Wiki History!

Does the end of Black history month mean the end of learning Black history? Do we still need Black history month? How can we continue to learn Black history AFTER Black history month has ended? Doug and Robin (siblings and historians) discuss these questions over a cup of espresso.

Why love history? Does history matter?   Welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Hi, I’m Robin the host and one of many history lovers at this great and groundbreaking podcast show.  Right now, you are at an exciting place to remember African American history, a peaceful place to reflect on the African American experience and a bold place to keep MAKING history every single day.     I’m so glad that you’re here so we can share in this journey together. History should be a shared experience. So, let’s get started.   Hello, habari gani, nangadef! As promised, I will explain these greeting a bit later in the show.     People often ask me why I love history. They say “it’s so boring!” “it’s pointless” and my personal point of debate: “it’s all lies anyway.”   Hmmm…I would love to say that none of those comments are true.  But let me just say that they’re not completely wrong either.  Or at least they don’t have to be.   In elementary and high school, I actually ha

This is Robin Lofton and I want to welcome you to rememberinghistory.com where are remembering history and we’re making it. Hello, habari gani, nangadef! I’ll explain that one a bit later. Right now, you are at a safe place to remember African American history, a quiet place to reflect on the African American experience and a powerful place to make history every single day.   I’m so glad that you’re here so we can share in this journey together. History should be a shared experience. So, let’s get started.   This is the month that we, at rememberinghistory.com, remember and acknowledge the activists who are working for a better world, we reflect on the importance of activism in the African American community and we resolve to keep up the work of the activists—past and present—to make changes in our communities, our country and yes even our world.   In April, we remembered the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (one of the world’s foremost activists) who, sadly, was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Thi

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani,   I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com and I’m so glad that you’ve come back for this great and groundbreaking show. We’ve been doing something a bit different from our usual podcast show when we talk about different issues affecting the African American community, and discuss the great contributions of African Americans to their communities, the country and world. Today we are celebrating the last and final day of Kwanzaa. Wow, what an experience but it’s coming to an end. And we will focus on an issue that is deeply rooted in African and African American culture: faith (or as we say in Swahili: Imani).   I’ll begin—as usual--by bidding you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very glad to have you with us and I would strongly urge you to listen to the 7 previous podcasts that intro

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani,   I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com and I’m so glad that you’ve come back for this great and groundbreaking show. We’ve been doing something a bit different from our usual podcast show when we talk about different issues affecting the African American community, and discuss the great contributions of African Americans to their communities, the country and world. Today is a very special day because we are continuing with our celebration of Kwanzaa! We are already on day six of this uplifting and inspirational celebration. Today we will focus on the concept of Kuumba, which means creativity.   I’ll begin—as usual--by bidding you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very glad to have you with us and I would strongly urge you to listen to the 6 previous podcasts shows.   We learned ye

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani, I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com and I’m so glad that you’ve come back for this great and groundbreaking show. We’ve been doing something a bit different from our usual podcast show when we talk about different issues affecting the African American community, and discuss the great contributions of African Americans to their communities, the country and world. Today is a very special day because we are continuing with our celebration of Kwanzaa! We are already on day five of this uplifting and inspirational celebration. Today we will focus on the concept of Nia which means purpose.   I’ll begin by bidding you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very glad to have you with us and I would strongly urge you to listen to the 5 previous podcasts: the introduction to Kwanzaa podcast, th

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani, I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com.   I’m so glad that you’ve come back for this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history and culture. And today is a very special day because we are continuing with our celebration of Kwanzaa! We are already on day four of this uplifting and inspirational celebration. Today we will focus on Ujamaa.   So, I’ll bid you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very welcome but I would strongly urge you to listen to the 4 previous podcasts: the introduction to Kwanzaa podcast, the first day of Kwanzaa podcast (called umoja or unity), and the second day of Kwanzaa podcast (called kujichagulia or

