African American history in the United States is under existential threat. Books are being banned, exhibits dismantled, and events related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Black History Month, and Juneteenth have all been canceled to comply with executive orders aimed at curtailing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Yet history cannot be so easily erased. The story of black America is the story of the nation itself.
New Yorker staff writer Alexis Okeowo (Blessings & Disasters: A History of Alabama) joins artist Dread Scott to explore the ways Black history is documented, interpreted, and challenged in this moment. Okeowo investigates Alabama’s past and present, while Scott’s work confronts the enduring legacies of slavery, resistance, and revolution in the United States.
Moderated by author and Features Director at Harper’s Bazaar, Kaitlyn Greenidge, this conversation will celebrate black history and confront this moment of erasure.
