Throughout history, artists have made it their civic duty to contribute to social change, including Billie Holiday with andquot;Strange Fruit,andquot; which brought attention to the unfair and unconstitutional lynchings of African American men and women. Listen to learn more from Dr. Vicki Ross-Norris!

Center for Civic Education

Although the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has been called “the most successful civil rights law in history,” one of its key provisions, Section 5, was challenged in the Supreme Court in 2013. Learn how the Shelby County v. Holder changed this civil rights legislation in this episode!

Center for Civic Education

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a step in the right direction, but it did not protect voting rights.

Center for Civic Education

Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, using its constitutional power under Article I to regulate interstate commerce so that it could regulate private activities as well as state action. Learn more about how this legislation came about in this episode!

Center for Civic Education

In the spring of 1963 civil rights leaders organized public demonstrations throughout the South in which young people often were prominent. Learn more about how the civil rights movement gained momentum.

Center for Civic Education

Violence plagued the South in the years following desegregation.

Center for Civic Education

The Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education held that segregation by law to be illegal in public schools. However, that decision implied that all segregation laws violated the guarantee of equal protection of the laws. Learn more about the implications of the decision in this episode!

Center for Civic Education

The struggle for civil rights in the 1900s was born out of responses to discrimination in the United States. Discrimination based on race has its roots in racial separation, known as segregation. In this episode we discuss both de jure and de facto forms of segregation in the United States.

Center for Civic Education

Today we ask Dr. Ross-Norris: Why is civic education important?

Center for Civic Education

In this episode, we ask Dr. Vicki Ross-Norris: How can young people get involved in addressing injustices today? She explains the importance of making your voice heard and of support from older generations.

Center for Civic Education