That is the Truth Black history is not optional. It is not a footnote. It is not something to be softened, reshaped, or erased to make others more comfortable. Black history is American history , and distortion does not change truth—it only exposes resistance to it. From forced labor to intellectual leadership, from cultural innovation to moral courage, Black Americans have shaped this nation at every stage. Attempts to minimize that reality do not make it untrue. They reveal