Beloved,
When I was in high school, I served as president of the Youth NAACP for our county. One of
our first goals was bold but simple: we wanted Black History taught as an independent
course in our high school.
We had a plan. We formed an African American Culture Club. We worked with the Student
Government Association to have it certified as an official club. And then we used that
momentum to push—patiently but persistently—for a Black History class.
We protested.
We met with the PTA.
We wrote letters to the school board.
We organized a mass call campaign, where parents called the principal repeatedly.
After months of sustained effort, the school compromised. They agreed to amend the U.S.
History curriculum to teach Black history beyond the month of February—because Black
history is American history.
I have been thinking about that moment as we watch the unraveling around us now: the
weakening of norms, the fracturing of guardrails, the shaking of foundations we once
thought were steady. In moments like this, it matters what story we remember. And one
truth remains: Black history is American history.
In my work, we often talk about epigenetic trauma transmission, sometimes called
generational trauma—the idea that the lived trauma of our ancestors can be stored in our
bodies and expressed when circumstances trigger it. In short, the history our ancestors
lived through can become the history we live in.
But here is what I struggle with how those theories are applied to the Black experience:
they often name trauma without naming resilience.
Historically, Black people have not only survived unjust systems—we have learned how to
heal within them, to restore joy, to protect one another’s dignity, to nurture soul-life in
places designed to strip it away. That resilience is also generational. It is also carried
forward. It is also part of what we inherit.
And if Black history is American history, then generational resilience belongs to us all.
Which means in a moment like this—on the edge of so much uncertainty—we have
something powerful to offer the world.
Paul helps us here. In Philippians 4:8 he writes:
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is
pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there
is anything worthy of praise, think on these things.”
Paul is not asking us to deny reality. He is teaching us how to focus faithfully.
So how have we done this—traditionally, communally, faithfully?
We gather together.
We worship together.
We cook for one another.
We show up.
We laugh together.
We cry together.
We stand together.
When the world feels like it is on the edge, remember your entire history—not just the
pain, but the perseverance. Remember Paul’s words. Remember that God is with us.
We got this! Amen
Your Pastor, Dr. Ron Bell II
