Long before it became the go-to borough for hipsters and commuters, Brooklyn was once America’s third largest city, independent and separate from Manhattan and the City of New York, explains Prithi Kanakamedala in “Brooklynites: The Remarkable Story of the Free Black Communities that Shaped a Borough” (NYU Press).

The California reparations initiative of 2023 is part of a broader and ongoing effort to address historical injustices faced by African Americans.

Historians say much of that Black history is hidden on Delmarva. While African Americans have made many contributions to this country, many times those advancements can often be overlooked. “The History of Americans of African descent has suffered from benign neglect and been ignored or distorted until it is nearly invisible.