Why I Wrote The History of Us
When I first started writing The History of Us, it wasn’t because I wanted to be an author. It was because I was tired of watching history disappear. Every day, an estimated 21,082 pages of our story die, one elder at a time. Their memories, their lessons, their truth. Gone. And I couldn’t sit with that.
I grew up believing history was something written by “them,” by people who never looked like me, never lived where I lived, never felt what I felt. What I learned later was that we’ve been writing African American history all along; we just didn’t always have the pen. So I picked one up.
The History of Us – Volume 1 was born out of that moment of realization. This book isn’t a lecture. It’s a conversation. It’s a father sitting at the table with his kids saying, “Let me tell you where you come from.” It’s a bridge between generations, connecting our present struggles with the victories and sacrifices of those who came before us.
Each story inside The History of Us is a reflection of resilience and Black excellence. From Bass Reeves, the lawman who inspired the Lone Ranger, to Queen Nanny of the Maroons, the fearless leader of freedom fighters in Jamaica, to Oscarville, Georgia, a thriving Black town that was drowned beneath Lake Lanier but never silenced — every page carries a lesson about strength, identity, and truth.
I wrote these stories so our children could know that their roots are not tragedy, they are triumph. So that families can rediscover the pride and power of African American storytelling and see themselves in the pages of The History of Us.
I wanted this book to be felt, not just read. That’s why I speak through reflection. Each chapter begins with me returning to the page like a student, learning more about who I am. I’m not a historian in a university office. I’m a man from Plano, Texas, who grew up with calloused hands from construction work and a pen that refused to stop moving. I’m a stand-up poet who believes rhythm belongs in storytelling. I’m a mentor who knows that truth is the best kind of education.
Writing The History of Us reminded me that Black history education doesn’t belong to textbooks; it belongs to people. To families gathered around dinner tables. To sons and daughters who finally see themselves in the stories they read. To fathers who take the time to teach their children what the world forgot to mention.
This book isn’t just mine. It’s ours. It’s for anyone who’s ever wondered where they fit in the American story. It’s for every elder whose stories went untold. It’s for every child who deserves to know they come from greatness.
So when you read The History of Us, don’t read it like a book. Read it like a mirror. Because this isn’t just Black history. This is American history. It’s world history. It’s our history.
And as long as we keep writing it, the pages will never stop turning.
Kenneth Young
Author, Mentor, Poet, Builder of Futures
Founder of THOU Books: Where we teach history, and families learn together.