Picturing Black History
@pbhosu.bsky.social
Exploring Black history in the US and across the globe. In collaboration with
@gettyimages.bsky.social & @originsosu.bsky.social
www.picturingblackhistory.org
Banner and profile pictures: Getty Images
@gettyimages.bsky.social & @originsosu.bsky.social
www.picturingblackhistory.org
Banner and profile pictures: Getty Images
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Historic Photos, Fresh Stories Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Mahalia Jackson and the Music of the Movement A photograph of Mahalia Jackson in 1964 offers a window on the role of music in the ...
picturingblackhistory.org
Hello! Picturing Black History is an ongoing collaborative effort between @originsosu.bsky.social and @gettyimages.bsky.social. We seek to uncover untold stories and rarely seen images of the Black experience, providing new context around culturally-significant moments.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
It's been one year since we published Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories that Changed the World 🥳As always, a huge thanks to @gettyarchive for their ongoing support and collaboration, and a huge thanks to you all for being with us this last year!
Did you know we have a book? It's been one year since we published Picturing Black History: Photographs that Changed the World 🥳. Picturing Black History uncovers untold stories and rarely seen images...
TikTok video by Picturing Black History
www.tiktok.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:40 PM
It's been one year since we published Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories that Changed the World 🥳As always, a huge thanks to @gettyarchive for their ongoing support and collaboration, and a huge thanks to you all for being with us this last year!
This #VeteransDay, we celebrate and recognize African American servicemembers. As historian Paul McAllister explains, African Americans have a long history of military service, albeit segregated. Learn how the World Wars altered this dynamic through integration and the inclusion of women.
The Integration of the American Military - Picturing Black History
In 1948, President Truman ordered the integration of the United States' armed forces an act that transformed American society.
picturingblackhistory.org
November 11, 2025 at 6:24 PM
This #VeteransDay, we celebrate and recognize African American servicemembers. As historian Paul McAllister explains, African Americans have a long history of military service, albeit segregated. Learn how the World Wars altered this dynamic through integration and the inclusion of women.
Infantrymen jumping from airplanes behind enemy lines was a brand-new proposition during World War II. Black paratroopers proved an equally radical idea. First Sergeant Walter Morris and 16 men formed the “colored test platoon”, forming a full-fledged battalion in November 1944.
#Blackhistory
#Blackhistory
Walter Morris and the “Triple Nickles” Jump into History
Despite systemic racism, Walter Morris and the "Triple Nickles" forced their way into parachute training and took one major step toward integration. This article details how Black American soldiers be...
picturingblackhistory.org
November 6, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Infantrymen jumping from airplanes behind enemy lines was a brand-new proposition during World War II. Black paratroopers proved an equally radical idea. First Sergeant Walter Morris and 16 men formed the “colored test platoon”, forming a full-fledged battalion in November 1944.
#Blackhistory
#Blackhistory
Reposted by Picturing Black History
On November 4th, Millions of Americans cast their votes in general elections across the country. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation between church and state, politicians throughout U.S. history have merged religion with politics.
#Elections #USHistory
#Elections #USHistory
God in the Voting Booth: How Religion Shapes the Politics of Both Republicans and Democrats | Origins
In view of the decades-long close alliance between the Christian Right and the Republican Party, it may not have been a surprise when President Donald J. Trump established a White House Faith Office i...
origins.osu.edu
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 AM
On November 4th, Millions of Americans cast their votes in general elections across the country. While the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation between church and state, politicians throughout U.S. history have merged religion with politics.
#Elections #USHistory
#Elections #USHistory
While Jackie Robinson is most well-known for his Hall of Fame baseball career, he also broke barriers in military service. As a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he endured a court-martial in pursuit of equal rights for Black soldiers and symbolized dedication to uplifting the Black community.
The Trials and Trial of Second Lieutenant Jackie Robinson - Picturing Black History
Before beginning his Hall of Fame baseball career, Jackie Robinson served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army, enduring a court martial in pursuit of equal rights for Black soldiers.
picturingblackhistory.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:39 AM
While Jackie Robinson is most well-known for his Hall of Fame baseball career, he also broke barriers in military service. As a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he endured a court-martial in pursuit of equal rights for Black soldiers and symbolized dedication to uplifting the Black community.
Reposted by Picturing Black History
Today, millions of Americans trust the National Weather Service to provide timely warnings for hurricanes. That was not the case in 1900 for its predecessor, the U.S. Weather Bureau. The result was a tragedy that reshaped the Gulf Coast and led one man to devote himself to the study of hurricanes.
