Black History is American History for Everyone

“In the retelling of U.S. history, there is an incomplete and frequently inaccurate story of African American history. At best, it has been the auxiliary exhibit, with slavery a disconnected footnote in the larger tome of our nation’s story. Descendants such as me, who were lucky to grow up knowing the names of their ancestors, know these stories. But most Americans have not been taught to see and embrace African American history as part of their history as Americans. Indeed, in the telling of American history, we have failed to fully grapple with the reality of slavery and its lasting hold on society. This has consequences.” By Margaret Jordan: Too many Americans still don’t see black history as their own.

Related:

• “The opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture”
• An exhibition at James Madison’s Montpelier, “The Mere Distinction of Colour,” which tells the story of what life was like as a slave on the plantation of our fourth president. “From mass incarceration, to the achievement gap, to housing discrimination, and the vicious cycle of poverty, violence, and lack of opportunity throughout America’s inner cities, the legacies of 200 years of African American bondage are still with us.”

• Blair L.M. Kelley: You can’t tell U.S. history without black history. Finally, a museum gets that.
• Colbert I. King: The unsung heroes of black history
• Clarence B. Jones: Black cemeteries are crucially important — and all too often neglected
• The Post’s View: Paving over black history in Montgomery County
• Colbert I. King: A Washington sidewalk tour of slavery and segregation
• The Post’s View: Georgetown takes good first steps to address its ties to slavery
• Eugene Robinson: The American story of slavery
• Courtland Milloy: For Georgetown to apologize for slavery, it must be clear about what it was