Black History

Two Battles at the Same Time In 1942, Black Americans were being asked to help fight a war for democracy overseas while still living under segregation here at home. Black men could be drafted into the armed forces and sent to fight Nazi Germany while being denied basic dignity in their own country. They could

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 Bible Has Been Used in More Than One Way The Bible has given millions of people comfort, hope, moral guidance, and spiritual strength. But history also shows that powerful institutions have sometimes used it to justify control over others. Those two truths can sit in the same room without canceling each other out. Enslaved

The Night Everything Changed On August 13, 1990, Curtis Mayfield walked onto an outdoor stage at Wingate Field in Brooklyn expecting to do what he had done for decades. He was forty-eight years old, still performing and creating music, with a voice people recognized the moment they heard it. Then the weather turned dangerous, and

The Campaign Against Martin Luther King Jr. The more I learn about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the more I realize that his struggle went far beyond marches, speeches, and street demonstrations. Behind the scenes, the federal government was watching him with an intensity that should trouble anybody who values freedom. FBI Director J. Edgar

Reparations Are About More Than a Check Whenever reparations for Black Americans come up, the conversation can get heated before anybody has clearly defined what reparations would actually mean. Some people immediately imagine the government handing every Black person a large check and calling the matter settled. I think the subject is much deeper than

The Lesson Behind Shaka Zulu When I think about Shaka Zulu, I see more than the familiar story of a powerful African warrior king. I see a complicated lesson about leadership, institution building, succession, and what happens when too much power becomes concentrated in one person. Shaka was born around 1787 in what is now

A Young Woman With Everything in Front of Her Every now and then, I learn about a talented Black performer from years ago and wonder why later generations barely know their name. Sheila Guyse is one of those performers who deserves another look. At one time, her future seemed full of possibilities. She had beauty,

When History Is Written in the Body The more I learn about African American history, the more I realize that some of our story survived outside courthouses and history books. For more than two centuries, slavery controlled where millions of Black people lived, worked, and raised their families. It also separated families and forced people