As we celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Black History Month, James Edward Mills shares the legacy of Matthew Henson, an African American explorer in the first party to reach the North Pole in 1909. Henson’s journey to the North Pole was possible through the knowledge of Native people, tenacious endurance and an unassailable sense of belonging in a moment of our shared national heritage that many tried to deny him.
James Edward Mills is a freelance journalist, independent producer, author of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors, and founder of Joy Trip Project. A National Geographic Explorer, Mills is also producer of Unhidden Voices of History, a curriculum project seeking to find stories of overlooked communities in America.