As the Trump Administration Erases Black History, These Writers Are Keeping It Alive

At a time when Black history is being removed from schools, museums, and parks, Black journalists are fighting to tell a more inclusive American story.

Dozens of people march on a sidewalk on a sunny day. Some hold signs that read, “Erasing our past endangers our future,” “Defend the National Museum of African American History & Culture,” and “We won’t go back.”

Demonstrators protest President Donald Trump’s efforts to censor and remove museum exhibits outside the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington in May 2025. Trump condemned the exhibits as portraying the United States in a “negative light.”Craig Hudson for The Washington Post/Getty

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One of the unmistakable throughlines of the second Trump administration is how it’s overhauling policies that directly affect African Americans, most notably by targeting programs and initiatives that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI. 

For journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, it’s an attempt to take the country back to an era before the civil rights movement. “A lot of folks are saying, you know, that this administration is rolling back the ’60s, but I’m like, he—this administration’s actually going back further than that.” 

The administration is also removing references to Black history from the nation’s museums, parks, and schools. When history itself is being erased at the highest levels, who’s left to tell us where we’ve been and where we’re headed? 

This week on Reveal, as part of Black History Month, we’re bringing you conversations from our sister podcast, More To The Story, with three prominent Black writers who are fighting to tell a more inclusive American story.

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Russian bots are impersonating us. Trump and his allies want to silence us. AI wants to (and does!) steal our content. The list goes on. But with 50 years of experience, we know we were built for this moment: We’re ready to keep diving deep and uncovering the truth, then getting that to you right here, completely accessible and never behind a paywall.

While our work is free to read, watch, and listen to online, it’s incredibly costly to make. Court documents, travel, research: It all adds up. Because we’re a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on reader support to fund our investigations. Will you stand with us in these extraordinary times, as headlines clamour for our attention and disinformation is rampant? We can’t get the truth out without you.

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