Hispanic Heritage Month: Sylvia Mendez
September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to honor and recognize the history, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. This week btw takes a closer look at the life and legacy of Sylvia Mendez, a fighter for civil rights and a leader of school desegregation. A Lesser-Known Story You […]
AFTER THE FACT: John Lewis
On July 17, 2020, Congressman John Lewis passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 80. Before serving as an esteemed member of Congress, Lewis was an active leader in the civil rights movement, and his spirit of activism carried on throughout his many terms as an elected representative. Here, btw takes a look […]
AFTER THE FACT: Rosalind P. Walter
In the last few decades, the image of Rosie the Riveter has again become popular. You’ve likely seen “Rosie” on everything from T-shirts to buttons, flexing her bicep, wearing her iconic blue work shirt and red kerchief in her hair. But did you know that this image–which was originally created to celebrate women’s role in […]
Katherine Johnson Dies at 101
Did you see the movie Hidden Figures? It was based on a book about three African American women who were instrumental behind the scenes at NASA in the 1960s. Sadly, one of the women featured in the book and movie, Katherine Johnson, passed away last week. She was 101 years old. Here, btw takes a […]
AFTER THE FACT: Charles Van Doren, Game Show Legend
Have you ever heard of Charles Van Doren? Born in 1926 in Manhattan, Van Doren was a veteran, a mathematician, and a Ph.D. in literature. He was also a legendary and controversial figure in the game show world of the 1950s. Van Doren passed away in April in Canaan, Connecticut, at the age of 93. […]
AFTER THE FACT: Alex Haley
Have you ever heard the expression, “the pen is mightier than the sword”? Do you believe that a writer has the power to change the world? One of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, Alex Haley used his gifts as an author to raise awareness and appreciation of African American history and culture, […]
AFTER THE FACT: Jackie Robinson
January 31, 2019, marked what would have been the 100th birthday of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. To celebrate the occasion, the Museum of the City of New York has created an exhibit in Robinson’s honor called “In the Dugout with Jackie Robinson: An Intimate Portrait of a Baseball Legend.” The exhibit features photographs and other […]
AFTER THE FACT: Mary Beth Tinker
You might remember that last spring, thousands of students across the country walked out of their schools to protest gun violence in the wake of the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida. For the most part, these student protestors were not punished for their activism. But as recently as fifty years ago, that might not […]
AFTER THE FACT: Anita Hill
Earlier this month, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused Brett Kavanaugh, the current Supreme Court nominee, of sexual harassment. But this is not the first time in recent history that such claims have been made against a Supreme Court nominee. In 1991, a woman named Anita Hill testified that Judge Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her […]
AFTER THE FACT: Tereza Lee
Have you ever heard of the DREAM Act? Short for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, DREAM would give undocumented children who were brought to the United States a route to legal permanent residence in the U.S. In other words, the DREAM Act would make it so that someone brought to the […]