Galveston 1900: 125 Years After the Storm | Origins
“If we had known then what we know now of these swells, and the tides they create, we would have known earlier the terrors of the storm which these swells...told us in unerring language was coming.” —...
origins.osu.edu
October 30, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Today, millions of Americans trust the National Weather Service to provide timely warnings for hurricanes. That was not the case in 1900 for its predecessor, the U.S. Weather Bureau. The result was a tragedy that reshaped the Gulf Coast and led one man to devote himself to the study of hurricanes.
Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" features in Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another".
Although labeled the "godfather of rap", Scott-Hern didn't much like the moniker. Learn from historian Steve Conn on how Scott-Heron approached his craft.
#Onebattleafteranother
Although labeled the "godfather of rap", Scott-Hern didn't much like the moniker. Learn from historian Steve Conn on how Scott-Heron approached his craft.
#Onebattleafteranother
Gil Scott-Heron: “Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton” - Picturing Black History
The influence of writer and musician Gil Scott-Heron is widely felt. However, assessing his legacy involves figuring out just what kind of artist he was.
picturingblackhistory.org
October 24, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" features in Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another".
Although labeled the "godfather of rap", Scott-Hern didn't much like the moniker. Learn from historian Steve Conn on how Scott-Heron approached his craft.
#Onebattleafteranother
Although labeled the "godfather of rap", Scott-Hern didn't much like the moniker. Learn from historian Steve Conn on how Scott-Heron approached his craft.
#Onebattleafteranother
The #WorldSeries starts this week! ⚾️ Christopher Shell examines how baseball helped Afro-Latino baseball player Orestes Minoso and actor Nat King Cole form a deep connection, as each understood the other’s struggle to gain their respective achievements at a time when race mattered more than talent.
Major Players: Nat King Cole Meets Baseball Legend Orestes Minoso - Picturing Black History
How a shared love of baseball fostered a meaningful friendship and a spirit of resistance. This essay explores the history behind a photo of Nat King Cole and Orestes “Minnie” Minoso and it depicts th...
picturingblackhistory.org
October 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The #WorldSeries starts this week! ⚾️ Christopher Shell examines how baseball helped Afro-Latino baseball player Orestes Minoso and actor Nat King Cole form a deep connection, as each understood the other’s struggle to gain their respective achievements at a time when race mattered more than talent.
The sharecropping system kept southern Black farmers dependent on white landowners. Yet even sharecroppers rested on Sunday—and that’s when photographer Ben Shahn caught up with this family in 1935. Learn how Shahn's photographs privileged the Black experience without any visible white interference.
A Sharecropper's Family - Picturing Black History
Photographer Ben Shahn captures the lives of Black sharecropper families in Little Rock, Arkansas one Sunday in 1935
picturingblackhistory.org
October 13, 2025 at 4:29 PM
The sharecropping system kept southern Black farmers dependent on white landowners. Yet even sharecroppers rested on Sunday—and that’s when photographer Ben Shahn caught up with this family in 1935. Learn how Shahn's photographs privileged the Black experience without any visible white interference.
In October 1971, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai hosted a delegation of Black Panther Party members at a banquet in China.
Scholar Melvin Barnes, Jr. tells the story of the relationship between Black Internationalism and Cold War China in the context of broader U.S.-Chinese relations.
#Blackhistory
Scholar Melvin Barnes, Jr. tells the story of the relationship between Black Internationalism and Cold War China in the context of broader U.S.-Chinese relations.
#Blackhistory
Panthers and the Premier: Black Internationalism & Cold War China - Picturing Black History
From Robert F. Williams and Huey Newton to President Richard Nixon, this article explores three moments where Black Liberation movements converged, and diverged, with Revolutionary China. The article ...
picturingblackhistory.org
October 9, 2025 at 3:11 AM
In October 1971, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai hosted a delegation of Black Panther Party members at a banquet in China.
Scholar Melvin Barnes, Jr. tells the story of the relationship between Black Internationalism and Cold War China in the context of broader U.S.-Chinese relations.
#Blackhistory
Scholar Melvin Barnes, Jr. tells the story of the relationship between Black Internationalism and Cold War China in the context of broader U.S.-Chinese relations.
#Blackhistory
In October 1952, Charlotte Hawkins Brown retired after 50 years as a principal and teacher. In this photograph, she stands with a bust of Alice Freeman Palmer, one of the first women admitted to the #UniversityofMichigan. Read from Michele Ronnick on how Brown and Palmer demonstrate sisterhood.
