaders in the struggle. Activist and black nationalist John Churchville knew that as well as anyone. Known best as the founder of the Freedom Library Day School in his native Philadelphia, Churchville found himself at the crossroads of many intra-racial struggles during the Freedom Movement. Though a student of Malcolm X and black nationalism, he joined the integrationist-minded Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to register and work with voters in Georgia and Mississippi, often finding himself at odds with SNCC leadership. But differing philosophies weren’t only the bastion of high-minded civil rights leaders. As he explains in this story, sometimes the fight was taken to the streets.

Black Women and the Recovery - Focus Point

Quiet as it’s kept, no one group has found it more difficult to rebound from the country’s recent recession than black women. Although the rest of the nation has started on its way to a slow recovery, unemployment among black women has remained stubbornly high. Jones-DeWeever explores the reasons why, and explains how one economic sector in particular must recover before this group can begin to regain traction.

A Bad Rap: Brad Paisley and L.L. Cool J’s “Accidental Racist” - My Mic is Hot

Country music singer Brad Paisley and hip-hop legend L.L. Cool J sparked a firestorm of controversy after the release of their collaboration, “Accidental Racist.” The song features noteworthy lyrics from both Paisley and L.L., including the rapper’s line, “If you don’t judge my gold chains, I’ll forget the iron chains.” While the motivation for the partnership between Paisley and L.L. may be admirable, says Dyson, what’s lacking is a sophisticated understanding of history and race.