Reveal Podcast:

As the Trump Administration Erases Black History, These Writers Are Keeping It Alive
Date: February 21, 2026
Podcast Host: Al Letson
Featured Guests: Nicole Hannah-Jones, Jelani Cobb, Tremaine Lee

Episode Overview

This special Black History Month episode of Reveal examines the Trump administration’s efforts to erase or distort Black history in the United States. Host Al Letson is joined by three transformative Black writers and journalists—Nicole Hannah-Jones, Jelani Cobb, and Tremaine Lee—who discuss the importance of preserving and telling hard truths, the personal and societal costs of fighting against historical whitewashing, and what it means to bear witness to Black experiences in America. The episode interweaves personal stories, historical context, and reflections on journalism, myth, and survival.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Erasure of Black History in Contemporary America

Timestamps: 01:32–04:38

• Trump administration initiatives have targeted Black history in public spaces and curricula, removing plaques and signs recognizing enslaved people and historical contributions of Black Americans.
  • Jelani Cobb: “The Trump administration prefers a more sanitized version of American history that minimizes the Black struggle...” (02:38)
• These acts represent a deliberate attempt to “whitewash” history, making it harder for America to confront both its past and present.

2. Nicole Hannah-Jones: The Toll and Importance of Telling the Hard Truth

Timestamps: 04:38–18:25

Her work and backlash with The 1619 Project

• Nicole shares the emotional and professional cost of having her work—and herself—attacked at the highest levels, including threats to personal safety.
  • “There were threats. Someone threatened to burn my mother’s house down. People threatened to come burn my house down. ... But in the end, I survived it. ... The only one at this point who can discredit your work is you.” – Nicole Hannah-Jones (06:34–08:54).

Myth versus Truth in American history

• She argues that American myth is powerful because it is tied to national identity and emotion, while truth requires constant defense and is harder to absorb.
  • “Myth speaks to the heart and truth speaks to the mind. ... Myth is about who we believe ourselves to be, and so we’re always going to hold so much more tightly to that than we do the facts.” – Nicole Hannah-Jones (09:27).

Challenges of bridging racial divides in understanding American history

• Nicole: Hard work is not nullified by acknowledging systemic racism, but nuanced conversations are often blocked by a preference for national myths.
  • “I’m never arguing white people haven’t worked hard. What I’m saying is you have worked hard in a society designed to help move you forward, and other people have worked hard in a society designed to hold them back.” (11:24).

The cost of rugged individualism and erasure of collective responsibility

• Hyper-individualistic ideology not only denies ongoing structural barriers for Black Americans but also undercuts broader social welfare, harming everyone eventually.
  • “When you get to a society that only wants to see you as individuals, it also means we don’t believe that we have an obligation to help anyone else outside of ourselves.” (14:09).

Cycles of progress and backlash

• The “backward, catastrophic periods” in American history have always been followed by “moments of rebirth,” but at great and repeated costs/violence to Black Americans.
  • “The problem with that is in every one of these periods of backlash, there’s so much death, so much harm, and then decades to try to recover. And I just wonder how long are we going to have to … continue that cycle?” (16:01).

3. Jelani Cobb: Black History As Resistance and the Power of Journalism

Timestamps: 18:43–34:20

Black history as a battleground

• Cobb situates current erasure efforts in a historical pattern of Black history being left out or whitewashed to justify political realities.
  • “That first generation of Black historians went through all manner of hell to … redeem the humanity of Black people.” (18:43, 27:33)

Trayvon Martin: A Turning Point

• Trayvon Martin’s killing and George Zimmerman’s acquittal marked a new era of activism and backlash—simultaneously sparking Black Lives Matter and intensifying white nationalism.
  • “Trayvon Martin’s death was also cited as the impetus for Dylann Roof...both dynamics...put on a path in that moment.” (21:51–24:42)

