A trove of books display why black lives have always mattered in America

The US may have trouble recording its own history accurately in school textbooks, but there’s a wealth of readings that capture the depth of experiences

The phrase “black lives matter” has become a popular and important refrain, insisting, in the words of its founders, on the “affirmation of black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression”.

The need for the accurate and responsible recognition of black lives is particularly stark in the realm of basic historical education. We still live in an America that does not correctly describe its own past. Take, for example, the recent Texas textbook scandal. One passage in a book published by McGraw-Hill euphemistically described slaves as “workers,” implying that enslaved African Americans were simply economic immigrants who came to the Americas by choice.

Continue reading...