February is Black History month, also known as African American History Month. February can provide us a bit of a dilemma. On the upside there is some attention paid to black history. On the downside, inherently, it perpetuates the separation of blackness, African Americans, from “American” history. It’s as if blacks are separate from, an appendage to the “real” history of America.

How do we as a nation, as a faith community, begin to tell a different story about our history? How would a different analysis of our history inform the present? How do we restore African Americans to full status as American citizens?