The question that YAAHA gets repeatedly is, why wasn’t I taught this history in school? Why is so little black history in textbooks? Is it gaslighting? A lack of space in books? Do historical researchers miss information? Or is the history written with a particular ideology of the authors? It very well may be all the above.
Your history gives you your identity, and identity is the basis of your beliefs. Images and text are powerful and persuasive, so when our children don’t know their history, they become vulnerable to lies and misinformation. The success stories of leaders and heroes that YAAHA research is designed to promote pride and self-worth. When children know their history, they are less likely to be controlled by unscrupulous people.
Blacks are represented in every milestone in American history. Blacks fought alongside colonists in the American Revolution and crossed Delaware with General George Washington. More than 1500 freed slaves participated in the Reconstruction era politics on the local, state, and national levels. Black women were educated at schools such as Oberlin College and became educators, journalists, and civic leaders. Some taught at universities such as Wilberforce University; some became successful architects. Every possible vocation was positively affected by the accomplishments of blacks.
YAAHA will continue to bring powerful stories of heroes and leaders; please help us disseminate this information to enrich our children’s heritage. Lonnie Bunch, Secretary of the Smithsonian, has commented that if you don’t know your history, you think blacks haven’t achieved anything. Together we can poke holes in the darkness of ignorance.