The untold stories of Iowa’s Black leaders By Maya Buchanan Editor’s Note: This op-ed is apart of the NI’s Black History Month Coverage. Why do we focus on Black trauma rather than Black joy, achievement, and success? “When I was in elementary school, I was always excited when Black History Month was celebrated. When I was in middle school, this excitement started turning into dread and shame. We would learn about enslavement, beatings, rapes and murders — but never about the range of Black Americans who fought from the inception of slavery to today to achieve freedom and equity.” -Maya Buchanan Buchanan has always wondered why society puts so much emphasis on Black trauma rather than their achievements. This sparked her to dig deep into a Black history research project that changed her viewpoint on the matter. Click the link in our bio to read about three important Iowan activists whose stories often go untold.