I haven’t usually made a big deal of Black History Month. That’s because I feel Black history should be acknowledged year-round, routinely taught in schools, and understood by all Americans.

But in the context of efforts to erase African American history in National Park Service sites, including recent new ones in Philadelphia, and snubs like President Trump’s unwillingness to attend an MLK Day event, and his appalling unapologetic sharing of a video depicting the Obamas as apes, I value the month much more.

One aspect of African American history we should appreciate is the centuries-long effort to attain civil rights. While that’s a massive topic, today I’ll focus on the Black civil rights movement during the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s