A Century of Truth-telling: Black History Month and Reparative Justice

“However much you deny the truth, the truth goes on existing.” ⁃ George Orwell

Men and women of goodwill, decent people of various backgrounds and political stripes were outraged and disgusted by the recent depiction of former US President, Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama as apes in a Truth Social video clip posted by the current President Donald Trump.

Though he has taken it down, Trump has refused to apologize for the overtly racist portrayal of the Obamas.

The denigration, dehumanization and bigotry exhibited by Trump is not new. It reveals a deep-rooted, white supremacist obsession with Black excellence.

Trump wanted the Nobel Peace Prize not only for his narcissistic ego but, above all, because Obama got one. He wanted a second term so badly because Obama was a two-term President. But his persistent and crude attacks on Obama, as a symbol of Black achievement, especially in this 100th anniversary celebration of Black History Month is not just a frivolous rant of a racist-in-chief, it is a deliberate and calculated pursuit of Agenda 2025, the strategic political and ideological blueprint of his presidency.

Taken in conjunction with his many policy decisions aimed at rolling back the gains of the Civil Rights movement and at erasing Black History as well as his well-documented contempt for everything Black and African, those who question why a Black History Month need no further explanation.

Indeed, February 2026 marks a monumental milestone: the 100th anniversary of the first national commemoration of Black history. A century ago, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the "Father of Black History", launched Negro History Week to challenge a pervasive educational system that systematically ignored or distorted the contributions of Black people.

Today, this centennial arrives at a crossroads. While the battle against historical erasure intensifies in the United States, the movement has evolved into a global demand for Reparatory Justice. From the Mississippi Delta to the shores of the Caribbean and the nations of Africa, the 100th anniversary is no longer just about remembering the past, it is about repairing the damage that history continues to inflict.

The Vision of Carter G. Woodson

In 1926, the American historical record was a landscape of exclusion. Woodson, the second African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard, understood that history was a weapon of power. He famously noted that "if a race has no history... it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world."

Woodson’s vision was never intended to be confined by borders. He saw the struggle of Black Americans as inextricably linked to the global African Diaspora.

By 1976, the week had evolved into Black History Month, reflecting the consciousness of the Civil Rights and Pan-Africanist movements. As we mark 100 years, we recognize that Woodson’s goal of "truth-telling" was the first, essential step toward justice.

Erasure as a Barrier to Repair

As we reach this 100-year mark, the progress Woodson envisioned is under direct assault, especially in the U.S. We are witnessing a "disinformation campaign of erasure" characterized by: a. Curriculum Bans: Legislation in several US states now restricts the teaching of systemic racism. Some standards even suggest enslaved people "benefited" from Slavery, a narrative that directly undermines the legal and moral basis for reparations.

b. Political Rhetoric: The political atmosphere, fueled by Donald Trump’s overtly racist postings and disparagement of "DEI" (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)—aims to characterize historical truth as "anti-American propaganda."

This erasure is not accidental; it is strategic. To deny the history of systemic theft is to deny the necessity of repair. Without an honest accounting of how wealth was extracted through chattel Slavery and Jim Crow, the conversation regarding reparatory justice is effectively silenced.

Decolonization and Reparations

The importance of celebrating Black history extends far beyond U.S. borders. In the Caribbean and Africa, the educational "ghosts" of empire still linger, and the call for reparations has become a unifying force.

The Caribbean and the 10-Point Plan

In many Caribbean nations, the educational systems, remnants of British, French, Spanish or Dutch rule, long prioritized European history. Celebrating Black History Month here is an act of "decolonizing the mind." It shifts the focus from colonial monarchs to revolutionaries like Toussaint Louverture of Haiti, Nanny of the Maroons (Jamaica), Tula and Karpata of Curacao. Lokhay of St. Martin, et al.

This historical reclamation fuels the CARICOM Reparations Commission, which argues that the region's current "development failure" is a direct result of centuries of enslavement and colonialism.

Their 10-Point Plan demands more than financial compensation; it calls for "psychological rehabilitation," "illiteracy eradication," and "African knowledge programs"—proving that history and repair are two sides of the same coin.

Reclaiming the Narrative in Africa

In Africa, celebrations center on pre-colonial glory, empires like Mali and Aksum, kingdoms like Benin and Zulu, etc. , to debunk the myth of a "dark continent." Reparatory justice here involves the repatriation of stolen artifacts (such as the Benin Bronzes) and the demand that European nations acknowledge the "Scramble for Africa" as a crime against humanity.

Why the Centennial Matters: History is Repair

Celebrating the 100th anniversary is an essential act of resistance for three key reasons:

1. Truth as the Foundation of Justice: You cannot fix what you do not acknowledge. Reparatory justice requires a "truth-seeking" phase. By defending Black history against modern erasure, we preserve the evidence required for future claims of repair.

2. Agency over Victimhood:

Reparations are often framed as a "handout." However, a century of Black history shows a tradition of economic self-reliance (Black Wall Street, etc.) and intellectual brilliance (From Frederick Douglas to Toni Morrison, et al). Celebrating this history frames reparations correctly: as a debt owed to a people who built the modern world.

3. A Global Moral Test: Whether it is a school board in Florida or a government in London, the refusal to teach Black history is a refusal to accept responsibility. The centennial challenges every nation, including St. Martin, to close the gap between their democratic ideals and their historical reality. To this end, rather than banning books or proscribing the teaching of History, we should be doing precisely the contrary: expanding and strengthening the curriculum of Black History.

The Next Century

As we navigate 2026, the celebration of Black History Month cannot be a "hollow ritual." It must be a call to action at the local, regional and international levels. The next century of Black history requires us to be as bold as Woodson was in 1926, insisting that our stories be told, and our losses be made whole, from the Mississippi Delta to the streets of Accra, with Reparatory Justice front and center of our agenda going forward.

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