Honoring Black history means protecting Black futures

Rev. Jesse Jackson’s legacy is often recounted through marches, campaigns and speeches, but at its core it was a commitment to the next generation. He famously said, “Your children need your presence more than your presents,” a reminder that investment in young people must be collective, not symbolic. 

As we observe Black History Month in the wake of Jackson’s passing, the question is not only how we remember civil rights history, but also how we extend it through policies and community investments that protect the wellbeing of Black youth today.

Black futures in present tense

As a developmental scientist, and now a new aunt to a beautiful baby boy, I find myself thinking often about the world we are building for our children’s Black futures. Holding him, I feel both the tenderness of possibility and the weight of responsibility. 

Black History Month always invites reflection on where we have been, but this year, I am thinking more urgently about where we are going and what today’s decisions mean for the next generation.

Each February, we celebrate the resilience of Black communities. We tell stories of perseverance in the face of exclusion, discrimination, and structural neglect. These stories matter deeply. 

They remind us of the courage and creativity that carried previous generations forward when institutions failed them. Yet resilience, while admirable, should never be mistaken for protection.

If Black History Month is also about Black futures, we must ask harder questions: What are we doing, collectively and institutionally, to support the wellbeing of Black young people growing up right now? For Black youth, wellbeing is deeply connected to the conditions in which they live. 

Educational inequities, economic pressures on families, community violence, racial discrimination, and uneven access to supportive resources all shape development over time. These realities influence how young people see themselves, how safe they feel, and how possible their future appears.

Conditions that make futures possible

When I think about the world Black children are inheriting, I focus on the conditions that make futures possible: the freedom to learn honest history, the ability to see oneself reflected in art and culture, the protection of journalists who tell the truth, and the economic stability that allows families to plan beyond survival. These are not abstract ideals; they are developmental necessities.

When Black history becomes contested in classrooms, when cultural institutions become sites of political struggle, and when journalists documenting public life face arrest, young people receive a quiet message about what is fragile and what is protected. We celebrate resilience without always addressing the conditions that demand it.

The same is true economically. Rising unemployment among Black women, who disproportionately lead and sustain Black households, threatens not only income but also stability, predictability, and the sense of security children need to thrive. When caregivers’ economic footing is uncertain, youth wellbeing is affected in ways that ripple across development and education.

Yet our responses often remain reactive. We invest in short-term programs instead of long-term prevention and respond to crises rather than building systems that make thriving possible.

Black History Month reminds us that progress has never been accidental; it has come from collective action and sustained investment in communities historically overlooked. The same must be true for youth wellbeing today. 

Protecting Black futures requires investing in schools that support the whole child, communities that foster belonging and safety, and policies that reduce stress on families. Youth wellbeing is inseparable from the systems that shape daily life.

The promise in front of us

When I look at my nephew, I do not see policy debates or statistics. I see possibility, curiosity, joy, and a future still taking shape. I also see how deeply that future depends on the decisions adults are making now about what we value, what we fund, and what we are willing to change. 

Black futures will not be determined by resilience alone. They will be shaped by whether we build institutions capable of supporting Black youth wellbeing in meaningful, sustained ways.

Honoring Black history requires nothing less.

This commentary appeared first in Word in Black. It has been edited for style. For the original, visit www.wordinblack.com.