Community Activism and Civil Rights

"The Atlas of Surveillance is a searchable database and map that reveals which technologies, such as drones and automated license plate readers, are used by domestic law enforcement agencies across the United States. Through a combination of crowdsourcing and data journalism, we are creating the largest-ever repository of information on which law enforcement agencies are using what surveillance technologies." ~ EFF

In this time of revolutionary collective action, social and political uncertainty, and as we witness local and world injustices, the Blackivists offer five quick tips to keep in mind as we work together to protect our collective documentation that proves we are here, addressing and safeguarding our people and communities.

"Crocodile Hunter is a tool to detect and find so-called “Stingrays” or “IMSI Catchers,” devices that identify an individual mobile phone in a crowd by mimicking a cell phone tower. This link leads to the EFF source repository with instructions on hardware and software needed, as well as build instructions and how to use it." ~ EFF

Documenting the Now has incredible tools, resources, and advice for activist groups and archivists looking to document their work. Their website hosts recorded symposium sessions on topics such as "Digital Blackness in the Archive: Collecting for the Culture" and the ethics of web archiving. This website is a must-visit.

Conference session recordings exploring how "Web archives can serve as witness to crimes, corruption, and abuse; they are powerful advocacy tools; they support community memory around moments of political change, cultural expression, or tragedy. At the same time, they can cause harm and facilitate surveillance and oppression."

Project STAND provides a centralized access point to historical and archival documentation on the development and on-going occurrences of student dissent.

Resources for those contemplating a project to collect and curate collections to be housed in grief or trauma archives.

Signal highly prioritizes the privacy of its users by offering end-to-end encrypted messaging. It does not allow trackers access to your conversations, or push ads. No one has access to your conversations, not even Signal. This is a very easy and convenient messaging platform for anyone prioritizing privacy and safety.

"Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) is EFF's online guide to defending yourself and your friends from surveillance by using secure technology and developing careful practices. In addition to tutorials for installing and using security-friendly software, SSD walks you through concepts like making a security plan, the importance of strong passwords, and protecting metadata." ~ EFF

A Library of Free Resources for Video Activists, Trainers and Their Allies. WITNESS provides video tutorials on a variety of topics (concealing identity, informed consent, transferring electronic files).

Published July 11, 2018. "As the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag turns 5 years old, a look at its evolution on Twitter and how Americans view social media's impact on political and civic engagement."

"The Center for Artistic Activism is transforming the practices of art and activism, helping activists, artists, organizations, and foundations be more effective and affective in bringing about social change."

Compiled by the American Historical Association as a response to the increase of racial violence in the US. This is a list of educational, academic, and news resources on the history of racist violence. Teachers can use them in classrooms to help students understand the history of the present; journalists can draw on them to provide historical context for current events; researchers can draw on them to inform future scholarship. Due to the nature of this history, many of the resources contain references to violence and assault.

A detailed overview and timeline of the Civil Rights Movements in American.

Established in 1968 by Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century. The King Center is a 501(c)3.

"Building upon the achievements of Stanford University's Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project, the King Institute supports a broad range of activities illuminating Dr. King's life and the movements he inspired."

"Explore the movement that changed the nation. Discover stories of Mississippians like Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer and Vernon Dahmer—as well as those who traveled many miles to stand beside them, come what may, in the name of equal rights for all"

"The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum and cultural institution that connects the U.S. Civil Rights Movement to human rights challenges today."

"The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, is steadfast in its mission to share the culture and lessons from the American Civil Rights Movement and explore how this significant era continues to shape equality and freedom globally."

Preserving the history, legacy, and mission of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

List of additional online primary source collections, compiled by the Newton Gresham Library at the Sam Houston State University.

Digital exhibition concerning the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from the Library of Congress.

Contains primary source material, including unedited news film, about the people, places, events, and more of the Civil Rights Movement.

An alphabetical list of Civil Rights archival collections. American Folklife Center (Library of Congress).

Records concerning the Civil Rights movement from the National Archives.

Exhibition from the Library of Congress. "This exhibition transports visitors to the momentous day of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963—a day that transformed our nation—when 250,000 people from all walks of life participated in the largest non-violent demonstration for civil rights that Americans had ever witnessed."

Digitized FBI records concerning Civil Rights leaders, participants, and the movement at large.

"The King Papers Project became a cooperative venture of Stanford University, the King Center, and the King Estate. Its principal mission is to publish the definitive fourteen-volume edition of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.,a comprehensive collection of King's most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts. The seven already published volumes have become essential reference works for researchers and have influenced scholarship about King and the movements he inspired. Building upon this research foundation, the Project also engages in other related educational activities. Using internet communications technology to reach a diverse global audience, it has greatly increased popular as well as scholarly awareness of King's achievements and visionary ideas."

Archival footage about Malcolm X's life and work, hosted by Columbia University.

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries is the largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world. Founded in 1952, ONE Archives currently houses over two million archival items including periodicals, books, film, video and audio recordings, photographs, artworks, organizational records, and personal papers. ONE Archives has been a part of the University of Southern California Libraries since 2010.

Archives of the National Organization for Women (NOW), held at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard.

Digitized items and listed artifacts owned by Parks, held by Library of Congress.

Exhibition hosted by the Library of Congress. "This exhibition draws from the thousands of personal stories, oral histories, and photographs collected by the “Voices of Civil Rights” project, a collaborative effort of AARP, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), and the Library of Congress, and marks the arrival of these materials in the Library's collection."