Juneteenth

Let's take a look at Martin Luther King Junior’s tireless work in the peaceful fight for justice.

James Hemings was an enslaved man and the first American to learn classic French cuisine. He helped popularise many of the dishes you know and love today.

The story of transgender activist, Marsha P. Johnson, who dedicated her life to LGBTQ+ rights.

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was the biggest protest America had ever seen. It culminated in Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. But the man who made it all possible, chief organiser Bayard Rustin, was almost written out of history not because he was black, but because he was gay.

How free Black women in Spanish Louisiana turned an oppressive headscarf law into a celebration of individuality and culture.

The story of the enslaved woman who challenged slavery in the highest court in the United States.

The Stono Rebellion of 1739 saw enslaved people rise up using coded sounds that sowed the seeds of jazz, blues and hip hop.

Nat Turner - known as the prophet in his enslaved community, led a violent uprising that changed everything.

For those enslaved, it was the perpetrator of countless horrors. So why did almost 200,000 African-Americans put their lives on the line to preserve the United States?

This is the story of Ursula, Edith and Frances – three teenagers who Thomas Jefferson brought to the White House to train as his enslaved personal chefs.

As the First Lady of the Black Press, Ethel Payne wielded her first amendment right to ask the tough questions and hold those in power to account.

The stereotypical image of a White cowboy dominates popular culture – but in the 19th century, a quarter of ranch hands were Black!

She was enslaved at birth – but became the first lady’s favorite dressmaker and the author of a sensational memoir that shocked the nation. So who was Elizabeth Keckly?

Today, barbecue is a big part of American culture. But did you know that this staple of the great American menu is actually older than the United States itself?

It began as a protest against the Conscription Act of 1863 – but quickly descended into the bloodiest race riot in US history. So why did New York’s White working class kill at least 120 people during the New York Draft Riots?

Did you know that the US Constitution's most important amendments took place over just 5 years? So what happened between 1865 and 1870 – and how did it change America?

How could democratic societies claim to support equality while holding humans in bondage? The legacy of slavery tests the democratic ideal that everyone has an equal right to freedom and self-governance.

Linda Brown was just 9-years-old when she was thrust into the national spotlight, as she fought - and won - against racial segregation in the American school system.

Breaking through the limits placed on women and people of color was all in a day’s work for Constance Baker Motley. She was a civil rights activist, lawyer, judge and state senator.

How an enslaved woman became one of the most important social justice activists in American history.

It was published nine years before a shot was fired. And was written by a woman. How did Uncle Tom’s Cabin fan the flames of the American Civil War?

Dred Scott went to the US Supreme Court to sue for his freedom. The Court ruled that Black people were “inferior beings” with no Constitutional rights. This decision helped spark the American Civil War.

1619 was a significant year in the history of America for better and for worse. In Jamestown, Virginia the first slaves were imported and sold. Meet Nikole Hannah-Jones; author of New York Times' "1619 Project" who will examine the impact of that year on American History, culture and development.

At a time when women and people of colour were all but excluded from the US government, one woman stormed the corridors of power and made them her own. This is the story of Barbara Jordan, the African American from the South who defied expectations by being selected to serve in Congress and who became one of the finest legislators in US history.

The year 2026 marks the bicentennial of a landmark year in US history – when the first European women and enslaved people arrived on North American soil, and US democracy was born.