Arica L. Coleman

Recent Articles

George Floyd's Case at the UN: Civil Rights or Human Rights?

The involvement of the international community in the Floyd case draws attention to a tension that has existed for more than half a century within the movement for African American rights

By Arica L. Coleman

The House Hearing on Slavery Reparations Is Part of a Long History. Here's What to Know on the Idea's Tireless Early Advocates

The new round of hearings is scheduled to take place on Juneteenth

By Arica L. Coleman

What's Intersectionality? Let These Scholars Explain the Theory and Its History

The movement to expand feminism beyond mainstream discourse is now in its sixth decade

By Arica L. Coleman

The Movie 'Green Book' Is Named for a Real Guide to Travel in a Segregated World. Its Real History Offers a Key Lesson for Today

The actual book doesn't get much screen time, but the movie 'Green Book' shines a light on a forgotten truth about segregation in the U.S.

By Arica L. Coleman

Elizabeth Warren's DNA Test and the Difficult History of Looking for Answers in Blood

By the late 19th century the ideology of biological determinism had made its way into American law, where the politics of blood reigned

By Arica L. Coleman

The Complicated History Behind Beyoncé's Discovery About the 'Love' Between Her Slave-Owning and Enslaved Ancestors

"We cannot know what was in the hearts of Beyoncé’s ancestors, or any person who does not leave a record of their emotions, but we can know about the society in which they lived."

By Arica L. Coleman

Bias Training at Starbucks Is a Reminder That the History of Racism Is About Who Belongs Where

The question of who belongs where is a central component of the history of racism

By Arica L. Coleman

The County That Closed Its Public Schools Rather Than Desegregate After 'Brown v. Board of Education'

This landmark decision has been under attack since the day it became law

By Arica L. Coleman

There’s a True Story Behind Black Panther’s Strong Women. Here’s Why That Matters

It is clear that one of the Dora Milaje's main antecedents was the famous all-female African military corps of Dahomey

By Arica L. Coleman

From the ‘Pocahontas Exception’ to a ‘Historical Wrong’: The Hidden Cost of Formal Recognition for American Indian Tribes

Lawmakers hailed a recent bill to recognize several Virginia tribes as having “righted a historical wrong," but problems remain

By Arica L. Coleman

The Civil War Never Stopped Being Fought in America’s Classrooms. Here’s Why That Matters

John Kelly’s controversial statement on the Civil War, which blamed the conflict on failure to compromise, didn't come about by accident

By Arica L. Coleman

The History Behind the Movement to Replace Columbus Day With Indigenous Peoples' Day

Though the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day was celebrated in the early 1990s, the idea took shape many years earlier.

By Arica L. Coleman

Blaming 'Bad Dudes' Masks the Role of Women in the History of White Nationalism

The president’s choice of words—placing blame on “bad dudes”—sheds light on the forgotten role of women in the history of white nationalism.

By Arica L. Coleman

How a Court Answered a Forgotten Question of Slavery’s Legacy

As Americans debated how the Civil War period is publicly commemorated, a quieter battle over a related question was finally put to rest

By Arica L. Coleman

A Riot Started in Newark 50 Years Ago. It Shouldn't Have Been a Surprise

It began on July 12, 1967, and resulted in more than two dozen deaths

By Arica L. Coleman

Pollution Hurts Some People More Than Others. That’s Been True for Centuries

Earth Day's issues affect everyone on the planet. And yet, it has not been the case that those problems have affected everyone equally

By Arica L. Coleman

The Problem With Calling the U.S. a 'Nation of Immigrants'

The idea of the U.S. as a "nation of immigrants" has been popular for decades, but its critics charge that it's not an accurate description

By Arica L. Coleman

James Baldwin Documentary 'I Am Not Your Negro' Is the Product of a Specific Moment in History

How understanding the 1970s lends an extra layer of meaning to the Oscar-nominated film

By Arica L. Coleman

How the Story of Black History Month Parallels the Fight for a Black History Museum

The fight to create something like the Smithsonian's Black History Museum dates back to before Black History Month was conceived

By Arica L. Coleman

The History Behind the Myth That Women Vote as a Bloc

It goes all the way back to the 19th century

By Arica L. Coleman
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