Black History

ASALH Recognizes 400 Years of Perseverance

THE AFRO — ASALH was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

Published

7 years ago

February 15, 2019

By George Kevin Jordan

The Association for the Study of African LIfe and History (ASALH) kicked off the first, of a year long commemoration, of the “Forced migration of Africans to the Virginia Colony in 1619.”

The event was held Feb. 1 at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW.

ASALH was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The organization is tasked with promoting, researching, preserving, interpreting and disseminating information about Black life, history and culture to the global community,” according to its mission. ASALH also founded Black History Month.

The 2019 theme is Black Migrations which focuses on the movement of people of African descent to new places. While all encompassing, the theme zeroes in on the early part of the twentieth century. Patterns of movement included the trek from southern farms, to southern cities, the pilgrimage from the south to the north, midwest and West, the caribbean to U.S. cities as well as the patterns of African Americans to Africa and European meccas like London and Paris.

Dr. Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, the National President of ASALH and Chair of the History Department at Harvard University spoke of the long complicated history of movement for people of the African Diaspora.

“Migration represents one of the most important aspects of our nation’s past,” Dr. Higginbotham said. “The very title of the book “A nation of immigrants” written by President John F. Kennedy captures the centrality of migration to the makeup of the American people.

“However for African Americans the history of migration has a unique meaning – that of forced migration in the form of the African Slave Trade to America that ended by law, but not always in practice, in 1808. And the domestic human trafficking – we call it the the domestic slave trade – that continued until the abolition of slavery in 1865.”

“These are stories of families separated, of children taken from parents and such pain was overwhelming and heartbreaking for families then as it is now for children separated from their parents in the Hispanic migrants that seek asylum in America.”

Dr. Higginbotham said that the history of migration is vast, but ASALH gives, “special attention to the year 1619 when Africans arrived on two slave ships in the Virginia colony, the first permanent english settlement in North America.”

A group of scholarships helped to unpack the long and complicated history of the African Diaspora and migration over the past 400 years during a panel discussion. Panelists included Professor Gloria Browne-Marshall, ASALH 400th Commemorative Chair and Professor of Constitutional Law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY, Mr. Brent Leggs, director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Senior Associate Dean and Research Professor of Law at George Washington law School Roger A. Fairfax and Spencer Crew, professor of US History at George Mason University.

National News Desk Editor at USA Today Nichelle Smith announced the Feb. 18 release of The Black Migrations theme of USA TODAY’s 2019 Black History Month Special Edition, “Exodus.”

Next up will be the 93rd Annual Black History Luncheon held Feb. 16 held at the Washington Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th Street, NW. An author’s event will precede the luncheon. For more information on that event go to www.asalh.org/luncheon. For additional information about ASALH and the 400th Commemoration please visit https://asalh.org/400-years.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 6 – 12, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of may 6 – 12, 2026

Published

5 days ago

May 10, 2026

Oakland Post

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On the Frontlines of Hate: NAACP Links Victims to Critical Support

The NAACP CA/HI has a long and well-established record of supporting victims of discrimination and hate crimes — providing critical referrals and, when necessary, direct assistance through legal advocacy and other forms of support. Beyond responding to incidents, the organization continues to advocate on broader civil rights issues, including voting rights and legal protections. It has also worked to counter efforts at the state and federal levels that could weaken the voting power of communities of color.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 1, 2026

Oakland Post

NAACP members at a recent advocacy day in Sacramento urging lawmakers to protect voting rights. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

By Joe Kocurek
California Black Media

The California/Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP (CA/HI NAACP) has expanded its efforts to respond to rising hate incidents and civil rights complaints across California, supported in part by funding from California’s Stop the Hate Program

Through that grant, NAACP CA/HI has strengthened its ability to connect individuals experiencing hate or discrimination with critical resources. This includes referring those who file complaints to the CA vs Hate hotline, a statewide, non-emergency hate crime and incident reporting hotline and online portal created to help counter a more than 50% increase in reported hate crimes in California between 2020 and 2024. The system helps ensure incidents are documented, and victims are guided toward appropriate support.

LaJuana Bivens says the work of NAACP is as urgent as ever. Photo by Regina Wilson, California Black Media.

LaJuana Bivens, who has served in a number of roles within the NAACP, said California has seen an increase in civil rights violations and hate-related incidents.

“We have 52 branches, and they are constantly receiving complaints,” she said. “So, without the Stop the Hate, we would not be able to refer those cases up to attorneys at the state level. A lot of the people would not have had an opportunity to be heard.”

Carmen-Nicole Cox helps survivors of hate with their legal options. Photo courtesy of Carmen-Nicole Cox.

Carmen-Nicole Cox, an attorney who works with NAACP CA/HI – as a part of California’s Stop the Hate Program – provides legal consultation to victims of hate incidents and discrimination through her legal practice, the Cox Firm for Law and Policy.

She said the complaints she receives span a wide range of issues.

“People are having home builders and landlords refusing to provide repairs, a student was denied promotion in an academic program, and targeted scrutiny at work,” she said. “It’s typically employment; it’s housing; it’s education.

“We’ll meet and they’ll share their experiences,” she said. “And then I make assessments about possible legal claims.”

According to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), nearly 1,200 reports of hate against minority groups were submitted in 2024 through the CA vs Hate hotline and online portal for non-emergency incidents.

While the California/Hawaii State Conference of the NAACP, which has tens of thousands of members, does not directly investigate hate incidents or crimes, it plays a key role in connecting victims to the state’s reporting systems and support services.

Beyond responding to incidents, the organization continues to advocate on broader civil rights issues, including voting rights and legal protections. It has also worked to counter efforts at the state and federal levels that could weaken the voting power of communities of color.

Bivens recently traveled to Sacramento to speak with state lawmakers about voting rights during an advocacy day event hosted by the organization.

“It’s just so hard for communities of color to be up to date because of all of the confusing information coming from the federal level,” she said. “I love our great state of California because here it is possible to vote by mail and to vote early.

“And I’m seeing that trying to be eroded. So, I’m here to urge continued support for vote by mail and early voting.”

When Texas moved to redraw congressional districts in ways critics said would dilute minority voting strength, NAACP CA/HI supported the passage of Proposition 50 in California. The organization also intervened in United States v. Shirley Weber, where federal officials sought access to unredacted California voter records, including Social Security numbers, raising concerns about misuse and voter intimidation.

Cultivating the advocacy and leaderships of young people is central to NAACP’s mission to fight racism and dismantle inequality. Photo courtesy of California Black Media.

A federal district court dismissed that case in January 2026.

The organization’s current work builds on a long history of civil rights advocacy. Today, Bivens says, the organization’s mission remains as urgent as ever.

“We are the oldest, boldest, most feared Civil Rights organization,” Bivens said. “What we do every day is fight for better housing, education, economic development and political inclusion. We take it on because there are just so many people who need that support.

“You would be amazed that our phones ring every single day.”

Get Support After Hate:

California vs Hate is a non-emergency, multilingual hotline and online portal offering confidential support for hate crimes and incidents. Victims and witnesses can get help anonymously by calling 833-8-NO-HATE (833-866-4283), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. PT, or online at any time. Anonymous. Confidential. No Police. No ICE.

This story was produced in partnership with CA vs Hate. Join them for the first-ever CA Civil Rights Summit on May 11. More information at www.cavshate.org/summit.

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