Putting Their Heads Together - Picturing Black History
Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Alice Freeman Palmer: A Portrait of Two American Women Educators
picturingblackhistory.org
October 7, 2025 at 1:38 AM
In October 1952, Charlotte Hawkins Brown retired after 50 years as a principal and teacher. In this photograph, she stands with a bust of Alice Freeman Palmer, one of the first women admitted to the #UniversityofMichigan. Read from Michele Ronnick on how Brown and Palmer demonstrate sisterhood.
As part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal program, thousands of Black workers joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Philip Hutchinson and Neil Humphrey explore how these men also engaged in transforming the American landscape and increased public access to the outdoors.
#Blackhistory
#Blackhistory
Picturing the Black CCC Experience with Company 526 - Picturing Black History
The Civilian Conservation Corps, one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s most popular New Deal programs, provided work, education, and recreation opportunities for hundreds of thousands of young African Am...
picturingblackhistory.org
October 1, 2025 at 6:52 PM
As part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal program, thousands of Black workers joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Philip Hutchinson and Neil Humphrey explore how these men also engaged in transforming the American landscape and increased public access to the outdoors.
#Blackhistory
#Blackhistory
For college students hoping to join sororities all across the country, fall means rush season!
Professor Casarae Abdul-Ghani tells the story of the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
#Blackwomen'shistory #Rushseason #Sorority
Professor Casarae Abdul-Ghani tells the story of the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
#Blackwomen'shistory #Rushseason #Sorority
Norma Elizabeth Boyd, Racial Uplift, and the Divine Nine
The Influential Life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
picturingblackhistory.org
September 25, 2025 at 11:13 PM
For college students hoping to join sororities all across the country, fall means rush season!
Professor Casarae Abdul-Ghani tells the story of the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
#Blackwomen'shistory #Rushseason #Sorority
Professor Casarae Abdul-Ghani tells the story of the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
#Blackwomen'shistory #Rushseason #Sorority
Meet Sister Rosetta Tharpe-- one of the most influential, if largely forgotten, creators of rock and roll. 🎸
By the age of six, she was touring with her mother throughout the South, singing and playing guitar, not just as an entertainer but as an evangelist.
#rockandroll #Blackhistory
By the age of six, she was touring with her mother throughout the South, singing and playing guitar, not just as an entertainer but as an evangelist.
#rockandroll #Blackhistory
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Mother of Rock and Roll
YouTube video by Origins OSU
www.youtube.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Meet Sister Rosetta Tharpe-- one of the most influential, if largely forgotten, creators of rock and roll. 🎸
By the age of six, she was touring with her mother throughout the South, singing and playing guitar, not just as an entertainer but as an evangelist.
#rockandroll #Blackhistory
By the age of six, she was touring with her mother throughout the South, singing and playing guitar, not just as an entertainer but as an evangelist.
#rockandroll #Blackhistory
As schoolchildren around the U.S. settle into a new school year, historian Kevin Boyle reminds us of the experiences of Black schoolchildren during the integration era, arguably the most radical turn of the civil rights revolution.
Busing and School Segregation - Picturing Black History
This article explores how the burden of racially desegregating schools in the 1970s fell on the shoulders of Black students and their parents. It explores how white people raged against school busing ...
picturingblackhistory.org
September 18, 2025 at 3:18 PM
As schoolchildren around the U.S. settle into a new school year, historian Kevin Boyle reminds us of the experiences of Black schoolchildren during the integration era, arguably the most radical turn of the civil rights revolution.
While the #MissAmerica competition concluded earlier this month, did you know that the Parkridge Country Club held a competition for "Miss Parkridge" in 1928?
Historian Dustin Meier tells the story of the fragile promise of African American recreational space in 1920s Los Angeles.
Historian Dustin Meier tells the story of the fragile promise of African American recreational space in 1920s Los Angeles.
Crowning Miss Parkridge: Black Leisure in Southern California
The Parkridge Country Club demonstrated the fragile promise of African American recreational space in 1920s Los Angeles. Excluded from leisure spaces like Catalina Island or Griffith Park, places like...
picturingblackhistory.org
September 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
While the #MissAmerica competition concluded earlier this month, did you know that the Parkridge Country Club held a competition for "Miss Parkridge" in 1928?
Historian Dustin Meier tells the story of the fragile promise of African American recreational space in 1920s Los Angeles.
Historian Dustin Meier tells the story of the fragile promise of African American recreational space in 1920s Los Angeles.
Our book, Picturing Black History, informs, educates, and inspires our current moment by exploring the past, blending the breadth and depth of Getty Images’s archives with the renowned expertise of Origins contributors and The Ohio State’s and Miami’s History Departments.
