Black History Matters
The Past is Present
History written for readers, not for footnotes — and aimed squarely at the questions facing communities of color today.
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Black History Now
Bobby C. Wilks, 1st Black Captain in the U.S. Coast Guard
Sept 1, 1977: Bobby C. Wilks made history by becoming 1st African American in the U.S. Coast Guard to achieve the rank of captain. He was also a trailblazing aviator, becoming the 1st Black Coast Guar
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Black History Now
Hazel Johnson-Brown, 1st Black Female General in the U.S. Army
Sept 1, 1979: Hazel Johnson-Brown made U.S. military history being promoted to brigadier general, becoming the 1st Black female general in the U. S. Armed Forces (Army). Upon her promotion, she also t
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Black History Now
Webster Lewis,Jazz Disco Composer,Conductor,Arranger, Keyboardist
Webster Lewis (Sept 1, 1943 - Oct 20, 2002). Jazz/disco composer, conductor, arranger, keyboardist. He graduated from Morgan State College and earned a Master’s degree from the New England Conservator
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Black History Now
Melvin Tolson, Poet, Educator, Debate Coach
Melvin Tolson, Poet and Debate Coach
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Black History Now
Beah Richards, Actress, Comedian
Beah Richards, Actress and Comedian OTD Aug 28, 1988: Actress Beah Richards made history by winning her 1st Primetime Emmy Award. She won for…
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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.