Beverly Steele didn’t realize her hometown could be recognized for its historic significance. It’s one of the only two African American homesteading communities left in the nation. In Royal, Florida, Black families are still holding onto the inherited 40-acre plot passed down nearly two centuries ago. It’s a rare reality in America today, given the […]
preservation
Posted inCulture, History, Partner Content
Louisiana sisters fight to protect their community’s health and enslaved ancestors’ history
Originally published by The 19th We’re telling the untold stories of women, women of color and LGBTQ+ people. Sign up for our daily newsletter. WALLACE, La.— There are only a handful of homes situated on Alexis Court, but there are a whole lot of memories. At one end of the short street, facing the Mississippi […]
Posted inCulture, History
The Fight to Stop the Erasure of Historic Black Towns
The Rev. Darryl Johnson rejoiced when he received a text message that a deal to sell the remaining 100 acres of the historic Robert Hungerford Preparatory High School property in Eatonville, Florida, fell through a week ago. After hearing the news that a developer dropped out of the controversial plan to buy the land, the […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Why It’s So Hard for Schools to Teach About Slavery
The Texas Board of Education received national attention this summer when a group of eductors proposed a monumental change to the state’s second-grade social studies curriculum: introducing slavery as “involuntary relocation.” The board rejected the proposal, but the incident is only the latest controversy surrounding how slavery is taught in American schools. Classes have held […]
Posted inCulture, History
Black History Sites Aren’t Being Preserved. This Historian Wants to Change That.
Saying America has a troubled relationship with the land it seized from Indigenous people would be an understatement. Colonialism, and the taking of land through force and murder, defined the country’s borders. The struggle over terrain continues today with the threat of climate change, an increase in internal migration, and the soaring cost of housing. […]
Posted inEducation, K-12
Why Some Teachers Are – and Aren’t – Teaching Their Students About Juneteenth
A last-minute piece of legislation from the Biden administration made Juneteenth a federal holiday a year ago. The sudden change on June 17, 2021 — two days before the holiday — left many institutions unprepared. But this year, observances of Juneteenth have been seen coast to coast, and many schools have followed suit. The new […]
