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COMMENTARY: Black History Month and the Importance of Telling Our History

NNPA NEWSWIRE — As a former history teacher and student of history, I’m deeply concerned by the dark efforts at work to silence these stories. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund estimates that more than 1,600 books have been banned across the country, with 566 books having been banned in Florida alone. Teachers and librarians are living in fear of triggering the next battle of the ongoing culture war as they simply try to do their job.
The post COMMENTARY: Black History Month and the Importance of Telling Our History first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 years ago

February 29, 2024

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Special to the NNPA

By U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the giants that came before us and reflect on the shoulders upon which we stand. I am reminded of Lewis Latimer, the son of former slaves, whose invention of the filament allowed Thomas Edison’s lightbulb to function properly. I am reminded of Septima Poinsette Clark, a South Carolinian who Martin Luther King called the mother of the civil rights movement, whose workshops inspired icons like Rosa Parks. And I’m reminded of Robert Smalls, who I sincerely believe is the most consequential South Carolinian who ever lived. While enslaved, he absconded a Confederate boat, freed his family and friends, campaigned for Blacks to be allowed to fight for the Union army, and later became a member of the South Carolina legislature and Congress.

As a former history teacher and student of history, I’m deeply concerned by the dark efforts at work to silence these stories. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund estimates that more than 1,600 books have been banned across the country, with 566 books having been banned in Florida alone. Teachers and librarians are living in fear of triggering the next battle of the ongoing culture war as they simply try to do their job.

These efforts are directly connected with widespread attempts to take control of local school boards. In 2022, several new board members — who had the support of right-wing activist group “Moms for Liberty” — were sworn into the Berkeley County School District in South Carolina. Within two hours, the board had fired the district’s first Black superintendent, removed the district’s lawyer, banned “critical race theory,” whatever that is, and put the framework in place to ban various books from schools.

Other school districts in South Carolina followed suit — Clarendon, Charleston, Colleton, and Sumter — and have come under fire within the last year. They are all led by Black superintendents. These are coordinated actions not intended to support the education of our children, but to further a political agenda sponsored by “Moms of Liberty” and various other ultra-right wing MAGA groups.

The dangers of continuing down this path are too great to ignore. I often quote philosopher George Santayana who once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Based on the recent events unfolding across my home state which gave birth to Brown v. Board of Education, it’s clear we are already headed in that terrifying direction.

It is a common myth that the origins of the Christian right can be traced back to the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. As the story goes, religious conservatives were so deeply disturbed by the possibility of the legalization of a woman’s right to choose that they mobilized, eventually garnering the attention of President Richard Nixon. President Nixon then used the issue as a cornerstone of his 1972 presidential campaign.

However, it was the issue of school desegregation in the 1950s and ‘60s that unified the bloc. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision sent shockwaves throughout the country, particularly in the South where Jim Crow flourished, and segregation was the dominating way of life. In response to Brown, white residents established racially segregated private schools to avoid complying with the ruling. Notably, most of these schools were religiously affiliated.

Black families joined together in the successful 1971 Green v. Connally class action suit to prevent the institutions from being granted tax-exempt status and to ensure no one could receive tax deductions for contributing to such schools. Tensions were further inflamed in 1975 when the IRS revoked the tax-exempt status of Bob Jones University, a racially segregated evangelical Christian institution.

Today, this same Christian right has rebranded and united with MAGA Republicans to remove Black history books from our schools, strip women of their right to choose, and end the miracle of IVF.

Each of these efforts are intertwined with the generations of discrimination that the African American community has experienced. Yes, the civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s was a complex struggle for justice and equality for the Black community. But I reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s prescient words in his famed “I Have a Dream” speech, that “[Our white brothers] have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.”

As the son of a fundamentalist minister and Chairman of the Democratic Faith Working Group in Congress, I lean heavily on my faith in challenging times. Matthew 25:40 teaches us that “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” It may be easy to turn a blind eye when the injustices do not impact you. But the scripture assures that we will “reap what [we] sow.”

Our stories — Black stories — should and must be told.

The post COMMENTARY: Black History Month and the Importance of Telling Our History first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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IN MEMORIAM: Rest in Power — Minnesota Loses a True Warrior in Yusef Mgeni

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — Yusef Mgeni, a brilliant historian, community organizer, former St. Paul educator and fierce advocate for Black people, died on April 7, 2026, leaving behind a legacy that will echo through generations of Black Minnesota history and community building.

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1 day ago

April 15, 2026

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By MSR News Online

Minnesota and the world lost a powerful voice and a true warrior on April 7, 2026. Yusef Mgeni is gone, but his legacy will echo for generations.

Yusef was a brilliant historian, a community organizer, a former St. Paul educator, and a fierce advocate for Black people. He carried with him an extraordinary archive of speeches, books, articles, and photographs documenting the work of countless Black scholars and leaders. His knowledge was not just deep. It was generational. Talk to him about any subject concerning Black history, and he would give you a dissertation.

His roots in this community ran deeper than most people knew. Yusef was the grandnephew of Fredrick McGhee, the pioneering 20th-century civil rights activist and attorney who made his mark in St. Paul at the turn of the century. That lineage was not lost on Yusef. He carried it forward with pride and purpose, spending decades making sure the stories of Black Minnesotans were told, preserved, and passed on.

As a journalist, Yusef called NAACP leaders and community figures to identify the issues that mattered most to Black people and wrote about them in local newspapers. He was a contributor to the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, a platform he understood and respected deeply. As a former St. Paul NAACP vice president, he remained active and engaged well into his retirement, answering emails and voicemails for residents who were at their wits’ end, helping them navigate evictions, legal challenges, and systemic barriers.

“Generally, they contact us when they are at their wits’ end,” he once said. “They are going to get evicted; their car is getting repossessed. We assist in navigating the system.”

