FIRST ASALH VIRTUAL CONVENING | 3/24/25 7:30-9:00p ET
American democracy is fragile. It is an unspoken agreement between us (the people) and them (our elected officials). It is not perfect, and it is not finished. According to Hary Rubenstein, a former curator in the Division of Political History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, democracy did not begin with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, but with the first peaceful transfer of power following the voluntary resignation of George Washington in 1796. I would say that democracy did not start until the election of 1868, the first presidential election in which the newly freed Black people could vote.
| We exercise the power of our vote to shape the democracy that we want to have but when it is under attack—like it is now—we must defend it. We must partner with organizations and institutions who are working on our behalf and support them with everything we have. In this moment, as Black History is under attack, ASLAH is that organization and we know that this is our moment to push back. In the spirt of Carter G. Woodson and Mary McLeod Bethune, we are committed to doing this work at this moment. Angela Davis once said that change sometimes takes far longer than we could imagine; I would add that change never starts until you start it. To that end, I am asking all ASALH members and everyone who is concerned about the state of our democracy to join us on MONDAY, MARCH 24 from 7:30-9:00p ET (six weeks from marking Trump’s First 100 Days) for the First ASALH Virtual Convening to discuss The Fierce Urgency of Now. During our convening, we will lay out our Project ASALH 2025 Magna Carta, discussing what has happened in this country thus far and outlining specific individual and collective actions that we should be doing to disrupt, agitate, and push back before Day 100. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN – REGISTER HERE! This is a moment of urgency, and we need everyone to join us at the table. Every generation faces a new challenge. For our great grandparents, it was surviving through the nadir of African American history. For our grandparents, it was moving through the Great Depression and the realities of Jim Crow. For our parents, it was about defending democracy abroad and at home. And for us, it is about saving democracy by defending, promoting, and protecting Black History. This is our moment. PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORK! Sincerely, |
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| Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead National President |
DC Black History happens EveryDay... 