strength from the deep well of their past experiences. Fueled by his unwavering belief that understanding the past in all of its fullness and complexity was not only necessary for African Americans but had the potential to transform the nation as a whole, Woodson dedicated his life to collecting, interpreting, teaching, and chronicling Black history. In an article published in the Journal of Negro History, Woodson summarized the motivation of his life’s work and declared, “if a race has no history