Our stories must not disappear

Dear friend.

My name is Tenille Brown. I am the founder of Rubin Stacy Studio for Innovation & Education. His name is the reason this home exists.

I know what happens when a Black life is reduced to a headline. I know what happens when a family's pain is left outside the history books. I know what silence sounds like when it speaks louder than truth. My own family carries that silence. Maybe yours does too.

In 2026 new federal policies may change how American history is presented in museums, historic sites, and public institutions. These policies began with Executive Order 14253. They were expanded through Executive Order 14416.

We are told these changes restore pride in our nation's story. But a nation cannot be proud of a story that hides its truth. The suffering. The courage. The resistance. The faith. The accomplishments. All of it belongs in the record. All of it belongs to us.

Black history is not divisive. Black history is American history.

This moment reminds me why our work matters. We must record the voices of our storytellers. We must protect family photographs. We must preserve court documents and oral histories. We must create films. Write books. Teach our children the stories that institutions may overlook.

That is exactly what we do here. Every day families sit on this porch and tell the truth in their own voice. Every story you record becomes a lantern for someone who comes after you.

So I am asking you. Come back often. Bring your mother. Bring your children. Record one small memory each time you visit. A smell from a kitchen. A song from a porch. A name that deserves to be spoken out loud.

And I promise you this. Every week I will share at least one new video with you here. New stories. New history. New reasons to come sit with us. Check in each week and see what the community has saved.

The way our history is presented may change. Our commitment will not. We are still here. We are still documenting. We are still remembering. And we will keep telling our own stories.

Thank you for trusting us with your truth. Pull up a chair. The porch light is on. We are listening.

With love and gratitude.