Media Resources

Even though Puerto Rico has been part of the United States for over a century, confusion persists about its legal status and that of the U.S. citizens that live on the island. And with reason: though Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they lack voting representation in Congress and cannot vote for president, unless they leave the island and move to one of the fifty states. This episode of BackStory explores the history of the colonial relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico, characterized by what scholar Amilcar Barreto calls “malign neglect.”

Slave Voyages: The Transatlantic Slave Trade Database is an NEH-funded digital humanities project that represents decades of careful research and documentation. Scholars worked to collect information about the voyages of enslaved people, first across the Atlantic and then within the Americas, and to transfer unpublished archival records into machine-readable data.

Afropop Worldwide discusses the music and legacy of Nigerian artist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, a founder of the Afrobeat music style. Fela was known for his non-conformist style, both musically and in life. Much of his music critiques the Nigerian state and the aftermath of British colonialism; as a consequence, Fela was the victim of great violence at the hands of police and military. Fela continued to level criticisms at corruption and brutality in the government until the end of his life. He died from complications of AIDS in 1997.

Listen to artists and critics reflect on the blues and its relationship to American and African culture and music.

With a grant from the NEH, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst was able to digitize the W.E.B. Du Bois papers—almost 95,000 items. They are now freely available online for students and scholars around the world to use in their research and learning.

Esther Krinitz's art and story provide a powerful lens through which young people can view and reflect on important issues and themes raised by the Holocaust.