Newseum Exhibit Honors 175 Years of the Black Press

"To Plead Our Own Cause" is an interactive online exhibit sponsored by Washington D.C.'s Newseum.  In 2002, the exhibit was launched to celebrate 175 years of the Black Press.  The exhibit is archived online at http://www.newseum.org/ebp/gallery/.  Biographies of Samuel E. Cornish and John B. Russworm, the first men of color to own and publish a newspaper.  A copy of the first edition of Freedom's Journal, published on March 16, 1827, is included; what a wonderful opportunity to introduce a primary document to children!  In addition, searches on the Newseum website can find articles about the black experience during the Civil War, which is the theme of this year's Black History Month.  I found an article about the lone African-American reporter.  So many articles were available from the African-American History page within the museum (http://www.newseum.org/news/african-american-history-index.html).

Lesson plans are available online for teachers to use in lieu of a field trip to the museum.  High school teachers may be interested in using the "Making A Change: Civil Rights and the First Amendment" which incorporates primary documents (two letters) from Martin Luther King, Jr. into a lesson on Freedom of Speech and Social Change.  You can look the lesson plan over here, http://www.newseum.org/education/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/the-first-amendment-and-social-change--mlk-s-letter-from-birmingham-jail-pdf.pdf, and then print it out!