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani, I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com.   I’m so glad that you’ve joined us for this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history and culture. Remember boring stuff is NEVER allowed at the Wiki History podcast show so get ready for exciting stuff today—the third day of our Kwanzaa celebration.   So, I’ll bid you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very welcome but I would strongly urge you to listen to the 3 previous podcasts: the introductory podcast show, the first day of Kwanzaa podcast (called umoja or unity), and the second day of Kwanzaa podcast (called kujichagulia or self-determination).   We learned yesterday that se

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani, I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com.   I’m so glad that you’ve joined us for this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history and culture. rememberinghistory.com or at this Wiki history podcast show. Remember boring stuff is NEVER allowed at the Wiki History podcast show so get ready for exciting stuff today—the second day of our Kwanzaa celebration.   So, I’ll bid you the traditional greeting of Kwanzaa in the Swahili language: Habari gani! If you’re just joining us, you’re very welcome but I would strongly urge you to listen to the introductory podcast show on Kwanzaa and the show about the first day of Kwanzaa called Umoja, which means unity.   We learned yesterday that unity (or umoja) is

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Habari gani, I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com.   I’m so glad that you’ve joined us for this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history and culture. I find history to BE inspirational, instructional and entertaining. And African American history and culture fit the bill in all of these ways. Personally, I hate boring stuff. So boring stuff is not allowed at rememberinghistory.com or at this Wiki history podcast show.   Did you remember the traditional Swahili greeting of habari gani? If you remembered, great. If not, it’s okay. Perhaps next time! Today we will celebrate the first day of Kwanzaa! If you’re just joining us, you’re welcome and I would strongly urge you to listen to the introductory podcas

Hello history lovers and welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it.   Hi, I’m Robin the host and in-house historian at rememberinghistory.com.   We hope that you enjoyed the November podcasts that discussed African Americans in the military, focusing mostly on Black veterans. We heard some great stories, some sad stories and some inspirational stories. And remember the quote by WEB Dubois: We return. We return from fighting. We return fighting. I’m still moved whenever I read that quote. African Americans had it hard after they returned home from various wars. They weren’t welcomed as the heroes they were, who had fought for freedom and democracy around the world. But WE can recognize their courage and service and we should do so throughout the year. These stories and podcast shows are just one way but it’s important that they are remembered for their service. I know that some of the stories were a bit heavy, but I hope that the lessons were learned and that the in

Welcome back! That last section was pretty heavy. The racial terror and violence inflicted on Black veterans who had fought for their country are difficult subjects to hear and infuriating to learn about. But it’s even more infuriating that these stories are not taught in schools or discussed on the Veteran’s Day or Memorial Day holidays. Yet these stories need to be told and remembered. Why? It’s history. Not the glamorous and happy history but still it is a part of American history AND the African American experience. It honors the Black soldiers who fought, endured and persevered through the wars, the discrimination and the violence. Again, it reminds me of the quote by WEB DuBois: We return. We return from fighting. We return fighting.   Second, this dishonorable behavior by white Americans who were determined never to accept or respect the contributions of African American soldiers is instructive. We can learn something from their behavior: Why did they act as they did? What were they thinking? What were

Black Veterans Podcast #1   Welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it. I’m Robin Lofton, the Chief In-house Historian and host of this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history. I find history to BE inspirational, instructional and entertaining. And African American history fits the bill in all of these ways. Personally, I hate boring stuff. So boring stuff is not allowed at rememberinghistory.com or at this Wiki history podcast show.   Speaking of the show, today’s podcast show is about African American servicewomen and men and veterans. I think that this is a great time to learn about Black veterans. Why? Because it’s November. In the United States, we celebrate Veterans Day on November 11, which is also Remembrance Day or Armistice Day in other parts of the world.   Yes, this is the month in which we

Welcome to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it. I’m Robin Lofton, the Chief In-house Historian and host of this great and groundbreaking show that will inspire YOU and your FAMILY with true stories, real experiences, practical lessons, cultural traditions, and fun celebrations—all inspired by African American history. I find history to BE inspirational, instructional and entertaining. And African American history fits the bill in all of these ways. Personally, I hate boring stuff. So boring stuff is not allowed at rememberinghistory.com or at this Wiki history podcast show.   Speaking of the show, today’s podcast show is about Black explorers and adventurers. I think that this is a great time to learn about Black explorers. Why? Because it’s October. In the United States, October is the month that many people celebrate Columbus’s birthday. Yes, it’s a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. But it’s important to know many individual states are celebr

