Episode #5
The Historian Protecting Black History Before It Disappears | Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney
History doesn't disappear all at once. It disappears one story at a time. For more than 50 years, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney has dedicated his life to preserving African American history from Black Dallas and Texas to the people, places, institutions, and stories that helped shape America. In this episode of Making Black History Today, Liz and Porter sit down with the historian, scholar, educator, author, and preservationist to talk about what happens when history isn't documented—and why preserving the memories of our elders can't wait. 2026 also marks an important anniversary: 100 years since Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week in 1926, laying the foundation for what would eventually become Black History Month. Dr. Dulaney would later serve as president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the organization Woodson founded. In this conversation, we explore: → Dr. Dulaney's journey into African American history→ The Black Dallas history hiding in plain sight→ The stories we've already lost and those still waiting to be uncovered→ The importance of the African American Museum, Dallas→ Dr. Carter G. Woodson and 100 years of preserving Black history→ Why documenting the stories of our elders is urgent→ Freedom Schools and teaching Black history to the next generation→ The responsibility we all share to document the history happening around us But this conversation isn't only about looking backward. It's about what we choose to carry forward. Dr. Dulaney has spent more than five decades helping preserve the history that came before us. Making Black History Today is documenting the history unfolding around us now. Different generations. Different methods. The same responsibility. Because somebody has to keep the archive. Somebody has to identify the people in the photograph. Somebody has to interview the elder. And somebody has to make sure one more story makes it into the record before it disappears. What history are you living right now that you worry future generations might forget? Follow Making Black History Today on Spotify and share this episode with someone who believes our stories deserve to be preserved. Making Black History Today is the digital archive of today's history-makers, documenting today's history for tomorrow. New episodes every other Thursday. Making Black History today.
