Lesser-known moments in Black history

🐿 Good morning on this glorious Groundhog Day! Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this morning, so an early spring is on its way.

A few weeks ago, writer and editor Allison Wiltz got people talking on X when she asked: “What piece of black history do you wish more people knew?” Over 300 responses later, Wiltz recapped all of them on Medium. A reporter in Houston, TX, wants more of us to know about Black people’s role in the American Revolution, where over 20,000 Black soldiers fought for the British after being promised freedom in return. (After the war, the British made good on the deal — Black Loyalists resettled in Nova Scotia before founding their own province in Sierra Leone.) And an educator and activist simply responded: “That it’s American history. Every month is Black History.”

That reminds me of an essay I’ve read at least five times because it’s so good: “On Seeing My Grandpa Strike a Pose at the Beach.” It’s by essayist Stephanie Georgopulos, who explains why Black history month, at least as it’s often covered in school, can feel… limiting, to say the least. This is an essay about Steph’s very chic grandpa, but it’s also about how capital-H History leaves out so much specificity and nuance. The whole thing is worth reading but I’ll just leave you with this quote:

I don’t recall a single February in which I was told what Black people were up to when they weren’t being enslaved, discriminated against, disenfranchised, experimented on. (Wait, I remember. It was jazz.) What I learned, instead, was The White Gaze Presents: Black History, a Tale of Linear Progress. To hear my teachers tell it, Black people in the U.S. were treated Very Bad for a precise period of time, starting with slavery and “ending” with the passage of the Civil Rights Act. But all of that was long ago, they assured us…

What do you wish more people knew about your history? If you decide to write about it on Medium, add the topic “Edition Prompt” so I (and everyone else) can find it.

From the archive

A decade ago, comedian Sarah Cooper delivered 10 tricks to appear smart in meetings (tip #6: ask “Will it scale?” no matter what it is). Over four million people recognized themselves in these tips, which went on to become a bestselling satirical calendar. Even in Zoom times it makes me laugh.

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Written by Harris Sockel
Edited and produced by Scott Lamb and Carly Rose Gillis

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