This Black History Month, we’re witnessing something deeply troubling: the acceleration of Black history being erased in real time. Exhibits are being torn down, news images manipulated, and funding for important educational and cultural institutions terminated.
In moments like this, knowledge is power and truth itself becomes resistance.
When you can’t see the patterns, you can’t resist injustice. Those who intend to exploit and harm know this all too well.
Support Black Voices
Explore, SHARE, and support these phenomenal Black history creators and resources:
Kahlil Greene, aka the Gen Z Historian
Michael Harriot, author, columnist and political commentator
Michael Motley, One Mic Black History
Museum of the African Diaspora
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library
Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture
Why Pop Culture?
There is so much to learn about the contributions of Black people across science and technology, politics, business and social movements.
My particular focus on music and culture with the “Portraits of Excellence” project comes from both personal experience, and from the belief that these contributions have become so ubiquitous to our everyday lives that they must be recognized truthfully.
Society often elevates fame and celebrity as the only markers of cultural relevance, while at the same time undervaluing art, creativity and labor – until it profits from them.
With the rapid rise of independent content creators and generative AI, I think it’s more important than ever to understand a broader history of art and commerce, the people who’ve already lived it, and the systems in which it takes place.
Consider signing up to get more information about my “Portraits of Excellence” art tribute project right to your inbox! Subscribers get to see new portraits first!
