The Reconstruction

This "History of Black History" series, written by Zahara Hill and Ja'han Jones in partnership with The ReidOut, seeks to celebrate the audacity of Black people claiming their own narrative, dissect America’s affinity for revisionism and look toward the future of storytelling around race in America.

Photo collage that features notable moments in Black History, a photo of Madam CJ Walker, and Ron DeSantis

Leila Register / MSNBC; Getty Images

The ReidOut Blog

America has a Black history problem

The ReidOut Blog's exclusive new series will examine America’s turbulent relationship with Black stories by holding Black history’s greatest foes accountable and highlighting the absurdity of the effort to censor the legacies of Black Americans.

The ReidOut Blog
Wheeler Parker, eyewitness to Emmett Till’s abduction in 1955, speaks out
The Rev. Wheeler Parker was a teenager when Till, his cousin, was murdered at age 14. In our interview, he discusses faith, resiliency, apathy — and what he talked about with President Biden.
The Reconstruction
Confederate statues prove parts of American history are a lost cause
A few months ago, a Robert E. Lee statue was melted down. But parts of America’s revisionist history remain as solid as ever.
The ReidOut Blog
History should have done better by Claudette Colvin
"I’m a piece of the puzzle that was left out in telling the whole Montgomery Bus Boycott story," the 84-year old said.
The ReidOut Blog
The hype around Pat Mahomes is bigger than sports
Sports historian Louis Moore breaks down the history of Black athletic activism, Mahomes’ greatness and how sports writers helped spark an anti-racist revolution.
The ReidOut Blog
Madam C.J. Walker's descendant doesn't want these Republicans speaking on her ancestor
The historian is trying to keep distortions of her great-great-grandmother’s legacy out of the public record.
The ReidOut Blog
Slave memoirs yanked the veil off of America’s facade
Narratives by formerly enslaved writers were critical to shedding light on the unthinkable realities of enslavement.
The ReidOut Blog
How Black faith leaders use the Bible to attack white Christian racism
Radically progressive Black church leaders have always used history and scripture to fight anti-Black racism. And the legacy lives on today.
The ReidOut Blog
How historians are using high-tech tools to reconstruct Black history
As right-wingers ban books and curtail school curricula, historians are turning to tech to keep Black history alive.

The Reconstruction

Wheeler Parker, eyewitness to Emmett Till’s abduction in 1955, speaks out

Confederate statues prove parts of American history are a lost cause

History should have done better by Claudette Colvin

The hype around Pat Mahomes is bigger than sports

Madam C.J. Walker's descendant doesn't want these Republicans speaking on her ancestor

Slave memoirs yanked the veil off of America’s facade

How Black faith leaders use the Bible to attack white Christian racism

How historians are using high-tech tools to reconstruct Black history