In August 1906, gunfire erupted in Brownsville, Texas, killing one man and wounding another. The gunman was unknown. But white residents blamed Black soldiers of the 25th Infantry stationed at nearby Fort Brown.

The soldiers denied involvement. Their commanders reported they were in their barracks. Still, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered 167 Black soldiers discharged without honor and without a trial.

Among them was First Sergeant Mingo Sanders, a veteran soldier who had ridden with the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps across the American West and fought in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

Sanders lost his military career and his pension. Undaunted, he returned to civilian life and eventually settled in Washington, D.C. He found employment with the federal government, working as a messenger in the Department of the Interior. He died in 1929, his name still stained by the accusation.

But finally, in 1972, the Army reinvestigated the Brownsville Affair and cleared the men, including Sanders, this crime.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

Like other soldiers in the West, Black members of U.S. Army wore broad-brimmed campaign hats. Before there was a National Park Service, the men known as the Buffalo Soldiers, were among the troops assigned to protect Yosemite, Sequoia and Yellowstone National Parks.

They fought fires, built roads and trails, enforced park regulations, and spent long days working beneath the intense western sun and sudden rainstorms.

These troops often reshaped the soft felt crown by pinching it into four sloping dents, creating the form later known as the Montana Peak.

The modification made the crown more rigid and gave rainwater channels to run toward the brim instead of pooling on top. The broad, flat brim continued to shade the face, ears, and neck.

Buffalo Soldiers wore versions of these practical campaign hats while serving in the earliest days of the national parks.

Years later, the National Park Service adopted the campaign hat as an iconic part of the ranger uniform, we know today.

Its shape reflects the experience of soldiers who adapted their gear to survive, serve, and protect the American landscape.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

In 1958, after the Supreme Court ordered school desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education, Arkansas officials tried

to delay integration at Little Rock’s Central High School. John Aaron, a Black student whose rights were being denied, became the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that reached the nation’s highest court.

In Cooper v. Aaron, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states cannot ignore federal court decisions or refuse to uphold constitutional rights. In an extraordinary move, all nine justices signed the opinion.

The case established a principle that still guides our democracy today: no governor, legislature, or public official is above the Constitution. This decision helped form the legal cornerstone of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

John Aaron may be largely forgotten, but his name remains attached to one of the most important and decisive moments in American history. His actions inspired his fellow classmates now known as the Little Rock Nine.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

In 1775, after white Masonic lodges rejected them, Prince Hall and fourteen other free Black men were initiated by a British military lodge. They founded African Lodge, the foundation of Black Freemasonry in America. During the Revolution, Hall urged Black men to join the Patriot cause, believing military service strengthened their claim to freedom.

After independence, he demanded the nation honor its promises. Hall petitioned against slavery and the slave trade, fought for education for Black children, and defended Black sailors from kidnapping.

Prince Hall died in 1807. He lies at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, a stop on Boston’s Freedom Trail. His legacy endures to this day in thousands of Prince Hall Masonic lodges—institutions built on fellowship, education, self-government, and the enduring belief that Black Americans must help shape the democracy they fought to create.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

In 1905, W.E.B. Du Bois, with William Trotter and 27 other Black leaders, met on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls after being refused service in the United States. They called their organization the Niagara Movement and issued a bold Declaration of Principles that demanded voting rights, equal protection under the law, quality education, and an end to racial violence. Three years later, in 1908, they gathered at Harpers Ferry, on the campus of Storer College, and made a pilgrimage to the site of John Brown’s raid. They stood on that ground to honor his sacrifice and declare that the struggle for freedom was not over. The Niagara Movement was short-lived, but its vision endured. In 1909, many of its members helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP. Those same uncompromising ideals of social justice and equality continue to drive the movement endures to this very day.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American history with the stories remarkable features of our past that are too often forgotten. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of men and women who helped to shape the progress of our nation.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

Born into slavery around 1864, George Washington Carver became one of America’s most influential agricultural scientists. At Tuskegee Institute, he taught farmers to restore soil exhausted by the cultivation cotton through crop rotation, composting, and planting alternative varieties such as peanuts and sweet potatoes.

