Black Minnesota as a source of inspiration worldwide
Most 50-year-olds do not move to a new state with their nearly adult children. The vast majority of Minnesotans over 50 would never consider it. Both facts require some explanation about my presence in the Twin Cities.
As the DeWitt Wallace Professor of History at Macalester College, I carry forward the legacy of Elder Mahmoud El-Kati and the dedication of his distinguished colleagues, Professors James Stewart and Peter Rachleff. Few scholars achieve recognition in the Black community while alive, but this column marks a rare moment.
We stand together now, 10 years after the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement and in the shadow of Barack Obama’s presidency. Against the white nationalism of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, artists and scholars like Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ibram Kendi have challenged us to redefine justice in the 21st century.
Locally, Duchess Harris and Yohuru Williams carry that banner forward. Community initiatives such as the Rise and Remember Project in South Minneapolis (led by Jeannelle Austin), the ReConnect Rondo project (led by Keith Baker), and renewed energy at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center (led by Benny Roberts) demonstrate a rising cohort of leaders shaping the Twin Cities.
What can I contribute to this conversation? My work focuses on preserving the archives and historic sites that safeguard rare histories, particularly in the face of violent repression. My first two books chronicled rural, independent Black communities and examined how government and private policies undermined the infrastructure of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements after 1965.
“Local priorities include restoring the Rondo community and preserving records related to George Floyd Square.”
This work informed a syllabus on the history of racial violence in the United States, a history almost entirely erased from public memory. After 2017, following the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, this syllabus gained renewed attention.
Beyond the classroom, my work has influenced popular culture. “The Wakanda Syllabus,” published by the African American Intellectual History Society in 2016, became a foundational resource inspiring Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” films and television projects. The syllabus has been revised nearly a dozen times and now supports courses on the history of Black architecture.
This year, academic and cultural breakthroughs continue. New York City schools adopted the study of hip hop as part of their social studies curriculum, guided by “The Graphic History of Hip Hop,” a celebration of 50 years of Black music in a format that energizes middle and high school students.
The book draws on the scholarly work “Illmatic Consequences” (UWP Books), which provides an analysis of critical race theory, exposes misrepresentations by white nationalist pundits, and links hip hop to public policy through Afrofuturist design principles. “Illmatic Consequences” earned the top scholarly research prize from the National Council for Black Studies, honoring the legacies of Anna Julia Cooper and C.L.R. James.
Even global events resonate with these ideas. The election of Pope Leo XIV by the Vatican College of Cardinals reflects the influence of social justice-oriented education.
The Pope, trained at Villanova University, benefited from a 30-year institutional commitment to cultural diversity and youth leadership, emphasizing Afrofuturist design principles that align with global efforts toward equity and human dignity. Minnesota is uniquely positioned to follow this example, fostering social justice statewide through the traditions of local civil and human rights leadership.
Locally, priorities include restoring the Rondo community and preserving records related to George Floyd Square. Macalester College can extend the work of Elder Mahmoud El-Kati and Kofi Annan for another generation, yet much of the responsibility falls on college leaders.
Many students and faculty are already shaping ethnic studies curricula in Minnesota, but it is time for newcomers like me to contribute to the next generation of activism and public policy. In many ways, Black Minnesota is a Wakanda inspiring people around the world.
Here, in this space, we move the conversation forward together.
Walter D. Greason, Ph.D., is a Twin Cities metro historian and Dewitt Wallace Professor of History at Macalester College. For more information, visit www.walterdgreason.com.