Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.” His words resonate deeply today, particularly when we reflect on how often Black women have been left out of the historical narrative. Despite their enormous contributions, women like Harriet Tubman, Maggie Lena Walker—the first African-American woman to charter a bank in the United States—and so many others have often been sidelined in history books, overshadowed by their male counterparts. This erasure has had profound consequences on how we remember our past and who we honor in our present.
In recent years, states have passed laws that censor or limit the teaching of Black history in schools. Framed as curriculum reform or anti-divisive measures, these laws do far more than adjust content—they distort history. Even locally, we see attempts to revise African-American studies, such as the recent effort in Harford County, Md., to remove critical parts of African-American history from the curriculum. By reducing or erasing the contributions of Black Americans, and particularly Black women, from textbooks and classrooms, this sanitization deprives future generations of a complete American history—one that includes the struggles, resilience, innovation and triumphs of women who fought against systemic oppression.
This erasure inspired me to take on a legislative effort initiated by Chanel Compton, executive director of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, and Del. Shaneka Henson (D-Md.-30A), who asked me to lead the charge in the Maryland State Senate. Together, we sought to honor the legacy of Dorchester County native Harriet Tubman during the 2024 Legislative Session with Senate Bill 341.
Tubman’s name has long been synonymous with Black history and American history. The legislation renames the “Banneker-Douglass Museum” in Annapolis to the “Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum.” Just a few blocks from the State House, the museum is dedicated to documenting, interpreting, and promoting African-American history and culture. The change is a deliberate recognition of the profound contributions Tubman made, alongside those of Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, to the fight for freedom, equality and justice in American history…