1929-1945: Great Depression and World War II
Highlights
Although there were many inequities in the New Deal housing,
agricultural and economic programs, blacks had opportunities
to obtain employment, some in areas previously closed to
them. Black writers, for example, participated in the New
Deal's writing projects, while other black Americans interviewed
former slaves for the Works
Project Administration (WPA).
The New Deal programs did not end the Depression. Black-owned
newspapers protested segregation, mistreatment, and discrimination.
People, Places and Events
- Mary McCleod Bethune (1875-1955)
[See second entry]: Educator, leader of women, a distinguished
adviser to several
American
presidents, and a powerful champion of racial equality
- William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963):
Founding member of the National Association for the Advancement
of Colored People (NAACP -- the largest and oldest civil
rights organization in America).
Activist,
Editor, and Scholar
- Zora Neal Hurston (1903-1960):
Folklorist and Novelist
Zora
Neal Hurston Plays at the Library of Congress
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