The Nation’s editors—starting with its abolitionist founders—have always provided space for those persistent and too-often lonely voices inveighing against the evils of racial injustice. In this archival slide show, we present a small sampling of articles highlighting issues of race and civil rights from The Nation’s past 147 years with original contributions by Martin Luther King, Jr, Langston Hughes, Howard Zinn, James Baldwin and many others.

The only way to keep up on all of The Nation‘s historic content is by joining our free EmailNation list. Arriving three times each week, this timely alert provides breaking news, informed opinion, first looks at new Nation investigative reports, details on when Nation writers are on TV and info on critical activist initiatives. And we’ll never share your name with anyone! Sign up now!