Black History Now
We Have a Blueprint: Lessons from Jim Crow for Today's Political Moment
More than a century of resisting Jim Crow gave Black Americans a blueprint for confronting authoritarianism. Here are lessons for today.
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Black History Matters
The Past is Present
History written for readers, not for footnotes.
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Black History Now
The Italo-Ethiopian War, 1935–1936
Fascist Italy's invasion of Ethiopia in October 1935 tested the League of Nations, sparked worldwide protest, and united Black people across the diaspora in defense of Africa's oldest independent nation.
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Black History Now
Chubby Checker, King of the Twist
From a South Philadelphia produce market to the top of the charts twice with "The Twist," Chubby Checker changed how the world danced — and fought for decades for recognition and fair pay.
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Black History Now
Mighty Sparrow ( Slinger Francisco), Calypso Singer
The family of legendary calypso icon Slinger Francisco, known worldwide as The Mighty Sparrow, has announced that he has died at the age of 91.
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Black History Now
Jupiter Hammon, Orator
Sept 24, 1786: Jupiter Hammon expressed his views on enslavement when he delivered his "Address to the Negroes of the State of New York" before the African Society
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Black History Now
John Coltrane Musical Giant
A towering musical figure of the 20th century, saxophonist John Coltrane reset the parameters of jazz during his decade as a leader.
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Why this platform exists
Historianspeaks is a public history project devoted to making the Black past reachable — free of jargon, free of paywalls, and free of the flattened, one-note version of the story most of us were handed in school.
Through essays, conversation, and archival material, this site treats history as a working tool: something that explains the present and helps chart what comes next.
Blog
Black History Now
Weekly blogs on Black history—past and present that shape our contemporary lives.
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Podcast
The Historianspeaks Podcast
Long-form conversations running from Reconstruction politics to popular culture. Latest episode: Juneteenth and a legacy of song.
Listen nowAcross the Centuries
A collage of the Black past, in color
From the marketplaces of West Africa through the age of sail, plantation colonies, Reconstruction classrooms, the Harlem street, and today’s block parties.
The African past
Kingdoms, scholars, and markets
15th century
Coastal trade and early contact
16th century
Arrival and resistance in the Americas
17th century
Arrival and resistance in a new world
18th century
Artisans and free communities
19th century
Freedom schools after emancipation
20th century
City life, music, and movement
21st century
Culture and community today
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One dispatch a week: a new essay, a podcast episode, and something from the archive worth a second look.