On its one-hundredth anniversary, a powerful and essential meditation on the origins, evolution, and future of Black History Month from one of America's leading historians of Black education and the author of American Grammar. In I'll Make Me a World, acclaimed Harvard scholar Jarvis R. Givens takes us on a personal and political journey through the 100-year history of Black History Month—from its radical beginnings in 1926 as “Negro History Week” to its role today as a celebration and flashpoint in America's cultural battles. Drawing on archival research, intimate family stories, and the wisdom of Black teachers, Givens recovers the legacy of Carter G. Woodson and many others who envisioned Black history as a liberatory force—knowledge that shapes who we are, how we resist, and what we dream. With striking clarity, Givens challenges today's myopic commemorations of iconic figures and urges us to expand our understanding of Black history to include the everyday lives of ordinary people—the “workadays” whose stories have long gone untold but who are no less revolutionary. I'll Make Me A World is a call to remember, reimagine, and reclaim a tradition built by communities and the individuals who made them. At a time when Black history is under attack, this book offers an inspiring vision for how it can still be a source of power, truth, and possibility.
