Black History Month Is Different This Year

今年的黑人历史月与众不同

Radio Atlantic

2026-02-19

27 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

The Trump administration is trying to sanitize U.S. history by removing mentions of slavery on historic monuments, scrubbing words such as “oppression” from government websites, and obscuring the legacy of Black American heroes. Last summer, the president personally criticized the Smithsonian for focusing too much on “how bad slavery was.” The Atlantic’s Clint Smith and Adam Harris argue that if the federal government won’t reckon with the nation’s past, it might be time for a different approach to understanding Black history.  --- Get more from your favorite Atlantic voices when you subscribe. You’ll enjoy unlimited access to Pulitzer-winning journalism, from clear-eyed analysis and insight on breaking news to fascinating explorations of our world. Atlantic subscribers also get access to exclusive subscriber audio in Apple Podcasts. Subscribe today at TheAtlantic.com/Listener. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • I'm Ann Applebaum.

  • Over the past year, as I watched Donald Trump demand unprecedented new powers, I wondered,

  • don't he and his team fear that these same powers could one day be used by a different administration and a different president to achieve very different goals?

  • Well, maybe they are afraid.

  • And maybe that's why they're using their new tools to change our institutions,

  • even to alter the playing field in advance of midterm elections later this year.

  • to make sure their opponents can't win.

  • Ultimately, destroying trust is the currency of autocrats.

  • We could win, but we are very, very,

  • very likely to lose if we keep treating this as business as usual.

  • Reporting on the sweeping changes unfolding in our country and preparing you to think about what might happen next.

  • The new season of Autocracy in America, available now.

  • Over the many years of raising kids in DC public schools,

  • I've experienced Black History Month the way many Americans do.

  • I've helped my kids make poster boards,

  • and as they got older PowerPoints, celebrating the achievements of many famous Black Americans.

  • Jackie Robinson, Booker T.

  • Washington, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks,

  • Black History Month celebrations tend to follow what the Atlantic's Adam Harris calls a formula.

  • But this year might call for something more radical.