Academic Historian

Ross Coen is an instructor in the History Department at the University of Washington. He earned his Ph.D. in history there in 2021. Dr. Coen researches the political, social, and environmental history of the American West. He is the author of three books, including Fu-Go: The Curious History of Japan’s Balloon Bomb Attack on America, published by University of Nebraska Press in 2014. Since 2016, he has served as the editor of Alaska History, the peer-reviewed journal of the Alaska Historical Society. He lives in Everett, Washington.

Sundown Towns

Sundown Towns are all-white communities, neighborhoods, or counties that exclude Blacks and other minorities through the use of discriminatory laws, harassment, and threats or use of violence. The name derives from the posted and verbal warnings issued to Blacks that although they might be allowed … Read MoreSundown Towns

Lillie M. Carroll Jackson (1889-1975)

Lillie May Carroll Jackson was a civil rights organizer in Baltimore and longtime leader of the city’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Known as the “Mother of Freedom,” Jackson was credited with pioneering the tactic of non-violent resistance … Read MoreLillie M. Carroll Jackson (1889-1975)