National Geographic | Black History Month

National Geographic

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In honor of Black History Month, we bring you new takes about the Black experience, from how Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X influenced each other, to how six-word descriptions on race mushroomed into a book, to the enslaved man who mailed himself to freedom … and dressmaker Ann Lowe, whose recognition came decades later.

PHOTOGRAPH BY WAYNE LAWRENCE

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Our secret thoughts on race

Just six words: When Michele Norris began a project asking Americans for their very succinct thoughts on race, she had no idea that more than a half million people would take part—or that her project would morph into a just-published book. For Nat Geo, she shared her insights from this new approach—and a few six-word responses, including: “He's my dad, not the gardener,” “I am not an exotic creature,” and “Native Americans, America's invisible invisible invisible.” What are your six words on race?

WHY FEBRUARY? The story of how Black History Month came to be +

QUOTE

“There are still a thousand ideas for dresses in my mind. Dresses which I see in great detail.”

Ann Lowe, who made Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress but only got broader recognition much later.

From Why was she kept a secret? The story of Ann Lowe

Martin Luther King Jr., played by Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Malcolm X, played by Aaron
Pierre, are surrounded by reporters
in the US Senate as seen in GENIUS: MLK/X.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC/RICHARD DUCREE

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A new look, together, at 2 civil rights giants

They were long thought as rivals, but were America’s two leading civil rights advocates ultimately on the same page? The new National Geographic series ‘Genius: MLK/X’ shows, as executive producer Gina Prince-Bythewood puts it, that people don’t to be on Team Martin or Team Malcolm anymore. ”We need heroes,” says playwright and screenwriter Jeff Stetson, “and they were heroes.” This is how the two men met for the first—and only—time.

COURTESY THE MOORLAND-SPINGARN RESEARCH CENTER, HOWARD UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

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This Black surgeon and researcher invented something that has saved countless lives

It seems ubiquitous now, but the Bloodmobile was a World War II-era concept that Charles Drew dreamed up—and it led the way to establish a national blood bank.

READ ABOUT HIS LIFE

Cleo Davis, Sr., sits in front of his son, Cleo Davis, Jr., and surrounded by his grandchildren outside their home in Portland. In the 1980s, the Davis family purchased an investment property near North Williams Avenue, once known as the Black Broadway. Before they could repair and rent it out, the city of Portland deemed it blight and bulldozed it.

PHOTOGRAPH BY DIANA MARKOSIAN

Reconciling with Oregon's racist past

As one of the largest white cities in the nation, it may come as a surprise that Portland, Oregon became a hotbed for racial reckoning in 2020. Or does it? The state's history in fashioning itself as a utopia for whiteness may be part of the reason for its latest position.

TRACING A HISTORY OF EXCLUSION

BEFORE THE TULSA MASSACRE: Black business was booming before a white mob destroyed it all, +

PHOTOGRAPH BY BABAK TAFRESHI, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION

How reading the night sky helped Black Americans survive

From tracking the seasons to "following the gourd" to freedom, knowledge of the stars was imperative for enslaved Africans. Their descendants are reclaiming those ties.

RECRUITING THE FUTURE

BRADY-HANDY PHOTO COLLECTION, LOC

The first Black U.S. senator lived an extraordinary life

When Hiram Rhodes Revels traveled to Washington in 1870, he brought a historic piece of paper with him: a handwritten document certifying his right to serve in the United States Senate.

BARBER TO SENATOR

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOE CARLOS

The unsung history of HBCUs and their alumni

Their list of achievements is endless, yet historically Black colleges and universities have been chronically misunderstood and underfinanced since their founding in the 1800s.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THESE STORIES?

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This magician escaped slavery by mailing himself to freedom

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From sails to stealth bombers, African American inventors have made their mark

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This quilt—and the woman who created it—inspired generations of artisans

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Rediscovering the history of Tennessee's forgotten music empire

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