Editor’s note: Annabel is one of the producers of Story of America. This is an auto-biographical story about how she became committed to being an active citizen. This is the oath that I took when I became an American citizen in June, 1991, in Boston: I hereby declare, on oath, that I
Columbia, SC — On July 18, 2015, I experienced something that I would have never thought would have happened in my life. I came in direct contact with time travelers. I’m talking about members of the Klu Klux Klan and the Neo Nazi Party. That’s right; I’m talking about the political
In 2010, the Texas State Board of Education voted to minimize the role of slavery in developing new guidelines for teaching about the Civil War. Patricia Hall, a Republican board member, asserted, “States’ rights were the real issues behind the Civil War. Slavery was an after
Editor’s Note: Author of Blood Done Sign My Name, historian, and one of the leaders of the Moral Monday movement, Timothy B. Tyson, posted this on his facebook page. We are printing it here with his permission. A young man wears Rhodesian and apartheid-era flags on his jacket. Both
Editor’s Note: This is an update to a powerful essay published on April 24, 2014 on storyofamerica.org, Not a Monster’s Daughter. It included this breathtaking line: “My name is Megan A. Collins, I am rape conceived and I should be afforded the right to my own history. This is my
On the historic day of May 1, 2015, I had the good fortune to be with Civil Rights legend Bob Zellner. In the early 1960’s, Bob was arrested and tortured by police several times for leading peaceful Civil Rights demonstrations as the first white Southerner to serve as Field Secretary for
I have just learned of a $2.45 million settlement between the City of Los Angeles and lawyers representing the nearly 300 people who were arrested at the Occupy Los Angeles protests during the 2 am hour of Nov. 30, 2011. I was one of them. I understand this means I may receive some money from
Today a friend in the justice movement texted me these words: “Happy New Year. I’m depressed.” In trying to offer some advice, I summarized the remarks quoted below, which had made me feel better about life. The author and speaker, Paul Booth, was a leader in the 1960s at
As you know, Story of America aims to create greater understanding and civil engagement on divisive issues. One of our goals for 2015 is to create better dialogue between communities and law enforcement. We were able to contribute to the dialogue in Prince William County through our critically
Dear friends, We’re more than half way to reaching our goal of raising $25,000 with ten days left of our campaign. We have $11,166 to go. To help us reach our goal, a talented artist and designer, Daniel Marquez, created this striking t-shirt for our supporters with the timely message,