Between the Lines: Black History is for Everyone

IN-PERSON

At a time when Black history is under attack from forces seeking to remove it from classrooms and libraries, Dr. Brian Jones offers a powerful exploration of its meaning and importance for all people. Jones, author of Black History Is for Everyone examines more than three centuries of history, from Bacon’s Rebellion to the Haitian Revolution, challenging readers to rethink conventional ideas of race, revolution, and the American story. As part of our centennial celebration, join us for a special Between the Lines event featuring the launch of Black History is for Everyone. Dr. Jones will be in conversation with acclaimed scholar and educator Dr. Bettina Love and Jesse Hagopian, Director of the Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives campaign.

PARTICIPANTS

Dr. Brian Jones has taught many ages and grades in New York City’s public schools and the City University of New York. He served as the inaugural director of the Center for Educators and Schools at the New York Public Library and was the associate director of education at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The author of The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History, his writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Guardian, and Jacobin.

Dr. Bettina L. Love holds the esteemed William F. Russell Professorship at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal. This groundbreaking work garnered the prestigious Stowe Prize for Literary Activism and was a finalist for the LA Times Book Award. Recognized by the Kennedy Center in 2022 as one of the Next 50 Leaders dedicated to fostering inspiration, inclusivity, and compassion, Dr. Love's impact extends far beyond academia. In 2024, she received the Truth Award for Excellence in Education from Better Brothers Los Angeles and The Diva Foundation. As a co-founder of the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN), Dr. Love actively contributes to its mission of nurturing and empowering educators and parents committed to combating injustice within their educational institutions and communities.

Jesse Hagopian is the descendant of African ancestors who endured and resisted enslavement in Mississippi and Louisiana, and Armenian ancestors who survived genocide. Today, Jesse is a Seattle-based educator and the author of Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education. He is an editor at Rethinking Schools magazine, a columnist for Truthout, a founding member of Black Lives Matter at School, and the Director of the Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives campaign.

ACCESSIBLILITY

Accessibility requests can be made by e-mail accessibility@nypl.org.

GET THE BOOK

Copies of Black History is for Everyone will be available for purchase from the Schomburg Shop in Harlem.

ABOUT

A longtime educator explores how the study of Black history challenges our understanding of race, nation, and the stories we tell about who we are.

Black history is under attack from powerful forces that seek to excise it from classrooms, libraries, and the popular imagination. Yet its opponents fail to understand a simple truth: the best education challenges our assumptions, helps us see larger forces at work, and gives us glimpses of alternate futures.

In Black History Is for Everyone, Brian Jones offers a meditation on the power of Black history, using his own experiences as a lifelong learner and classroom teacher to question everything—from the radicalism of the American Revolution to the meaning of “race” and “nation.”

With warmth and immersive storytelling, Jones encourages us to delve deeper into our collective history, explores how curiosity about our world is essential—and reminds us that with stakes so high, the effort is worth it.

SCHOMBURG 100

This year, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding! Join us all year long for a wide array of special events, exhibitions, and more as we celebrate this milestone and continue the legacy of Arturo Schomburg.

Schomburg100 | Exhibition | Special-Edition Library Card | Become a Member

#SchomburgLive

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GUESTS Please note that holding seats in the Langston Hughes Auditorium is strictly prohibited and there is no food or drinks allowed anywhere in the Schomburg Center.

E-TRANSPORTATION NYPL policy prohibits electric transportation devices (e.g., motorbikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards) from being brought into or stored at library sites for any length of time, as this is the best way to keep our spaces & people safe.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING Programs are photographed and recorded by the Schomburg Center. Attending this event indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at leahdrayton@nypl.org.

Please note that professional video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.