500-Year-Old Slave Revolt of 1526 Redefines Freedom as US Turns 250

In 1526 — long before the more renowned dates that anchor the nation’s story of 1619 and 1776 — enslaved Africans rose up and freed themselves on the land that would eventually become the United States. You would expect MAGA memory-hole historians — obsessed with banning books, declaring that slavery was of “personal benefit” to enslaved people, and firing educators who teach honestly about systemic racism — to erase any accounts of this event. What is more troubling is how rarely it appears in mainstream history books, or even in spaces committed to truth-telling — among educators and even within movements for Black liberation — muting the earliest act of resistance to the enslavement of Africans on this land.

5th Annual #TeachTruth Day of Action — June 7, 2025 — It’s not too late to organize or join an event near you!

Nearly half of all students in the U.S. now attend school in a state where teachers have been banned from teaching the truth about systemic racism, gender oppression, and the struggles for liberation that have shaped this country. That’s why we’re organizing the 5th annual Teach Truth Day of Action on Saturday, June 7—with some 200 events already scheduled from Alaska to Puerto Rico, Hawaii to Barcelona. Join us!

Police Pepper-Spray LGBTQIA+ Protesters: Seattle’s Shameful Crackdown on Queer Resistance

That fascists would want to insert their hateful, transphobic, and homophobic message directly into the LGBTQIA+ community is predictable. But the absolutely shameful fact is that Seattle Parks officials recommended that this anti-LGBTQ+ group hold their rally at Cal Anderson Park—they hadn’t even originally planned to hold it there... There is a war being waged on LGBTQIA+ people—by the state and by the raising forces of fascism it is enabling.

Submissions Now Open For 2025 Black Education Matters Student Activist Award: Nominate A Student Today!

Nominations are now open! Since 2016, we have honored over 25 youth with the Black Education Matters Student Activist Award (BEMSAA). The award gives $1,000 and public recognition to students showing outstanding antiracist and intersectional leadership in their schools and communities. What began as an act of police violence became a commitment to youth justice. Nominate a student leader today!

Help Us Tell the Story of Our Enslaved Ancestors–And Check Out the Trailer for Our Film!

In 2023, my family began a life-changing journey—traveling to the Lenoir Plantation in Mississippi and the Darensbourg Plantation in Louisiana to uncover and document the stories of our ancestors. What started as a family trip has become Where I Got My Name, a film about survival, truth, and the power of knowing where you come from. 🎥 Watch the trailer below to preview this work-in-progress film about our family’s path from enslavement to emancipation—and the legacy they left behind. Then read the letter my dad wrote updating people on the progress of our film and asking for donations to help us complete the project.