His work was always about access. Under his leadership and alongside other NAACP leaders, the St. Paul chapter helped establish a landmark covenant between the police and the St. Paul community in 2001, a model that contributed to dramatically lower excessive-force costs than in Minneapolis in the decade that followed.

Yusef was also a passionate champion of ethnic studies in Minnesota’s schools, understanding that education rooted in Black and Brown history was not a supplement to American history but central to it.

“Ethnic studies is also American history,” he said. “The fact that the legislature and the MDE have both endorsed ethnic studies requirements in schools is a real plus for giving people the opportunity to explore and learn more about American history, and more importantly, to see themselves reflected in that learning.”

In the 1970s and ’80s, Yusef worked alongside Mrs. Clarissa Walker at the Sabathani Community Center, where they poured their energy into uplifting and empowering the community. Their work helped shape the cultural and political landscape of South Minneapolis during a critical era. They were part of a generation that built institutions, nurtured young people, and fought for justice with unwavering commitment.

Yusef also played a key role in the early development of KMOJ Radio, helping to establish a platform that amplified Black voices long before it was common or convenient. His activism extended through education, the St. Paul NAACP, the Million Man March, and the Urban Coalition, always rooted in a deep and abiding love for his people.

He was also an interviewee in the Rondo neighborhood oral history project preserved by the Minnesota Historical Society, ensuring that the voices and stories of that community would never be lost.

Not long ago, a colleague was blessed to sit with Yusef at his home, where he reflected on his life and his legacy. He talked about his work in education, his activism, and his years of service to the community. But what stood out just as much was how he spoke about his family and his people, with warmth, with pride, and with purpose.

Today, we honor him not only for what he accomplished but for the spirit with which he did it.

A scholar. A builder. A warrior. A keeper of our stories.

Thank you, Yusef, for everything you gave and everything you sacrificed on behalf of Black people. Your legacy stands tall, and our community is better because of you.

Rest in Power, Yusef Mgeni.

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Revolve Fund to Provide $20,000 to Support Food Access Efforts in Alabama Black Belt

THE AFRO — “Revolve Fund complements its core mission of improving capital access for entrepreneurs by partnering with leading organizations that are addressing critical community needs,” said James Wahls, founder and managing director of Revolve Fund. “Like BBCF, Revolve understands at the most fundamental level, everyone should have access to healthy food.”

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1 day ago

April 15, 2026

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By Revolve Fund | The AFRO

SELMA – As over 40 million Americans grappled with the reality of not being able to feed themselves or their families due to SNAP delays, Revolve Fund is seeking to help. Revolve Fund has announced a $20,000 community grant to the Black Belt Community Foundation as part of the duo’s continued partnership. The grant will increase the foundation’s capacity to execute programs and fundraise to support food access efforts in the Alabama Black Belt region.

“Revolve Fund complements its core mission of improving capital access for entrepreneurs by partnering with leading organizations that are addressing critical community needs,” said James Wahls, founder and managing director of Revolve Fund. “Like BBCF, Revolve understands at the most fundamental level, everyone should have access to healthy food.”

“BBCF is deeply grateful for the Revolve Fund’s grant to underwrite direct food support in the Black Belt during the current disruption of SNAP benefits, continuing high food costs and unprecedented strain on our local food banks,” said Christopher Spencer, president and CEO, Black Belt Community Foundation. “As BBCF mobilizes resources and community partners during this time, Revolve is one of the first philanthropic organizations to step forward to support our Food for Families in the Black Belt Campaign. We look ahead to our productive, continued partnership with them to positively impact and transform the Black Belt region of Alabama.”

“While our communities need and deserve so much more, we hope our contribution will support the foundation’s ability to work with other philanthropic partners, individual donors, charities, and public partners,” Wahls added.

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Mamdani Plans City Grocery Store in East Harlem

NEW YORK CARIB NEWS — The store will be located at La Marqueta, a historic marketplace beneath the elevated Park Avenue tracks. The project is expected to cost approximately $30 million and is slated to open next year, utilizing currently vacant space within the city-owned facility. Operating rent-free, officials say the model is intended to lower overhead and pass savings on to consumers.

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1 day ago

April 15, 2026

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New York Carib News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced plans to establish the city’s first municipally owned grocery store in East Harlem, a flagship initiative aimed at addressing rising food costs and improving access to affordable essentials.

The store will be located at La Marqueta, a historic marketplace beneath the elevated Park Avenue tracks. The project is expected to cost approximately $30 million and is slated to open next year, utilizing currently vacant space within the city-owned facility. Operating rent-free, officials say the model is intended to lower overhead and pass savings on to consumers.

Mamdani unveiled the plan during an event marking his first 100 days in office, reaffirming a campaign pledge to build a network of five city-owned grocery stores, one in each borough, by the end of his first term in 2029.

“During our campaign, we promised New Yorkers that we would create a network of five city-owned grocery stores,” Mamdani said. “Today, we make good on that promise.”

The mayor positioned the initiative as a direct response to surging grocery prices, noting that food costs in New York City rose by nearly 66% between 2013 and 2023, significantly outpacing the national average. He argued that the city-run stores would provide fair pricing, improve worker conditions, and ease the financial burden on low-income households.

“We’re going to make it easier for New Yorkers to put food on the table,” Mamdani said, adding that staples such as eggs and bread would be more affordable.

However, the proposal is already drawing scrutiny. The estimated cost of the East Harlem store would consume nearly half of the $70 million budget initially outlined for the entire five-store program. Despite this, Mamdani remains confident that the initiative will deliver long-term benefits and help reshape access to affordable groceries across the city.

The announcement also drew political attention, with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders making a surprise appearance at the event in support of the mayor’s broader economic agenda.