This program examines the critical roles that Black servicewomen played in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Nearly 9,000 African American women served throughout the United States and in England under racially segregated and discriminatory conditions. Black servicewomen trained in all-Black units and were permitted only to compose a certain enlistment quota. They served largely in support roles and in positions of menial and manual labor. They were barred from the same advancement opportunities given to white women and almost entirely prohibited from serving overseas. And still, they served. Moreover, in their support of achieving Allied victory in 1945, Black women realized a link between promoting civil rights for African Americans in the Armed Forces and on the home front. 

The online resources featured below were curated by the Dr. Carter G. Woodson Collaborative in order to support the approved edits to the SOL curriculum framework made by the Governor’s Commission on African American History Education. The SOL standard and the approved edits appear in the first two columns of the spreadsheet followed by correlating links and a contextual overview of each resource. The final column identifies each link as open educational resources (OER) vs. copyrighted materials that cannot be edited. As there are few resources that are entirely free of cultural bias, we suggest that you refer to the Collaborative’s Support and Guidance in Selecting and Enacting Resources document in order to consider how these materials can best be utilized.

This resource presents a variety of digital resources hosted by Virginia Museum of Fine Arts that students can use to explore the life and work of renowned African-American photographer Louis Draper.  

The student will apply social science skills to understand how the nation grew and changed from the end of Reconstruction through the early twentieth century by e) evaluating and explaining the social and cultural impact of industrialization, including rapid urbanization; Great Migration.

In 1973, Ann Coyer became the first military woman to serve in Antarctica. As an administrative officer with the Navy, she worked to support U.S. scientific research activities during the polar summer as a part of Operation Deep Freeze. The Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.Music: https://www.bensound.com 

The Military Women’s Memorial commemorates the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 – a date that lives in infamy – through the story of Anna Urda Busby, a nurse who was stationed there and who experienced the attack firsthand. The Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.Music: https://www.bensound.com

Elizabeth “Betty” Splaine joined the U.S. Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, the SPARS, during World War II. She continued her service after the war for another twenty years, becoming the Coast Guard’s first female warrant officer in 1958. The HERstory Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world-class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

Charity Adams Earley was the highest-ranking Black woman in the U.S. Army during World War II. She commanded the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only contingent of Black WACs to serve overseas during the war. In spring 2022, President Biden signed the bipartisan legislation to award the 6888th the Congressional Gold Metal. The HERstory Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world-class collection. The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

The bugle has been a part of military tradition since the nation’s beginning. In 1942, Donna-Mae Smith became the first woman bugler in the Army. The Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.Music: Artist: Maarten Schellekens, Title: Mi Bolero, https://freemusicarchive.org

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was a surgeon, suffragist, and feminist reformer. In 1865, she was awarded the Medal of Honor for her service as a contract surgeon with the Union Army during the Civil War. Dr. Walker remains, to this day, the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor. The HERstory Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both the Military Women's Memorial (MWM) Register, an interactive online database of military women, and MWM's world class collection. The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

Gianna Fimbres drove fuel tankers in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. She shared her story with the Military Women’s Memorial and preserved it in our register - Hear her story in her own words. You can also preserve your stories by registering your service.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

Jasmin Moghbeli is a Marine Corps aviator and an astronaut. As a 2020 graduate of NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Training Program, she is eligible to be the first woman on the moon as part of the Artemis Program. The HERstory Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection. The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

In 1970, Aida Nancy Sanchez deployed to Vietnam as a physical therapist, where she treated Americans, Vietnamese, and even the president of Cambodia. The Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.Music: Mushroom Funghi, https://freemusicarchive.org

During the Spanish-American War, more than 1,500 women worked for the Army as contract nurses, treating troops who contracted typhoid, malaria, and yellow fever. These nurses paved the way for the creation of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901, which enabled women to officially serve in the U.S. military for the first time. The HERstory Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

The First World War brought women into new roles in the military to fill jobs that would free men to be sent to the war in Europe. Opha May Johnson made history in 1918 as the first woman to enlist in the Marine Corps. The Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both our Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.Music: https://www.bensound.com

During the height of the Space Race, Air Force Col. Pearl E. Tucker led a course in aerospace nursing. To understand spaceflight and to be prepared to render medical aid, the aerospace nurses underwent much of the same training as astronauts. The nurses paved the way for women to have increasingly integral roles in space exploration in later years.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

Sarah Keys Evans was a civil rights trailblazer who stood up to discrimination by refusing to give up her seat on a bus, three years before the arrest of Rosa Parks. The HERstory Spotlight Series takes a look at stories from both the Military Women's Memorial Register, an interactive online database of military women, and our world class collection.The Military Women’s Memorial, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the only historical repository documenting all military women’s service. It is located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and features an education center, interactive exhibitions, a world-class collection of military women’s stories, and engaging programs and events for all generations. Find out more about us at www.womensmemorial.org.

Art objects made and used in the past can offer clues to the ideas and attitudes that may have been prevalent at the time of their creation. Spending time to thoughtfully examine and explain their own ideas about such an object encourages students to become curious and open lines of inquiry about historical context. This interactive exercise guides students as they document their thinking about an 18th century American artwork.

This activity activates prior knowledge while developing insight into historical perspectives. Use this activity to help students broaden their horizons and explore diverse ideas.

Students will look at an overview of the rise of mass news media in the U.S.. They will then study the Civil Rights movement through the lens of media coverage to determine the impact news coverage of violence against peaceful protestors helped lead to social change.