During a meeting with our Envisioning New Structures Research Fellows last summer, one young woman stopped mid-conversation: “When people talk about Black history, they always talk about what happened back then. But we’re making history right now.”
She was right. Black history has never stopped happening—it’s alive in youth-led movements, mutual aid networks, and the young people reimagining what justice and healing can look like.
Making History Through Research
Through our Power In Our Truths research series, over 400 girls and gender-expansive young people of color shared their experiences navigating the pandemic, police violence, and systemic racism. More than 76% reported that their lives had changed dramatically due to COVID-19. But the data also showed something powerful: these young people weren’t just surviving—they were leading, organizing, and articulating clear solutions for their communities.
This matters because it challenges narratives that position Black youth as problems to be solved rather than leaders with solutions. The young people we work with know their communities better than any outside expert ever could.
What Black History Looks Like in 2026
Black History looks like our Envisioning New Structures Research Fellowship, where young people ages 14-25 are leading community-driven mental health research while also developing blueprints for new systems designed by those most impacted.
It looks like In Solidarity Conversations, where 380+ young people from 39 states and tribal nations shaped the Power In Our Truths series, now informing policy and shifting narratives about who holds expertise.
It looks like IMPACT, a national network led by young mothers redefining family support and reproductive freedom.
These aren’t just programs—they’re part of long traditions of Black people creating the conditions for our own freedom and building institutions when existing ones fail us.
Healing as History-Making
Black history includes healing practices that have always sustained our communities—from enslaved people blending African traditions with available resources, to Civil Rights organizers building in time for rest and singing, to Black women gathering in spaces like kitchens and beauty salons. Today, when our research fellows create safe space for processing difficult emotions or share strategies for navigating broken systems, they’re continuing this work. Healing itself is resistance.
Beyond February
Black history doesn’t fit into 28 days. Honoring it year-round means following Black leadership consistently, centering young people as knowledge producers (not just research subjects), and recognizing that healing and joy aren’t distractions from justice work—they’re essential to it.
Black history isn’t waiting for permission to unfold. It’s happening in research sessions and organizing meetings, in the bold visions of young people who refuse to accept the world as it is. The question isn’t whether history is being made—it’s whether we’re paying attention and ready to support the future these young leaders are building.
This month and every month, we’re learning from Black girls and gender-expansive youth who aren’t waiting to become history. They’re making it right now. And we’re honored to support their leadership, center their voices, and participate in the world they’re creating—one rooted in justice, healing, and joy.
Learn More
Explore our Power In Our Truths report series at justiceandjoynatl.org/resources
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn: @justiceandjoy
