Podcast Summary: Settle In with PBS News Episode: Michael Harriot on This Moment for Black History (February 24, 2026)

Overview

This episode of "Settle In with PBS News" features an in-depth conversation between host Jeff Bennett and journalist/author Michael Harriot, discussing the centennial of Black History Month and Harriot’s recent book, Black AF: The Unwhitewashed Story of America. The conversation explores the reframing of Black history as central to the American narrative, the politicization of historical discourse, and the lingering effects of both myth and erasure in U.S. history. Harriot brings his signature wit and incisive humor to topics ranging from family stories and historiography to contemporary cultural conflicts over education and memory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Middle Room: Origins of Perspective

• Harriot credits a room in his grandfather’s house—a family library regarded as 'the Middle Room'—with shaping his intellectual curiosity and historical questioning.
  • “It gave me a chance to time travel…through the minds of my family, through people who came before me, and through people I didn’t even know.” (01:06, Harriot)
• The room served both as a knowledge hub and a gathering space for storytelling within his family, reinforcing oral history and critical thinking (01:06–02:17).

Reframing American History

• Harriot argues that history as typically taught in America is “white history,” with Black stories often presented as an addendum or counternarrative.
• Instead, his book aims to examine America “through the eyes of black people,” prioritizing their experiences as central rather than peripheral (02:32–03:24).
• He notes the irreverence and objectivity with which he approaches “foundational myths,” such as the Jamestown settlers’ failures and misconceptions (03:42–04:36).
  • “These were investors. People came here to make money. They weren’t adventurers…they perished because of their incompetence.” (03:42, Harriot)

The Engineered Nature of Racial Hierarchy

• Harriot describes how “whiteness” and hierarchical racism were constructed deliberately in America, contrasting with other societies and underscoring the unique role of slavery in U.S. history (06:04–07:11).
  • “A constitutionally enshrined form of human trafficking that reduces human beings to chattel is unique to America, and it is at the foundation of this country.” (06:04, Harriot)

Addressing Accusations of Divisiveness and Revisionism

• Harriot notes that criticism of his work rarely disputes the facts but questions the need to highlight certain narratives, which he rebuts as necessary for true inclusiveness (07:23–09:17).
  • “What part of the truth is divisive?…For most black children in America, we’ve been educated to revere men who are white supremacists.” (08:00, Harriot)
• He calls for context over erasure: “Don’t hide the stuff that [Jefferson] did and say the stuff that he wrote is all that we should know.” (09:12, Harriot)

The Power and Purpose of Humor

• Harriot intentionally infused humor into his book, drawing from Black cultural norms and familial relationships, aiming to make heavy histories more approachable (09:40–10:16).
  • “Learning about black history can be kind of harrowing…so I use that humor to lessen the weight and to make the history more relatable.” (09:40, Harriot)

The Influence of Digital Culture

• The Internet exposed Harriot to the extent of historical ignorance and the prevalence of myth, as well as new, diverse perspectives (10:16–11:31).
  • “I never knew that [most people] assumed that what they teach you in school was all that you were supposed to know of history.” (10:18, Harriot)

America’s Attachment to Myth

• The resistance to updating historical understanding is tied to generational cycles of received narratives and the relatively recent institutionalization of Black Studies (11:51–13:16).
  • “History is the one place where we…think that it shouldn’t be changed, even though what we know…has evolved.” (12:36, Harriot)

The Current Backlash and Its Roots

• The “fight over history” and current backlash (e.g., book bans, curriculum restrictions) are part of recurring patterns following Black progress (13:16–14:57).
  • “After every period of the expansion of freedom, there is always this contracting backlash by the majority…we’re seeing the backlash to that [George Floyd summer].” (13:32, Harriot)

Reimagining the Center of Gravity in History

• Harriot distinguishes between the exclusionary construction of whiteness and Black culture’s inclusive aspirations (15:23–16:56).
  • “My world was black, but it wasn’t exclusionary…what we see of black culture has been embracing of all cultures. It’s not exclusionary.” (15:23, Harriot)
• He traces the roots of contemporary progressive politics to Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr., and Black activists (16:10–16:56).

