archive

A home for black history

Elizabeth Dwyer (Georgia State): A Group-Based Approach to Reparations. Why are people still defending slavery in America? Victoria M. Massie on 5 common excuses, debunked — from Bill O’Reilly’s “slaves were well-fed” to the myth of Irish slaves. Tyler Parry and Charlton Yingling on the canine terror: Since slavery, dogs have been used to intimidate and control African Americans. First black heroes: William Wan on on how being first is never easy — living with the label can be just as hard. Black protest writing, from W.E.B. DuBois to Kendrick Lamar: Precious Rasheeda Muhammad on a rich tradition of literary resistance. Dwight Garner reviews The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race, ed. Jesmyn Ward. Melissa Harris-Perry interviews Mychal Denzel Smith, author of Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching. For black America, absolute love of country is impossible: Colin Kaepernick's protest reflects our contentious relationship with the U.S. flag and national anthem.

Making a home for black history: Vinson Cunningham on the vision and the challenges behind a new museum on the National Mall. Lonnie Bunch on the definitive story of how the National Museum of African American History and Culture came to be: From courting Chuck Berry in Missouri to diving for a lost slave ship off Africa, the director's tale is a fascinating one. Graham Bowley on how the fight for a national African-American museum was won: The doors open soon — to reach that point, the museum had to raise $270 million, navigate Congress and claim land on the nation’s front lawn.