While many remember Carver for discovering hundreds of uses for peanuts, his greatest contribution was demonstrating that conservation, education, and economic opportunity could work hand in hand. Carver’s work was not simply about inventing new products. It was about conservation, self-sufficiency, and helping poor Southern farmers protect both their land and livelihoods.

In 1943, Congress established George Washington Carver National Monument in Missouri—the first unit of the National Park System created specifically to honor a Black American. Today the monument stands as a reminder that stewardship of the land is also how we can take care of one another. Carver’s legacy affirms the belief that caring for the earth can also be an act of justice.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a copy of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

Most people see the Statue of Liberty as a beacon for immigrants arriving in New York Harbor. But that wasn’t the monument’s original message. Conceived after the Civil War by French abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye, Lady Liberty was meant to honor the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery.

Look closely at her feet. Hidden beneath her flowing robes lie broken chains and shackles—the unmistakable symbols of emancipation. They represent the millions of Black Americans freed after the Civil War. They remind us that liberty is not simply granted; it is won through courage and sacrifice.

Over time, the statue became an enduring symbol of immigration and opportunity. As the broken chains cannot be easily seen from most points of view, from the ground or at distance from a boat their meaning has been sadly lost and forgotten. Yet its original message remains carved in bronze. The statue suggests that freedom begins by breaking the chains of oppression. Sometimes history’s greatest stories are hiding in plain sight.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a copy of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

Before the modern LGBTQ rights movement, there was Pauli Murray. Yet most Americans have never heard the name.

Anna Pauline Murray devoted a lifetime to challenging injustice across race, gender, faith, and identity. As an attorney, she helped to establish the Congress of Racial Equality, and later informed the NAACP’s fight to end school segregation. Murray also helped preserve the word “sex” in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, expanding workplace protections for women, and co-founded the National Organization for Women.

Throughout her life, Murray struggled with gender identity, and many scholars today recognize her as a transgender pioneer. After decades as an attorney, activist, and educator, Murray began studying at General Theological Seminary in New York. She earned a Master of Divinity Degree in 1976 and became the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal Priest.

The Pauli Murray Family Home, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. Today, the home houses the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice and, since 2024, has been part of the African American Civil Rights Network—preserving the story of someone whose vision changed America by insisting that no one should be left unseen.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

Charles Hamilton Houston was born in Washington, D.C., in 1895 and became one of the nation’s most brilliant attorneys. A graduate of Harvard Law School, where he served at the first Black editor of the Harvard Law Review. Houston believed that legal action could be used to dismantle racial injustice. As vice dean of the Howard University School of Law, he trained a generation of civil rights lawyers, including Thurgood Marshall, the first Black American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court .

Houston developed the legal strategy that challenged the doctrine of “separate but equal” and systematically attacked segregation in America’s courts. Though he died in 1950, four years before Brown v. Board of Education, his scholarship and diligence laid the framework for this landmark decision. Today, Charles Hamilton Houston is remembered as the man who killed Jim Crow.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

#unhiddenblackhistory #NationalParkService #yourparkstory #NationalGeographic #unhiddenminute

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a copy of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.

One of the most accomplished military aviators in American history, Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. was the first Black American to earn the rank of four-star general in the United States Armed Forces. Born in Pensacola, Florida, in 1920, James trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field during World War II, joining the first wave of Black fighter pilots who challenged segregation in the military.

Though the war ended before he entered combat, James later flew 101 missions in Korea and 78 more in Vietnam. Known for his courage, sharp discipline, and commanding presence, “Chappie” became a national symbol of patriotism and perseverance. In 1975, he achieved four-star rank and helped lead North American Air Defense Command, inspiring generations of Black Americans to pursue aviation, military service, and leadership in America. Today his legacy endures despite efforts to suppress it.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates the enduring legacy of Black American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series elevates the untold stories of Black American historical figures, events and cultural contributions.

Become a paid subscriber to the Unhidden Minute Podcast for one year and receive a free copy The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors 10th Anniversary Edition by James Edward Mills.