The Costs of Historical Ignorance

• Harriot asserts that misunderstanding history disadvantages everyone, not just marginalized communities; erasure benefits only the privileged few (17:26–18:51).
  • “To fix the problems in society, you have to have more information…and the effort to whitewash that history hurts [poor and uneducated white people] too.” (18:31, Harriot)

Untold Stories: The Importance of Reconstruction

• He highlights Reconstruction as under-taught and parallels today’s struggles (18:56–20:21).
  • “That period after Reconstruction…how black people survived and coped in a tyrannical government and how we upended it is necessary to understanding the times we’re living in today.” (19:40, Harriot)

Lessons for Today: Collective Action

• The main lesson is the power of ordinary people organizing to upend systems of tyranny, as demonstrated by the civil rights movement’s nonviolent achievements (20:26–21:54).
  • “Regular people, not billionaires, not a bunch of funding…can affect and change a country.” (20:46, Harriot)
• He critiques the oversimplification of activism: “We think that…March[ing] will change this country. And it is noble, but it takes a little bit more.” (21:38, Harriot)

Progress and the Formation of a Multiracial Coalition

• Harriot sees current progress in the formation of inclusive, multiracial coalitions, though pragmatism and education about backlash are necessary for durability (22:03–24:41).
  • “We have that opportunity right now to kind of educate people so that they can understand that their ideas and their movements aren’t new.” (23:46, Harriot)

Surprises from Research

• Harriot was struck by the independent but parallel strategies developed by Black communities across the country, and by democracy’s fragility (24:51–26:33).

Chapters That Should Be Taught Everywhere

• He nominates his chapters on Reconstruction (“the Black American Revolution”) and the Stono Rebellion, as foundational and transformative (26:44–27:34).

The Book’s Intended Audience

• Harriot sees the book as validating those who sense an absence in the dominant narrative, rather than as a tool to convert die-hard believers in American myths (27:45–28:45).
  • “This book was created to make people understand that they are not crazy…The thing that you believe about yourself, in your value and your humanity and about your history…it is real and it exists and you are not crazy.” (28:16, Harriot)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Middle Room as Historical Sanctuary:
  “It gave me a chance to time travel…through the minds of my family, through people who came before me, and through people I didn’t even know.” (01:06, Harriot)

• On the Construction of Racial Hierarchy:
  “A constitutionally enshrined form of human trafficking that reduces human beings to chattel is unique to America, and it is at the foundation of this country.” (06:04, Harriot)

• On Humor and Survival:
  “Learning about black history can be kind of harrowing…so I use that humor to lessen the weight and to make the history more relatable.” (09:40, Harriot)

• On the Goals of History Education:
  “We can respect all of it…But don’t hide the stuff that he [Jefferson] did and say the stuff that he wrote is all that we should know.” (09:12, Harriot)

• On Who Benefits from Whitewashing History:
  “Now, the people who are privileged will benefit. But there are a lot of poor, white, uneducated white people who would benefit from a society that was more inclusive. And the effort to whitewash that history hurts them too.” (18:31, Harriot)

• On the Book’s Purpose:
  “This book was created to make people understand that they are not crazy…The thing that you believe about yourself, in your value and your humanity and about your history…it is real and it exists and you are not crazy.” (28:16, Harriot)

Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:06 – The Middle Room and its influence
• 03:24 – Reframing Jamestown and early American mythology
• 06:04 – The deliberate engineering of racial hierarchy in America
• 09:40 – The role of humor in telling Black history
• 13:32 – Contemporary backlash against Black history teaching
• 15:23 – Whiteness vs. Blackness as centers of gravity
• 18:56 – The untold story of Reconstruction
• 20:26 – Lessons for present-day activism from Black historical experience
• 22:03 – Signs of multiracial progress today
• 26:44 – Which chapter every history textbook should include
• 27:45 – The intended audience and purpose of Black AF

Tone and Language

Throughout the conversation, both Bennett and Harriot maintain a tone that is conversational yet incisive, blending personal narrative with historical critique. Harriot’s use of humor and candid stories ground the weighty topics, making the discussion accessible and engaging for listeners. The tone is forthright, thoughtful, and encouraging of deeper inquiry.

Recommended for anyone seeking a broader, more inclusive and critically informed understanding of American history and the ongoing debates around memory, identity, and justice.