For academics, historians, and activists, the past year has been tumultuous in advocating for the teaching of Black history in the United States.
Despite last year proclaiming February as National Black History Month, President Donald Trump started his second term by claiming that some African American history lessons are meant to indoctrinate people into hating the country. The administration has dismantled Black history initiatives at national parks, most notably pulling down an exhibit on slavery in Philadelphia last month. Black history advocates view these moves as unprecedented and concerning.
“States and cities are nervous about retribution from the White House,” said DeRay Mckesson, a longtime activist and executive director of Campaign Zero, which focuses on police reform. “So even the good people are just quieter now.”
As we mark the 100th anniversary of the nation’s earliest observances of Black History Month, which began when scholar Carter G. Woodson pioneered the first Negro History Week, celebrations continue amidst a tense political climate. This uncertainty has energized civil rights organizations, artists, and academics to engage with young people about the complete story of America’s past. Hundreds of lectures, teach-ins, and new publications — spanning from nonfiction to graphic novels — are being launched to commemorate this milestone.
“This is why we are working with more than 150 teachers across the country on a Black History Month curriculum to ensure that young people continue to learn about Black history in a way that is intentional and thoughtful,” Mckesson stated about a campaign his organization has initiated with Afro Charities and prominent Black scholars.
New graphic novel highlights the history of Juneteenth
Three years ago, journalist and adjunct professor Angélique Roché accepted an invitation to write a graphic novel retelling the story of Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth.” Lee, who is also turning 100 this year, played a crucial role in attaining federal recognition for the June 19 holiday that observes the day enslaved individuals in Texas learned of their emancipation. Under Trump’s administration, however, Juneteenth has also lost its designation as a free-admission day at national parks.
“First Freedom: The Story of Opal Lee and Juneteenth,” will be released Tuesday and represents the culmination of Roché’s diligent archival research and visits to Texas to engage with Lee and her family.
“There is nothing ‘indoctrinating’ about facts that are based on primary sources that are highly researched,” Roché expressed, hoping the book gains traction in libraries and classrooms. “At the end of the day, what the story should actually tell people is that we’re far more alike than different.”
While Lee is a central figure, Roché uses the novel to highlight lesser-known historical figures, such as William “Gooseneck Bill” McDonald, Texas’s first Black millionaire, and Opal Lee’s mother, Mattie Broadous Flake.
Campaign aims to train new generation of Black historians
In response to Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders, Jarvis Givens, a professor at Harvard, was inspired to contribute to this historical narrative while teaching abroad in London. His forthcoming book, I’ll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month, features four essays that delve deep into Black history and address common misconceptions.
Givens’s work aims to complement a “living history campaign” being developed with Campaign Zero and Afro Charities, reinforcing the belief that young generations can grow into historians who distinguish fact from fiction.
Reflecting on the legacy of Black history
Carter G. Woodson, born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, believed education was pivotal for self-emancipation. Vinson, a director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute, suggests that Woodson would view the current backlash against Black history education as indicative that progress is being made.
Resistance to teaching Black history has surfaced in every generation, and Mckesson asserts that the fight will continue: “We’ve seen these backlashes before, and there are informal networks of Black people who have always resisted.”
