Black History

This Was Not Ancient History When I look at photographs of white parents protesting school integration in the 1970s, I have to remind myself that I am not looking at some distant century. These were not people standing outside a schoolhouse in 1865. This was happening during the age of color television, Motown, Muhammad Ali,

The Comparison Needs More Care Than Competition I understand why Black people sometimes look at other communities and ask why we have not achieved the same level of collective organization, wealth, or political influence. That question can open a serious conversation about history, institutions, family networks, education, land, discrimination, and the long consequences of slavery.

Freedom Was Never Handed Over Easily Sometimes I look at the history of Black voting in America and ask a difficult question: what if freedom was never intended to come without resistance? Slavery officially ended, but the struggle over Black citizenship certainly did not. Every major step forward seemed to produce another argument about how

More Than a Beautiful Voice When people talk about Marvin Gaye, they usually start with the voice. They remember the smoothness, the tenderness, and the way he could make a love song sound like it was meant for one person alone. They remember “Let’s Get It On,” “Sexual Healing,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,”

Freedom Did Not Automatically Bring Political Power When I look at Black history in America, one lesson keeps showing up over and over again. Winning a right and being able to exercise that right are not always the same thing. The end of slavery did not suddenly place Black Americans on equal political ground with

A Story That Sounds Like Hidden History Every so often, I come across a piece of history that makes me stop and say, now hold on, let me look into this for myself. The claim that Black Friday began with enslaved Black people being sold at discounted prices after Thanksgiving is one of those stories.

The Question That Stops Me Cold When I hear somebody ask whether slavery was necessary, my answer is no. Absolutely not. I understand how somebody can look at their life today and recognize that their ancestors surviving slavery eventually placed later generations in the United States. A descendant may feel grateful for the life, citizenship,

Looking at Grass Differently I never thought much about a front lawn beyond whether it needed cutting, watering, or cleaning up around the edges. Grass seemed neutral to me, just another part of the American house. Once I started looking at the history of the lawn, I realized there was more beneath that green surface