Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy
No. of Recommendations: 14
On February 1, 2026, as the fiftieth observance of Black History Month begins, government officials under the administration of Donald J. Trump have just removed an exhibit on enslavement from Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. The exhibit acknowledged nine people enslaved at the President’s House Site when President George Washington lived there. Curators intended the exhibit to examine “the paradox between slavery and freedom in the founding of the nation,” but it conflicted with Trump’s March 2025 order that national historic sites should “focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.” In his order, Trump called out Independence National Historical Park for promoting “corrosive ideology,” teaching visitors that “America is purportedly racist.”—Heather Cox Richardson
No. of Recommendations: 4
Everyone should celebrate Trump's racism by reading some of these books this month.
Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America is written and narrated by Michael Harriot. Harriot puts the contributions of Black people and other people of color into the context of the inherent racism of the United States from chattel slavery, reconstruction, the Jim Crow era, and into recent and current events. He uses standard historical practices of original sources, and oral histories, as well as anecdotes from his family's history. While many parts of the book are deeply disturbing, Harriot uses humor in driving home his point that to make "a more perfect union" it will only be done with and by including all people in the effort.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
or the YA version
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds is not a history of Black American it is a look at where we are now and what can be done about it. The first book goes much deeper into the history of racism. Race is used to separate and silence people it affects every person's life. Both of these go into how to stamp out racist thoughts at the personal level.
Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guys Guide to the Constitution by Elie Mystal, narrated by author, is a reflection on and personal relationship with the inherent racism in the Constituition, the court system, the Senate, and the Electoral College.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Oops missed one.
Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan, narrated by the author, is the history of the racism, violence, and political corruption of Indiana in the 1920s when the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan declared he was the law. It may also be the best book to understand the racism, violence, and political corruption in the culture of the United States during the 19-teens and 20s as well as the 2020s.
No. of Recommendations: 4
Anyone who thinks that "Black History Month" isn't exlicitly racist, is a racist.
You're a racist, Velcher.
Did you like being called a racist?
