When historian Carter Woodson created Negro History Week in 1926, which became Black History Month in 1976, he sought not to just celebrate prominent Black historical figures but to transform how white America saw and valued all African Americans.
However, many issues in the history of Black Americans can get lost in a focus on well-known historical figures or other important events.
Derek Alderman, professor of geography, joined his colleague Joshua Inwood of Penn State University to study how African American communities struggling for freedom have long used maps to protest and survive racism while affirming the value of Black life.
Alderman and Inwood’s research on the Living Black Atlas, an educational initiative, highlights the neglected history of Black mapmaking in America. Read the full article on restorative mapping at The Conversation.
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Media Contact:
Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)