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Frank Smith (speaking), executive director of the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum, and Marquette Milton, a soldier reenactor, at the African American Civil War Memorial in May 2022. The African American Civil War Museum honors those Black soldiers who fought for the Union during the Civil War. (Roy Lewis/The ��app)

Memorial Day: A Celebration of Black Military Service to the U.S.

by James Wright Jr. May 21, 2025May 21, 2025

African Americans have been a significant part of Memorial Day since its origins in the post-Civil War era, and many continue to honor their contributions with ceremonies and events today.

The Proverbs Band sets up before performing for a centennial celebration for Malcolm X on May 19, 2025, what would have been his 100th birthday. The group performed near a banner donning Malcolm X’s image, that of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and three adinkra symbols representing God, unity and Sankofa. (Sam P.K. Collins/The ��app)

Malcolm X’s 100th Birthday: A Time for Reflection and Recalibration

by Sam P.K. Collins May 20, 2025May 20, 2025

District organizations and residents are commemorating the 100th birthday of the late civil rights leader Malcolm X. (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

D.C. Set to Celebrate Malcolm X at 100

by James Wright Jr. May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Led to the beats of African drums, faith leaders and civil rights activists link arms during the #HandsOffOurHistory rally on May 3, a movement to protect the freedom to learn and uphold Black history amid the Trump administration’s attempts to take over the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Ja’Mon Jackson/The ��app)

Black Experience

‘Hands Off Our History’ Rallies Hundreds in Defense of African American Institutions, Culture

by Jada Ingleton May 7, 2025May 13, 2025

Private First Class Purvis, Maryland Democratic Congressman Glenn Ivey, ��app Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes and Prince George’s County Council member Jolene Ivey pose during a fundraiser at College Park Aviation Museum, highlighting Columbia Air Center, America’s first Black-owned airfield, on May 5. Congressman Ivey and Rolark Barnes were the event’s honorary co-chairs. (Anthony Tilghman/The ��app)

Columbia Air Center, the Nation’s First Black-Owned Airport, Soon to Open Exhibit

by Richard D. Elliott May 7, 2025May 7, 2025

The women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion — the only all-Black Women’s Army Corps unit to serve overseas during the war — are now Congressional Gold Medal recipients. (Courtesy photo)

Congressional Gold Medal Awarded to Black WWII Postal Battalion Long Denied Recognition

by Stacy M. Brown and Ashleigh Fields April 30, 2025April 30, 2025

The Trump is cutting off funding to Louisiana's Whitney Plantation, the only plantation museum in the country solely dedicated to telling the story of slavery and honoring the lives of enslaved people. (Elsa Hahne via whitneyplantation.org)

More Federal Grants Yanked from Black History Sites

by Stacy M. Brown April 23, 2025April 23, 2025

**FILE** Despite President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting “anti-American ideaology” in cultural institutions, Lonnie G. Bunch III, the first African American to lead the Smithsonian Institution, is laying a path forward for staff. (Courtesy photo)

Black History Under Fire: Trump’s Executive Order Puts Smithsonian’s Future at Risk

by Stacy M. Brown April 1, 2025April 1, 2025

**FILE** Dr. Calvin Rolark, founder and first publisher of The ��app, with his daughter Denise Rolark Barnes, current publisher of the newspaper. (WI photo)

Black Experience

The ��app at 60: ‘If It is to Be, It is Up to Me’

by James Wright Jr. and Micha Green March 26, 2025March 27, 2025

**FILE** A performance during DC Jazz Festival at The Wharf in September 2022. The ��app is a regular media partner for the annual DC Jazz Festival and covers related programming. (Roy Lewis/The ��app)

Arts Appreciators: Local Artistic Leaders, Celebrate Six Decades of The Informer

by Brenda C. Siler and Micha Green March 26, 2025March 27, 2025