(Pictured: Stephan Satterfield (top right) – High on the Hog, Spirit Tawfiq (right center) – Roots of the Spirit Podcast, Shantrelle P. Lewis (Center) – In Our Mothers Garden, Questlove (bottom left) – Summer of Soul)
Black History Month is a time to celebrate the Black community, honor Black voices, and most importantly, learn about the importance of Black history. This Black History Month, the Summit team is sharing great content for you to read, watch, and listen to. Articles & Online Resources
Othering & Belonging Institute – The Roots of Structural Racism Project
The New York Times - A Record Number of Black Women Run Some of the Biggest U.S. Cities
Books
Walking With The Wind, A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis
“An award-winning national bestseller, Walking with the Wind is one of our most important records of the American Civil Rights Movement. Told by John Lewis, who Cornel West calls a “national treasure,” this is a gripping first-hand account of the fight for civil rights and the courage it takes to change a nation.”
Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock by David Margolick
“The names Elizabeth Eckford and Hazel Bryan Massery may not be well known, but the image of them from September 1957 surely is: a Black high school girl, dressed in white, walking stoically in front of Little Rock Central High School, and a white girl standing directly behind her, face twisted in hate, screaming racial epithets… In this gripping book, David Margolick tells the remarkable story of two separate lives unexpectedly braided together. He explores how the haunting picture of Elizabeth and Hazel came to be taken, its significance in the wider world, and why, for the next half-century, neither woman has ever escaped from its long shadow.”
Unseen: Unpublished Black History from the New York Times Photo Archives by Dana Canedy, Darcy Eveleigh, Damien Cave, Rachel L. Swarns
“It all started with Times photo editor Darcy Eveleigh discovering dozens of these photographs. She and three colleagues, Dana Canedy, Damien Cave and Rachel L. Swarns, began exploring the history behind them, and subsequently chronicling them in a series entitled Unpublished Black History, that ran in print and online editions of The Times in February 2016. It garnered 1.7 million views on The Times website and thousands of comments from readers. This book includes those photographs and many more, among them: a 27-year-old Jesse Jackson leading an anti-discrimination rally of in Chicago, Rosa Parks arriving at a Montgomery Courthouse in Alabama a candid behind-the-scenes shot of Aretha Franklin backstage at the Apollo Theater, Ralph Ellison on the streets of his Manhattan neighborhood, the firebombed home of Malcolm X, Myrlie Evans and her children at the funeral of her slain husband, Medgar, a wheelchair-bound Roy Campanella at the razing of Ebbets Field.”
Listen:
Roots of the Spirit: Roots of the Spirit podcast, hosted by activist Spirit Tawfiq, successfully bridges the past to the present through conversations about history, identity, “race”, racism and social justice issues.
NPR’S Code Switch: Code Switch is a team of multiracial and multigenerational journalists whos main mission is to explore how race impacts every part of society.
One Mic Black History: One Mic Black History was created to give light to little known events or persons from Black history, often selected for their effect in the Black American community and American Culture.
Watch:
In Our Mothers Garden: “Black women from across the globe unlock stories of their mothers to redefine holistic lives rooted in radical self-care and healing in this documentary.”
High on the Hog: “How African American Cuisine Transformed America: Black food is American food. Chef and writer Stephen Satterfield traces the delicious, moving throughlines from Africa to Texas in this docuseries.”
Summer of Soul: “Summer of Soul is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.”
Ted Talk: Let's get to the root of racial injustice: “In this inspiring and powerful talk, Megan Francis traces the root causes of our current racial climate to their core causes, debunking common misconceptions and calling out "fix-all" cures to a complex social problem.”
Ted Talk: Three Myths about Racism: “Racism in the United States isn’t all that it seems. While many of us like to believe that we’re closer than ever to reaching a post-racial society, the research of Dr. Candis Watts Smith paints a very different picture.”
We learn about Black History because had it not been for past leaders, activists, and educators within the community, we would be leading different lives today. While we learn, we become more familiar with those who changed the course of history and expand our outlook on the world. All of us at Summit Strategy Group embrace the notion that the past is prologue and are dedicated to learning the complete history of this country. Maya Angelou said it best, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."