I’m always interested in websites that educate and provide historical insight. Here are seven that recently caught my attention because of their great, diverse content.
1. Stax Museum of American Soul Music: http://www.staxmuseum.com/
Why I like this website:
It offers a window into the making of Stax Records, a great label that showcased the talents of Rufus and Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes and many others. The defunct record label in Memphis, TN is now the home of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. You can buy music from the website, learn about the museum's exhibits and more.
2. Dallasblack.com, http://www.dallasblack.com
Why I like this website:
The site does a good job of featuring the latest happenings in Dallas’ black community and has fun doing it. This is the perfect site for the young, young-at-heart and those who want to be in the know. It’s a veteran site that keeps improving.
3. 123teachme.com, www.123teachme.com
Why I like this website:
If you want to learn Spanish, either for work or for your own personal development, this website will help you. It’s loaded with all the goodies – an in-depth verb conjugator tool along with dining out and/or traveling tips. Be sure to check out the Spanish for Kids and games areas.
4. Latino Public Broadcasting, http://www.lpbp.org/
Why I like this website:
I’m a longtime public media consumer and one-time NPR contributor. This website showcases great programming including documentaries focusing on the Latino community. Be sure to visit the blog, located under the LPB Community tab, for lots of great information.
5. Mississippi Valley Collections at The University of Memphis,
http://www.memphis.edu/specialcollections/
Why I like this website:
It lists just a few of the priceless items available for review, including more than 3,000 interviews on various topics, photographs mostly from The Commercial Appeal and the defunct Press-Scimitar newspapers to the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Collection and lots of items about Elvis Presley. I used some audio from the funeral of Rev. King in my radio documentary Dr. Martin L. King Jr.: The Man, The Movement, The Momentum.”
6. Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, http://nmaahc.si.edu/
Why I like this website:
The site’s Exhibitions and Programs page highlights its offerings and future events to the Save our African American Treasures initiative. Some of the museum’s team members came to Dallas in June 2011 to assist in the identification and preservation of historical items. They also handed out copies of African American Treasures: A Preservation Guide.
7. Rhodes College Crossroads, http://www.rhodes.edu/academics/7635.asp
Why I like this website:
This is an information junkie-history-buff’s dream website come true! It’s a student-maintained digital archive about Memphis, Tenn.’s cultural heritage. Rhodes College hosts the site, which features various collections including pages from the Memphis World newspaper, a black publication in circulation from 1931 to 1973.