BlackPast.org — founded in February of 2007 — was conceived to provide reference information on people of African ancestry in the United States and around the globe. The site is supported by a volunteer staff of 12 and over 800 volunteer contributors from six continents. The website has more than 15,000 pages and is free and un-gated. BlackPast.org includes: 1) An online encyclopedia featuring more than 5,000 entries describing people, places, and events in African American history, African American history in the West, and global African history. 2) Perspectives Online Magazine featuring commentary of important but little known events in black history (often written by the individuals who participated in or witnessed them). To date more than 100 articles have appeared. 3) The complete text of nearly 400 speeches by African Americans, other people of African ancestry, and those concerned about race, from 1789 to 2014. 4) More than 160 full text Primary Documents including court decisions, laws, organizational statements, treaties, and government reports and executive orders. 5) Nine major timelines that show the history of people of African ancestry from 5,000,000 B.C.E. to today. 6) Nine bibliographies listing more than 5,000 major books categorized by author, title, subject, and date of publication. 7) Six “Gateway” Pages with links to digital archive collections, African and African American museums and research centers, genealogical research websites and more than 180 contemporary African and African American newspapers. 8) Over 200 video documentaries on African American, African, black Latin American, Caribbean, and European history. 9) Special Features include 101 African American Firsts, Major Black Officeholders Since 1641, The Barack Obama Page, a LGBTQ Page, By the Numbers, and BlackPast.org in the Classroom. Our most recent addition is the Landmarks and Monuments Page.
