A Letter from the Author

Dear Reader,

I am writing to you today, September 13, 2026, with a heart that is both heavy and hopeful.

As the founder of Rubin Stacy Studio for Innovation & Education, I have spent years learning what happens when a Black life is reduced to a headline, when a family's pain is left outside the history books, and when silence is allowed to speak louder than truth. I have sat with descendants who still carry unanswered questions. I have held photographs that should have never been the only proof that someone lived and loved. And I have felt the weight of knowing that some stories are still waiting to be told.

In 2026, changes in federal policy may affect how American history is presented in museums, historic sites, exhibits, and other public institutions. The policy began with Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, and was expanded through Executive Order 14416, Restoring Trust in the Smithsonian Institution.

Although these policies are presented as an effort to restore pride in American history, we must remain watchful. Our nation's progress cannot be understood without telling the truth about the suffering, courage, resistance, faith, and accomplishments of Black Americans.

Black history is not divisive. Black history is American history.

This moment reminds us why our work matters more than ever. We must record the voices of our elders before they are gone. We must protect family photographs, preserve court documents, gather oral histories, create films, write books, and teach our children the stories that institutions may overlook.

At Rubin Stacy Studio for Innovation & Education, we will continue to preserve the stories others tried to bury. We will speak the names that history attempted to forget. We will honor the lives behind the records. And we will make certain that future generations inherit the truth, not silence.

The way our history is presented may change, but our commitment will not.