Black History is American History: Why Black History Matters

Tim Hines
·Executive Producer
·2 min read

"Black history is American history and it should be taught every month of the year." These are the words of former NFL player and best-selling author Sam Acho when describing the importance of celebrating Black History. ESPN host Elle Duncan took it one step further when discussing how Black history is not merely something in your textbook that happened decades or even centuries ago; “Black history is not just Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver. Misty Copeland is Black history. We’re seeing Black history right now with disruptors in the tech world...Black history is happening every single day, all around us, all the time.”

These were just some of the powerful and emotional messages delivered during Yahoo’s livestream event Black History is American History, held Wednesday, Feb. 24 with Sam Acho along with Elle Duncan, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Entrepreneur Master P.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the achievements made by Black Americans but it can also be a platform to discuss the historical inequalities faced by Black Americans and how to improve upon them for the future generations. The open forum panel discussion amongst these leaders within the different sectors of the Black community created an honest conversation about the importance of celebrating Black history not just within the Black community but as American history.

Thanks to a wide variety of questions submitted by the public the panel discussions ranged widely from memories of how Black history was taught in schools to the role corporations play in creating equality in today’s society. The panelists discussed how the civil rights movement of the 60’s evolved into the Black Lives Movement of today and even the role that athletes and professional sports leagues play in the fight for social justice.

The hour-long panel discussion was filled with detailed stories of the panelists personal experiences as well as passionate messages to those watching about how to make the change they wish to see in the world.

Watch the full 'Black History is American History' event below: