I’ll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month

African American studies scholar Givens (American Grammar) offers a moving reflection on a century’s worth of Black History Week and Month celebrations. Weaving in memories of his own education and the Black teachers who shaped him, Givens crafts four essays centered on the early roots of Black History Month, death and memorialization, uncovering truths lost in mainstream history, and the future of Black history education. Throughout, he focuses on honoring the many Black educators, archivists, and activists—beginning with teacher and historian Carter G. Woodson, who is credited with establishing the first Negro History Week in February 1926—who documented Black history, working mostly outside of traditional academic institutions until their work became more widely recognized in the mid-20th century. Framing today’s political efforts to erase Black history from schools and public institutions as part of a longer cycle of civil rights battles, Givens argues that history is always political and shaped by those with the authority to record it. He views Black history as critical because it examines abuses of power against vulnerable populations and has always “been used to achieve justice in the present and future.” Looking forward, Givens sees “an urgent need to demystify the process of historical production” for young people, so they understand its political nature. The result is a powerful meditation on Black history’s role in American life today. (Feb.)