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For academics, historians and activists, the past year has been tumultuous in advocating 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 some African American history lessons are meant to indoctrinate people into hating the country. The administration has dismantled Black history at national parks, most recently removing last month. Black history advocates see these acts and their chilling effect as scary and unprecedented.
鈥淪tates and cities are nervous about retribution from the White House,” said DeRay Mckesson, a longtime activist and executive director of Campaign Zero, an organization focused on police reform. “So even the good people are just quieter now.鈥�
In the 100th year since the nation鈥檚 earliest observances of Black History Month 鈥� which began when 鈥� celebrations will go on. The current political climate has energized civil rights organizations, artists and academics to engage young people on a full telling of America鈥檚 story. There are hundreds of lectures, teach-ins and even new books 鈥� from nonfiction to a graphic novel 鈥� to mark the milestone.
鈥淭his is why we are working with more than 150 teachers around the country on a Black History Month curriculum to just ensure that young people continue to learn about Black history in a way that is intentional and thoughtful,鈥� Mckesson said about organization and leading Black scholars to expand access to educational materials.
New graphic novel highlights history of Juneteenth
About three years ago, Ang茅lique Roch茅, a journalist and adjunct professor at Xavier University of Louisiana, accepted a 鈥渙nce-in-a-lifetime鈥� invitation to be the writer for a graphic novel retelling of the story of
Lee, who will also turn 100 this year, is largely credited for getting federal recognition of the commemorating the day when enslaved people in Texas learned they were emancipated. Under Trump, however, Juneteenth is at national parks.
Juneteenth helped usher in the first generation of Black Americans who, like Woodson, was born free. the graphic novel, comes out Feb. 10. It is the culmination of Roch茅’s assiduous archival research, phone chats and visits to Texas to see Lee and her granddaughter, Dione Sims.
鈥淭here is nothing 鈥榠ndoctrinating鈥� about facts that are based on primary sources that are highly researched,鈥� said Roch茅, who hopes the book makes it into libraries and classrooms. 鈥淎t the end of the day, what the story should actually tell people is that we鈥檙e far more alike than we are different.鈥�
While Lee is the main character, Roch茅 used the novel as a chance to put attention on lesser known historical figures like William 鈥淕ooseneck Bill鈥� McDonald, Texas鈥� first Black millionaire, and Opal Lee鈥檚 mother, Mattie Broadous Flake.
She hopes this format will inspire young people to follow Lee and her mantra 鈥� “make yourself a committee of one.鈥�
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean don鈥檛 work with other people,鈥� Roch茅 said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for other people to make the changes you wanna see.鈥�
Campaign aims to train new generation of Black historians
When Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders were issued last year, Jarvis Givens, a professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard, was thousands of miles away teaching in London, where Black History Month is celebrated in October. He had already been contemplating writing a book for the centennial.
Watching Trump’s 鈥渁ttack鈥� cemented the idea, Givens said.
鈥淚 wanted to kind of devote my time while on leave to writing a book that would honor the legacy that gave us Black History Month,鈥� Givens said.
The result is a book with four in-depth essays that comes out Tuesday. The title is a line from the 1920s poem 鈥淭he Creation鈥� by James Weldon Johnson, whose most famous poem, 鈥淟ift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,鈥� is known as the 鈥淏lack National Anthem.鈥�
Givens examines important themes in Black history and clarifies misconceptions around them.
The book and the research Givens dug up will tie into a 鈥渓iving history campaign鈥� with Campaign Zero and Afro Charities, Mckesson said. The goal is to teach what Woodson believed 鈥� younger generations can become historians who can discern fact from fiction.
鈥淲hen I grew up, the preservation of history was a historian鈥檚 job,鈥� Mckesson said, adding his group’s campaign will teach young students how to record history.
How the 鈥榝ather of Black history鈥� might feel today
Born in 1875 to formerly enslaved parents, Woodson was among the first generation of Black Americans not assigned to bondage at birth. He grew up believing that education was a way to self-empowerment, said Robert Trent Vinson, director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The second Black man to earn a doctorate at Harvard University 鈥� W.E.B. Du Bois was the first 鈥� Woodson was disillusioned by how Black history was dismissed. He saw that the memories and culture of less educated Black people were no less valuable, Vinson said.
When Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, he was in an era where popular stereotypes like blackface and minstrelsy were filling in for actual knowledge of the Black experience, according to Vinson. This sparked the creation of Black history clubs and Woodson began inserting historical lessons 鈥渙n the sly鈥� in publications like the 鈥淛ournal of Negro History鈥� and the 鈥淣egro History Bulletin.鈥�
鈥淥utside the formal school structure, they鈥檙e having a separate school like in churches or in study groups,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淥r they鈥檙e sharing it with parents and saying, 鈥榶ou teach your young people this history.鈥� So, Woodson is creating a whole educational space outside the formal university.鈥�
In 1976, for the week’s 50th anniversary, President Gerald Ford issued a message recognizing it as an entire month. There was pushback then over the gains the Civil Rights Movement had made, Givens said.
As for today’s backlash over Black and African American studies, Vinson believes Woodson would not be surprised. But, he would see it as a sign 鈥測ou鈥檙e on the right track.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of what he called 鈥榝ugitivity,’ of sharing this knowledge and being strategic about it,鈥� Vinson said. 鈥淭here are other times like in this moment, Black History Month, where you can be more out and assertive, but be strategic about how you spread the information.鈥�
Resistance to teaching Black history is something that seems to occur every generation, Mckesson said.
鈥淲e will go back to normalcy. We鈥檝e seen these backlashes before,鈥� Mckesson said. 鈥淎nd when I think about the informal networks of Black people who have always resisted, I think that is happening today.鈥�
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Tang reported from Phoenix.
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