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BlackPast.org is a free online reference resource for African American history in the United States and the histories of people of African ancestry around the world. Volunteers contribute entries and Perspectives articles, while the site’s director, selected academic advisers and copy editors help review submissions. Readers can use its entries as starting points, then follow documents, bibliographies and cited sources for deeper research.
What is BlackPast.org?
BlackPast.org describes its mission as providing “comprehensive, reliable, and accurate information” about African Americans in the United States and people of African ancestry in other regions of the world. The site also summarizes its purpose as sharing reliable information about Black people globally, especially in North America. Read BlackPast.org’s mission statement.
The site says it was founded on February 1, 2007, in Seattle, Washington. The National Council on Public History identifies historian Quintard Taylor as its founder. BlackPast is freely accessible and is sustained by staff and volunteer scholars, academic contributors and editorial reviewers. BlackPast.org’s FAQ and user guide; National Council on Public History profile.
How does BlackPast.org use volunteer editors?
Volunteers contribute encyclopedia entries and Perspectives articles; the process is not simply open editing of published pages. BlackPast’s FAQ, revised June 1, 2024, says only staff can modify content after publication. According to that guide, the website director, consulting the Academic Advisory Board, decides whether proposed subjects meet the site’s standard for historical significance. It lists contributor requirements as being at least 18, enrolled in or graduated from an institution of higher education, and having demonstrated expertise related to a proposed entry.
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Submissions are reviewed by the website director and, selectively, members of the Academic Advisory Board, and are copy edited. These eligibility and review details reflect the FAQ as of June 1, 2024; prospective contributors should check the site’s current instructions before submitting.
What kinds of history resources can readers find?
The user guide organizes the site into African American History and Global African History. Its entries cover people, events, places, institutions, music and movements, and point readers toward sources for further information. The guide also describes these resource types:
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- Encyclopedia entries: Accessible overviews that orient readers to a subject and provide a route into further research.
- Speeches and primary documents: Transcripts and full-text source material for readers who want to examine historical texts directly.
- Timelines: A way to place events in chronological context.
- Bibliographies: Lists intended to guide additional reading. The June 1, 2024 FAQ describes eight bibliographies listing more than 5,000 major books on African American history; this is a dated guide figure, not a confirmed live inventory.
- Perspectives: Articles that may draw on an author’s relevant expertise or firsthand familiarity.
Resource descriptions and counts are from the BlackPast.org user guide and FAQ.
How can you use a BlackPast entry for deeper research?
- Start with the entry. Use it to identify the people, events, places or institutions central to the subject.
- Follow its sources. Check the cited references and use them to locate fuller accounts or original materials.
- Choose the next resource for your question. Look for a speech or primary document when you need source text, a bibliography when you need books to consult, or a timeline when chronology is unclear.
- Separate overview from evidence. Treat an encyclopedia entry as an introduction, then consult the underlying sources when making a detailed argument or verifying a quotation.
What do BlackPast’s audience figures show?
BlackPast.org’s 2024 annual report records 6,486,102 users in 2024 and 62,719,511 users over the life of the site since 2007. Its FAQ, revised June 1, 2024, separately reports 6,517,722 visits in 2023. Users and visits are different measures, so the figures should not be compared as a like-for-like year-over-year trend. The same FAQ described nearly 1,000 contributors as of June 1, 2024; that is a dated count, not a verified current total. BlackPast.org’s 2024 annual report; FAQ revised June 1, 2024.
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Where can you support or explore the project?
Readers can browse BlackPast’s history sections and use its guides to locate entries and related materials. The site also asks readers to donate in support of its mission. Its donation request is a direct way to support the project; it does not establish that the site endorses particular books or operates an affiliate program. Visit BlackPast.org.
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