The Revolution Will Be Written
Because I am!
I used to be a flag-waving, fireworks-shooting, parade-attending, cookout-going patriot on the 4th. Proud African American. Two things changed that.Knocked that patriotism shit right out of me. The first happened pre-pandemic.(It’s funny how we’ve started…
Below is the transcript of my speech addressed to the school board last night. Starting at minute 57:00 My name is Tracey Wallace, a lifelong Evanstonian and a member of the first desegregated class to…
Galveston, Texas, 1863. Slavery had not ended here. Not even close. Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation — begrudgingly. Not because he was morally opposed to slavery (he wasn’t trying to abolish it where…
Before the barbecue. Before the beach trips and blowout sales. Before America made it about summer. We made it sacred. May 1, 1865, Charleston, South Carolina. The Civil War had just ended. Freedom had just…
I’m not here to litigate who killed Malcolm.Not here to debate why the FBI feared him, or how America labeled him a threat while ignoring the threats it posed to him.And I’m not here to…
I’m a few days late writing this. May 13, 2025, marked what would have been the 40th anniversary of this horrific event. But I needed time—to learn more, to sit with the weight of it,…
I rose this morning smelling like smoke. But last night, I’d been cleansed. It was the fire, you see. Brothers around the flame. Our ancestors—Yoruba, Igbo, Fulani, and many others—shining through our lit faces. Kings.…
When Desegregation Disguises Itself as Integration Desegregation without real integration wasn’t just a missed opportunity. It was a wound — one that never properly healed. When the focus stayed on access but never touched belonging,…
Unlocking Doors vs. Building New Homes What is the difference between desegregation and integration? A question asked to a panel at a symposium on local Black history I was fortunate to attend at Northwestern University.The…
This is an excerpt from my book BLACK, please leave a comment and share your opinion. I used to watch The Ten Commandments every Easter weekend on ABC. That was just part of the rhythm…