Enduring struggle to tell Black stories

• Despite the renewed assault on Black history, Cobb notes the resilience and growth of Black scholarship; a new generation continues the work.
  • “Every spring, a new crop of PhDs in this field is being minted...I don’t lament about the resources and our ability to tell these stories.” (29:02–30:31)

Journalism’s role and challenge

• Amid growing public mistrust, journalists face heightened attacks, especially those who report uncomfortable truths about race. Cobb urges radical transparency as a method to regain credibility.
  • “Powerful people don’t waste their time attacking things that are not important. ... We should...show our work to the greatest extent possible.” (30:50–33:20)

4. Tremaine Lee: Personal and Intergenerational Trauma in Black Journalism

Timestamps: 34:25–51:41

A near-death experience forces reflection

• Pulitzer winner Tremaine Lee survived a massive heart attack after finishing his book’s first draft, prompting him to rethink the weight of reporting on Black death.
  • “What almost killed me was being Black in America. And that changed everything.” (37:45–39:03)

Bearing witness to cycles of violence

• Lee traces intergenerational trauma: his family’s deep history of loss due to violence, and how covering similar stories as a journalist compounds that pain.
  • “When I first turned that 90,000 word manuscript in...what I had less of an understanding of was that my grandfather’s was not the first murder in our family.” (42:08–45:06)

The burden and necessity of Black journalists

• Both Lee and Letson share how reporting on violence affecting Black people means reporting their own families’ stories; the work is essential, but mentally and physically taxing.
  • Al Letson: “Time and again, you find yourself in these horrible stories, sad stories about people that look like you, and then you find out they are you.” (45:06)
  • Tremaine Lee: “There is also this assumption or this perceived bias because we understand the experience so well. ... You have to be so good...you can’t make any mistakes, right? Because you will find yourself without a job.” (40:42)

On survival, pain, and the limits of reporting

• Reporting won’t erase the trauma; journalists are forced to “carry the weight, because no one else will and no one will care when we die of a heart attack. Because it happens every single day.” (49:20)

The persistence of anti-Blackness

• Even among supposed allies and in progressive spaces, there is a tolerance for anti-Blackness and denial of foundational Black contributions to America.
  • “Even among our friends and friends of the truth, there is an acceptable level of anti-blackness in this country that is okay.” (49:56–50:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The only one at this point who can discredit your work is you.” — Nicole Hannah-Jones (08:46)
• “Myth speaks to the heart and truth speaks to the mind. ... Myth gets so tied up in identity the way that truth does not.” — Nicole Hannah-Jones (09:27)
• “Powerful people don't waste their time attacking things that are not important.” — Jelani Cobb (30:50)
• “What almost killed me was being Black in America. And that changed everything.” — Tremaine Lee (39:03)
• “Time and again, you find yourself in these horrible stories, sad stories about people that look like you, and then you find out they are you.” — Al Letson (45:06)
• “We cannot report our way out of the pain. We cannot educate our way out of the pain. … We have to engage with it.” — Tremaine Lee (49:09)
• “You can’t have the credits without the debits.” — Tremaine Lee quoting Ta-Nehisi Coates (50:43)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Black History erased by policy – 02:17–04:38
• Nicole Hannah-Jones on attacks & resilience – 06:34–08:54
• Myth vs. Truth in American Narrative – 09:27–11:24
• Cyclical progress & setbacks in Black history – 15:56–18:06
• Jelani Cobb on Trayvon Martin & BLM – 21:41–24:42
• The founding of Black History Month and its purpose – 27:33–30:31
• Advice for young journalists in a skeptical age – 30:50–33:20
• Tremaine Lee on trauma, legacy, and journalism – 34:33–45:06
• Personal cost and unresolved pain in Black reporting – 48:16–50:10

Takeaway

This episode powerfully illustrates how erasure of Black history threatens not only accurate storytelling but also the collective conscience of the nation. Against that tide, Black writers and journalists persist, often at immense personal cost, ensuring that the full history—with all its pain, struggle, and complexity—remains alive for future generations. Their work is a testament to survival, resistance, and the ongoing fight for truth.