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Contextualizing Minneapolis in 2026

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created by New American History on January 29, 2026

Police officer looking at Viola Liuzzo’s car after the march from Selma to Montgomery.

From Selma to Minneapolis

On M.L.K. Day, the death of Renee Good calls to mind another woman who died protesting for the rights of others.

by Jelani Cobb via The New Yorker on January 19, 2026

Contextualizing the death of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis to events around Civil Rights, especially around the Selma protests.

The Minneapolis Uprising in Context

A proper understanding of urban rebellion depends on our ability to interpret it not as a wave of criminality, but as political violence.

by Elizabeth Hinton via Boston Review on May 29, 2020

A piece about Minneapolis that puts the 2020 protests into historical context.

10 Experts on Where the George Floyd Protests Fit Into American History

Many are looking to history for clues about how to understand the evolving moment. Here's what to know.

by Matt Delmont, Kellie Carter Jackson, Olivia B. Waxman, Simon Balto, Duchess Harris, Tyran K. Steward, Greg Carr, Ashley Howard, Jamila Michener, Philip A. Klinkner via TIME on June 4, 2020

This piece helps readers to see the 2020 protests as part of a long history of activism and resistance in the United States.

Mavis Staples singing on stage, head back and hand raised.

Mavis Staples on Prince, Trump, Black Lives Matter, and Her Exercise Regimen

Mavis Staples' lyrics span from the civil-rights-era to today's societal issues.

by Mavis Staples, Elon Green via The New Yorker on September 11, 2017

This article explores how artists like Prince and Mavis Staples have responded to social and racial injustice.

When Nina Simone Sang What Everyone Was Thinking

“Mississippi Goddam” was an angry response to tragedy, in show tune form.

by Tom Maxwell via Longreads on April 20, 2017

Nina Simone became part of the history of protest music when she composed and sang this song. As she said: "“Music is one of the ways by which you can know everything which is going on in the world."

Illustration of the folk hero, John Henry, face down with a hammer in his hand.

A History of American Protest Music: This Is the Hammer That Killed John Henry

How a folk hero inspired one of the most covered songs in American history.

by Tom Maxwell via Longreads on October 4, 2017

This piece focuses on earlier histories of American protest music.

How New York City’s Radical Social Movements Gave Rise to Hip-Hop

The revolutionary history behind one of America’s main musical exports.

by Dean Van Nguyen via Literary Hub on May 6, 2025

A more contemporary look at music of protest and resistance.

Children's coloring sheets of overturned police cars.

Magic Actions

Looking back on the George Floyd rebellion.

by Tobi Haslett via n+1 on July 21, 2021

This piece discusses the broader reactions to George Floyd's death in 2020.