How Leaving the United States made me a better American   Hi and welcome to the July issue of Making History Today, the newsletter for people who want to change the world. I’m Robin, the editor of this great and groundbreaking newsletter. I’m so happy that you are receiving Making History Today and listening to this podcast.   As the editor in chief, I have the privilege every month of writing a few words about a current event or an important issue that I think will be helpful, interesting or even intriguing to the Making History Today community. This month, I made an interesting observation about myself. It’s something that I notice every year. Mostly in July. You see every July, I return to the United States for a vacation. That’s when it happens. I notice the same thing. I notice a change in myself and in the United States.   But let me back up a bit and tell you the whole story. It’s not long but it’s important because then you’ll understand that when I left the United States, I actually became a better A

The Importance of African American history: Believe in fairy tales! Hi and welcome to the Wiki History lecture series called History is Power! Produced by rememberinghistory.com where history is power. Today, we’re going to discuss the importance of knowing African American history. We begin by asking why is history important? Great question. Perhaps the answer can be found in this famous journal entry, which says, Next time I go to a movie and see a picture of a little ordinary girl become a great star, I’ll believe it. And whenever I hear someone read fairy tales to my little boy, I’ll listen.  I know that dreams do come true.  I know because I am now playing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the big leagues!  I always dreamed about playing for the Dodgers, but honestly, I always had my doubts. I used to tell myself: “Something will happen. It just isn’t in the books for you to play in the majors. You’re a Negro. Negroes haven’t been in the big leagues. Some day they will be. But you won’t be the lucky guy. Can

Hi everyone, I’m so glad that you are reading this issue of Making History Today and listening to this podcast. I’m Robin Lofton, editor-in-chief, of Making History Today! and I like to add that I’m also one of the in-house history lovers and aspiring history makers. That’s what this newsletter is all about and what Rememberinghistory.com is committed to. In this September issue of Making History Today!, I’m gonna address an issue that many people have approached me about: How can I work as an activist that focuses on the United States when I’m not actually LIVING in the United States? You might be surprised but this is a common concern for many (estimated 9 million) American citizens living around the globe.   This issue is very VERY important to me. You see, I am an American expat living in Belgium. I was born and raised in San Francisco then went to college at UCLA and law school at University of Pennsylvania. I left the United States in 1994 to get my Master of Law degree at the Rijksuniversiteit Maastric

Marching Podcast #1   Welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it every day! March is the month in which we focus on—surprise!—marching! Marching is one of the most common and I would say most effective ways to protest. And Americans have been protest marching since the country was founded.     Americans have marched for many reasons. American marched to protest the Stamp Tax—actually that march took place even before the United States officially existed. Americans have marched to protest wars like the War of 1812 and the Vietnam War. We have marched to protest racial inequality. We have marched to ensure the right to vote for women and people of color. We have marched to bring attention to and protest against police violence and gun “carry” laws. Americans have marched to show unity and solidarity with immigrants, refugees and other vulnerable and disenfranchised groups. Americans have been marching for almost 250 years and there is no reason to think that we w

Great American Marches in History   Welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making it every day! March is the month in which we focus on—surprise!—marching! Marching is one of the most common and I would say most effective ways to protest. And Americans have been protest marching since the country was founded.     Americans have marched for many reasons. American marched to protest the Stamp Tax—actually that march took place even before the United States officially existed. Americans have marched to protest wars like the War of 1812 and the Vietnam War. We have marched to protest racial inequality. We have marched to ensure the right to vote for women and people of color. We have marched to bring attention to and protest against police violence and gun “carry” laws. Americans have marched to show unity and solidarity with immigrants, refugees and other vulnerable and disenfranchised groups. Americans have been marching for almost 250 years and there is no reason to t