Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In 1968 Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress. In 1972 she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, breaking another political barrier.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Iran has international borders with 13 sovereign countries, both on land and sea. It has a total of 5,894 kilometres (3,662 mi) land borders with Iraq, Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.[1] With a total of 2,440 kilometres (1,520 mi) coastline, it has maritime borders with 6 other countries: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.[1] The Iran–Turkey border has a 376 kilometres (234 mi) moat, along with a 4 metres (13 ft) high concrete wall.[2]
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Iran has international borders with 13 sovereign countries, both on land and sea. It has a total of 5,894 kilometres (3,662 mi) land borders with Iraq, Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. With a total of 2,440 kilometres (1,520 mi) coastline, it has maritime borders with 6 other countries: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. The Iran–Turkey border has a 376 kilometres (234 mi) moat, along with a 4 metres (13 ft) high concrete wall.
Azerbaijan has land and maritime borders with five countries: Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Iran to the south, Turkey to the west (via the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the northwest) and Armenia to the west and via the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the north and east. To the east, Azerbaijan is bordered by the Caspian Sea which is classified as the world's largest lake and also as a closed sea. Additionally, in Armenia, there exist three Azerbaijani enclaves: Barxudarlı, Yuxarı Əskipara and Karki (located north of the region of Nakhchivan) Reciprocally, there exists one Armenian enclave, a village called Artsvashen in north-western Azerbaijan. Although as a landlocked country Azerbaijan has no access to the open sea (hence the ocean), it has a coastline of 713 km (443 mi) on the Caspian Sea, which is a lake or a closed sea depending on various definitions and interpretations. Because of its large size and being bordered by five countries, it has (still partially undefined) maritime borders and naval forces by all five Caspian littoral states. Azerbaijan's maritime boundaries with Russia and Kazakhstan have been determined, but the boundaries with Iran and Turkmenistan are still disputed. Since March 2020 and due initially to the COVID-19 pandemic, all land borders of Azerbaijan remain closed, which has been extended every six months. However, cargo from Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Turkey has continued to be allowed to enter and leave Azerbaijan by land.
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west; Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest; the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast; Afghanistan to the east; Pakistan to the southeast; and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south. With a population of over 92 million, Iran ranks 17th globally in both geographic size and population. It is divided into five regions with 31 provinces. Tehran is the nation's capital and largest city and serves as its primary economic center. Home to one of the world's oldest continuous major civilizations, the territory of present-day Iran was first unified under the Medes in the 7th century BC and reached its territorial height in the 6th century BC, when Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the empire in the 4th century BC. An Iranian rebellion in the 3rd century BC established the Parthian Empire, which later liberated the country. In the 3rd century AD, the Parthians were succeeded by the Sasanian Empire, which oversaw a golden age in the history of Iranian civilization. Ancient Iran saw some of the earliest developments of writing, agriculture, urbanization, religion, and administration. Once a center for Zoroastrianism, Iran underwent Islamization following the 7th century Muslim conquest. Innovations in literature, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy and art were renewed during the Islamic Golden Age and Iranian Intermezzo, a period during which Iranian Muslim dynasties ended Arab rule and revived the Persian language. This era was followed by Seljuk and Khwarazmian rule, Mongol conquests and the Timurid Renaissance from the 11th to 14th centuries. In the 16th century, the native Safavid dynasty re-established a unified Iranian state with Twelver Shia Islam as the official religion, laying the framework for the modern state of Iran. During the Afsharid Empire in the 18th century, Iran was a leading world power, but it lost this status after the Qajars took power in the 1790s. The early 20th century saw the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty by Reza Shah, who ousted the last Qajar Shah in 1925. Following the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941, his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi rose to power. Attempts by Mohammad Mosaddegh to nationalize the oil industry led to the Anglo-American coup in 1953. The Iranian Revolution in 1979 overthrew the monarchy, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was established by Ruhollah Khomeini, the country's first supreme leader. In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, sparking the eight-year-long Iran–Iraq War. Iran has since been involved in proxy wars with Israel and Saudi Arabia; in 2025, Israeli strikes on Iran escalated tensions into the Twelve-Day War. Following the war and amid a growing economic crisis, the largest protests since 1979 erupted in 2025. The United States and Israel launched a war with Iran in 2026, after they assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was elected as his successor. Iran's government is a theocratic Islamic republic governed by elected and unelected institutions, with ultimate authority vested in the supreme leader. While it holds elections, key offices, including the head of state and military, are not subject to public vote. The Iranian government is an authoritarian regime which has been widely criticized internationally due to poor human rights record, including restrictions on freedom of assembly, expression, and the press, as well as its treatment of women, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents. The Iranian economy is centrally planned with significant state ownership in key sectors. It is a regional power, due to its large reserves of fossil fuels, natural gas supply and oil reserves, its geopolitically significant location, and its role as the world's focal point of Shia Islam. Iran is a threshold state with one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs. It is a founding member of the UN and a member state of numerous international organizations. Iran has 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the 10th-highest in the world) and ranks 4th in intangible cultural heritage or human treasures.
The Border Guard Command (Persian: فرماندهی مرزبانی جمهوری اسلامی ایران , romanized: Fərmândēhi-ē Mərzbâni Jomhūri-ē Ēslâmi-ē Irân), commonly known as FARAJA Border Guard (Persian: مرزبانی فراجا), is a subdivision of the Law Enforcement Force (FARAJA) and Iran's sole agency that performs border guard and border control duties for land borders, and coast guard duties for maritime borders. The unit was founded in 2000. Between 1991 and 2000, border control was the responsibility of the Security deputy of FARAJA. Prior to 1991, border control was the responsibility of the Gendarmerie.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
