1975 Archives

May 19, 1972: First Malcolm X Day Celebration in D.C.

In a personal essay about the longest-running, largest annual event to celebrate the legacy of Malcolm X, Charles Stephenson describes the celebration’s founding and impact of that day in history.

May 13, 1985: Philadelphia Police Bomb MOVE

The Philadelphia Police Department dropped a C-4 bomb on the home of the MOVE organization, killing eleven people (including five children) and wiping out half a city block.

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People

Book — Non-Fiction. By Kekla Magoon. 2021.
An account of militant revolutionaries and human rights advocates working to defend and protect their community.

Native American Activism: 1960s to Present

Overview of Native American activism since the late 1960s, including protests at Mt. Rushmore, Alcatraz, Standing Rock, and more.

Grenada education poster| Zinn Education Project

Grenada: ‘A Lovely Little War’

By Bill Bigelow

Anti-bullying curricula are the rage these days. But the official history curriculum teachers are provided often celebrates, or at least excuses, bullying among nations. Well, at least when the United States is the bully.

A good example is the U.S. invasion of Grenada — Operation Urgent Fury, as it was called by the Reagan administration — launched on Oct. 25, 1983. Grenada made an unlikely target of U.S. military might. Its main product was not oil but nutmeg. Its naval fleet consisted of about 10 fishing trawlers. Grenada’s population of 110,000 was smaller than Peoria, Illinois. At the time of the invasion, there was not a single stoplight in the entire country. So what put Grenada in the crosshairs of the Reagan administration?

Nov. 12, 1991: Indonesian Massacre of East Timorese

Using arms from the United States, Indonesian troops fired on a peaceful procession in East Timor, killing more than 270 people.

Salvadoran Jesuit Martyrs | Zinn Education Project

Nov. 16, 1989: Jesuit Scholars/Priests and Staff Massacred in El Salvador

Six Jesuit scholars/priests and two staff members were murdered by the U.S.-backed military in El Salvador.

Aug. 3, 1981: Air Traffic Controllers Strike

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) declared a strike.

Aug. 18, 1977: Steve Biko Arrested

Anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko was arrested at a police roadblock in South Africa.

Sept. 21, 1976: Sheridan Circle Car Bomb

Orlando Letelier and Ronni Moffitt were killed in Washington, D.C. by a U.S.-backed Augusto Pinochet regime car bomb.

Dec. 2, 1980: Three Nuns and Lay Worker Killed in El Salvador

Three nuns and a lay worker were killed in El Salvador by members of the U.S.-backed National Guard.

The Rebellious Lives of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow.
In this mixer lesson, students learn about Rosa Parks' many decades of activism by taking on roles from various times in her life. In this way, students learn about her radicalism before, during, and long after the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Aug. 3, 1980: Reagan Gives “State’s Rights” Speech at Neshoba County Fair

Reagan appealed to the “George Wallace-inclined voters” and to white supremacy in his stump speech at the Neshoba County Fair, mere miles away from where three civil rights workers were murdered by the Klan in 1964.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

Book — Non-fiction. By Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert. 2021.
This biography of Rosa Parks accessibly examines her six decades of activism, challenging young readers’ perceptions of her as an accidental actor in the Civil Rights Movement.

Teaching Gloria E. Anzaldúa: Pedagogy and Practice for Our Classrooms and Communities

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Cantú-Sánchez, de León-Zepeda, and Cantú. 2020. 360 pages.
Essays on the first-hand use of Gloria E. Anzaldúa's theories in classrooms and community environments.

Teaching Activity by Edited by Margaret Cantú-Sánchez, Candace de León-Zepeda, and Norma Elia Cantú

Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance

Book — Non-fiction. By Nick Estes. 2024. 328 pages.
In Our History Is the Future, Nick Estes traces traditions of Indigenous resistance that led to the #NoDAPL movement.

Teaching Activity by Nick Estes

Takeover: How We Occupied a Hospital and Changed Public Health Care

Film. By Emma Francis-Snyder. 2021. 38 minutes.
Takeover tells the story of the Young Lords’ 12-hour occupation of Lincoln Hospital in the South Bronx in 1970.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Film. Directed by Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen. Produced by Soledad O’Brien. 2022. 101 minutes.
This documentary sheds light on Rosa Parks' extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to justice.

Aug. 15, 1988: Food Not Bombs Volunteers Arrested

Nine volunteers were arrested for sharing food and literature at Golden Gate Park.

"Prison Justice Day" by Rocky Tobey. Part of the Celebrate People's History Poster collection by the Justseeds Collective.

Aug. 10, 1975: Prisoner Strike Leads to Prisoners’ Justice Day

August 10 is recognized internationally as Prisoners’ Justice Day (PJD), a day of solidarity and organizing with the incarcerated, and remembrance of those who died behind bars, living in inhumane conditions.

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation

Book — Non-fiction. By Linda Villarosa. 2023. 288 pages.
This book details racial health disparities in the United States.

Teaching Activity by Linda Villarosa

Period: 1975

May 19, 1972: First Malcolm X Day Celebration in D.C.

May 13, 1985: Philadelphia Police Bomb MOVE

Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People

Native American Activism: 1960s to Present

Aug. 3, 1981: Air Traffic Controllers Strike

Aug. 18, 1977: Steve Biko Arrested

Sept. 21, 1976: Sheridan Circle Car Bomb

The Rebellious Lives of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Aug. 3, 1980: Reagan Gives “State’s Rights” Speech at Neshoba County Fair

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition

Teaching Gloria E. Anzaldúa: Pedagogy and Practice for Our Classrooms and Communities

Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance

Takeover: How We Occupied a Hospital and Changed Public Health Care

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks

Aug. 15, 1988: Food Not Bombs Volunteers Arrested

Aug. 10, 1975: Prisoner Strike Leads to Prisoners’ Justice Day

Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation

The Sum of Us: How Racism Hurts Everyone (Young Readers’ Edition)

Cooked: Survival by ZIP Code

May 17, 1980: Miami Riots Begin

Jan. 4, 1977: Students Successfully Sue School Board Over Book Bans

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