I declined when a major network invited me to discuss Black History Month through the lens of presidential politics. Not because the platform was worthless, but because our story deserves more than defined by the opposition. The lasting focus on what others have not done for Black Americans obscures the stronger truth. Black Americans are the extraordinary achievements they have achieved despite their systemic disabilities, and for all Americans, and for all Americans.
Consider Fanny Lou Hammer, who transformed from a sharecropper into a vital civil rights leader. History often reduces her to her powerful testimony at the Democratic National Convention in 1964, but her vision goes far beyond political expression. She founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative in 1969, creating an agricultural model that promotes black land ownership and food security. This is a principle related to today’s conversations about food justice and economic empowerment.
Ella Baker, the “mother of the civil rights movement,” understood that true power flows from the bottom up, not from top down. Her organized philosophy – “Strong people don’t need strong leaders” – shaped a non-violent coordination committee of students, which influenced a generation of grassroots activists. Today’s community organizers are drawn from the methodology of empowering local communities to lead their struggles.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett Long before the term “Speaking Truth to Power” became popular, he exemplified the courage of journalism. Her investigative report on Lynch not only documented horrifying injustice, but also established a template for how meticulous and fearless reporting can drive social change. Modern investigative journalists owes her pioneering ways.
The creation of the Black Panthers free breakfast program later influenced the national school breakfast program, indicating how black innovation often emerges from the need. When they saw hungry children struggling to learn, they did not wait for the government to take action.
Web Du Bois, Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass justly hold historical places, but not many, including Mary McLeod Bessone, who built a school for $1.50 black girls and turned it into a university. We must celebrate unapproved women equally. – Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Or Dorothy Height, as leaders from the Council of Black Women’s shaped civil rights policies and mentor countless future leaders.
Black excellence is not merely surviving adversity, but changing the limits to innovation that promotes everything in society. When Charlotte E. Ray became America’s first black female lawyer in 1872, she didn’t just break the barriers. She established a precedent for expanding America’s understanding of who serves justice.
When we discuss black history, we must move from a story of reaction to one of creation and innovation. The story is not about things that others have not done for us. It’s about what we did for ourselves and America despite the often systematic obstacles. From Madame CJ Walker’s business empire to Dr. Patricia Bass’ innovative cataract treatment, Black Innovation has always pushed America forward.
This does not mean ignoring the challenge or dismissing the need for political accountability. Rather, it is our refusal to tell our stories primarily through the lens of opposition and dependence. Our history is one of agency, creativity, transformation. We don’t have to be centered around people who deny our humanity to prove our worth.
The next time someone asks me to discuss black history, I would like to talk about how Septima Clark’s civic school created a model of adult education that changed political participation. I would like to explore how Marsha P. Johnson’s advocacy expanded our understanding of civil rights and human dignity. These stories don’t require foil to show their importance.
Black history is not a response to white supremacy. It is proof of human potential. It’s a story I chose to tell you not only when Black History Month, but whenever I was given a platform to talk about our legacy of excellence.
Tony Clark is co-founder and co-president of my brother’s keeper, Cambridge, Task Force, Professor of African American Literature and Learning Communities.