#BlackHistory #Books
#BlackHistory #Books
Announcing the Picturing Black History Book!
A groundbreaking collection of photographs and essays that shed new light on the history of Black America, from the Picturing Black History project.
picturingblackhistory.org
August 11, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Our book, Picturing Black History, informs, educates, and inspires our current moment by exploring the past, blending the breadth and depth of Getty Images’s archives with the renowned expertise of Origins contributors and The Ohio State’s and Miami’s History Departments.
#BlackHistory #Books
#BlackHistory #Books
Mitch Carter recounts how bluesman Muddy Waters went from the Mississippi cotton fields to Chicago and changed the face of American music.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
Muddy Waters: Ain't that a Man
Bluesman Muddy Waters went from the Mississippi cottonfields to Chicago and changed the face of American music.
picturingblackhistory.org
August 6, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Mitch Carter recounts how bluesman Muddy Waters went from the Mississippi cotton fields to Chicago and changed the face of American music.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
Reposted by Picturing Black History
In “Preaching with the Choir,“ Michele Valerie Ronnick tells of an Easter sermon with Dr. Benjamin E. Mays at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC.
In “Preaching with the Choir,“ Michele Valerie Ronnick tells of an Easter sermon with Dr. Benjamin E. Mays at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC.
Preaching with the Choir
An Easter Sermon with Dr. Benjamin E. Mays at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC
picturingblackhistory.org
August 3, 2025 at 5:59 AM
In “Preaching with the Choir,“ Michele Valerie Ronnick tells of an Easter sermon with Dr. Benjamin E. Mays at South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC.
Delano Lopez tells the remarkable story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a forgotten founder of rock and roll.
#BlackHistory #BlackWomensHistory
#BlackHistory #BlackWomensHistory
The Godmother of Rock and Roll
The remarkable story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a forgotten founder of rock and roll.
picturingblackhistory.org
August 5, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Delano Lopez tells the remarkable story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a forgotten founder of rock and roll.
#BlackHistory #BlackWomensHistory
#BlackHistory #BlackWomensHistory
Stephanie Shaw discusses the life and work of W. E. B. Du Bois as a writer, educator, and chronicler of Black life in America.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
The Souls of Black Folk
The life and work of W. E. B. Du Bois, writer, educator, and chronicler of Black life in America.
picturingblackhistory.org
August 1, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Stephanie Shaw discusses the life and work of W. E. B. Du Bois as a writer, educator, and chronicler of Black life in America.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
Do you need a book to take you through the last of the summer? Check out our book, Picturing Black History!
#BlackHistory #SummerReads
#BlackHistory #SummerReads
Announcing the Picturing Black History Book!
A groundbreaking collection of photographs and essays that shed new light on the history of Black America, from the Picturing Black History project.
picturingblackhistory.org
July 31, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Do you need a book to take you through the last of the summer? Check out our book, Picturing Black History!
#BlackHistory #SummerReads
#BlackHistory #SummerReads
Casarae Abdul-Ghani explores the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
Norma Elizabeth Boyd, Racial Uplift, and the Divine Nine
The Influential Life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
picturingblackhistory.org
July 30, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Casarae Abdul-Ghani explores the influential life of Norma Elizabeth Boyd, a founding member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
The influence of writer and musician Gil Scott-Heron is widely felt. However, assessing his legacy involves figuring out just what kind of artist he was.
Read "Gil Scott-Heron: 'Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton,'" by Steve Conn on Picturing Black History.
#BlackHistory #Music #History
Read "Gil Scott-Heron: 'Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton,'" by Steve Conn on Picturing Black History.
#BlackHistory #Music #History
Gil Scott-Heron: “Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton” - Picturing Black History
The influence of writer and musician Gil Scott-Heron is widely felt. However, assessing his legacy involves figuring out just what kind of artist he was.
picturingblackhistory.org
July 28, 2025 at 7:34 PM
The influence of writer and musician Gil Scott-Heron is widely felt. However, assessing his legacy involves figuring out just what kind of artist he was.
Read "Gil Scott-Heron: 'Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton,'" by Steve Conn on Picturing Black History.
#BlackHistory #Music #History
Read "Gil Scott-Heron: 'Closer to Langston Hughes than Huey Newton,'" by Steve Conn on Picturing Black History.
#BlackHistory #Music #History
Here is the essay! Michael Santiago talks about capturing John Lewis's final crossing.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory
July 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Here is the essay! Michael Santiago talks about capturing John Lewis's final crossing.
#BlackHistory
#BlackHistory