Giving Compass' Take:

• Jeff Raikes, writing for Forbes, discusses what white people should understand about Black History Month, specifically how America's history shapes the harsh realities that Black Americans face in society today. 

• How can philanthropy tackle social justice issues that alleviate barriers for people of color? 

• Read about why wealth equality remains out of reach for Black Americans. 

To better understand and reckon with our nation’s racial history, I spoke to historian Eric Foner about Reconstruction, an era glossed over in our history classes, but essential to understanding the America we live in now. Foner estimates that as many as 2,000 African American men held elected office by the time the Reconstruction era ended in the late 1870s. Foner’s most recent book, The Second Founding, examines the reckoning, advocacy, leadership, and compromise that led to the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution during Reconstruction.

The Reconstruction amendments promised a new start – a “second founding.” But sadly, the promise of a true multi-racial democracy was short-lived. And the backlash to it was long and damaging.

Now, in 2020, as we recognize a Black History Month, African Americans, among others, are facing persistent strategies designed to prevent them from even voting, much less from holding office in large numbers. More than twenty states have imposed barriers to voting – barriers that harm all Americans, but especially people of color.

As white people, we have a duty to ensure that history does not repeat itself. So, during this Black History Month and in the months that follow, I encourage you, especially my fellow citizens who are white, to seek out and understand black history – not just the progress, but the pain. To acknowledge basic truths about our shared history. To dig beyond the myths we tell ourselves. To confront the suffering of generations past and present. And to understand the ways in which this history shapes the experience of African Americans today.

Through listening and openness to change, we have an opportunity to work alongside African Americans toward a new birth of freedom that our nation so desperately needs.

Read the full article about what white people should know about black history by Jeff Raikes at Forbes.