Trump's "Black jobs" jab has a disturbing history

Plus: UFOs |

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By Made by History / Produced by Olivia B. Waxman One of the most memorable lines of the Democratic Convention came when Michelle Obama proclaimed, “Who’s going to tell [Trump] that the job he’s currently seeking might be one of those ‘Black jobs’?” Obama was referring to a remark Trump made during his debate with President Joe Biden about “Black jobs.” This description enraged many on the left, while Trump’s supporters saw the outrage as much ado about nothing. As Whitney Nell Stewart argues in Made by History, however, history indicates that the concept of “Black jobs” is deeply problematic—and that Obama and others had a reason to clap back.  The idea dates to the 18th and 19th century, and the separation of work of the mind, which was fit for white elites, from manual labor, which many Americans saw as a lesser form well suited for enslaved Black people. Manual labor was anathema to white Southerners, and they worked to prevent Black people from taking up skilled trades, worried that the creativity involved might help spur dreams of freedom or equality. And while slavery ended with the Civil War, the essence of this division lived on, argues Stewart, shaping deep occupational segregation that persists today.               The Dan David Prize, the largest history prize in the world (and a sponsor of Made by History), annually awards $300,000 each to nine early and mid-career scholars and practitioners in historical disciplines, acknowledging their outstanding achievements to date and to support future work. Anyone can nominate a practitioner in the relevant disciplines, and nominations for the 2025 Prize are open until Sept. 30. For more information visit  dandavidprize.org/nominate .

HISTORY ON TIME.COM The History Behind Attacks on the Military Records of Politicians Like Tim Walz By Kyle Longley / Made by History In 2002, Republicans attacked the patriotism of a distinguished Democratic veteran. It worked and they've kept doing it ever since. Read More » Trump’s Asylum Rhetoric Is Rooted in the Mariel Boatlift By Mauricio Castro / Made by History By suggesting that those seeking asylum in the U.S. are dangerous, Trump echoes the often false narratives around the 1980s Mariel boatlift. Read More » The Connection Between UFO Sightings and National Security By Greg Eghigian / Made by History UFOs are back in the news. As in the Cold War, these sightings reflect broader vulnerabilities rooted in Earthly matters. Read More » How Fannie Lou Hamer’s 1964 DNC Speech Paved the Way for Kamala Harris By Keisha N. Blain / Made by History Hamer spoke truth to power at the 1964 DNC. Sixty years later, Kamala Harris takes center stage. Read More » The History Behind Kamala Harris’s ‘Freedom’ Campaign Theme By Stacie Taranto and Leandra Zarnow / Made by History Harris's embrace of a broad conception of freedom builds on more than a century of advocacy by women, especially women of color. Read More »

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FROM THE TIME VAULT This week in 1987: Steve Martin Ted Thai The Aug. 24, 1987, cover of TIME “‘Collecting art is my biggest hobby,’ he says. ‘I don’t love paintings the way I love my wife. I mean, I love them in a different way. And I love them at least partly because this art is so different from what I do that it’s an escape for me. Paintings exist in space; show business exists in time.’” Read More » This week in 1996: Christopher Reeve GREGORY HEISLER The Aug. 26, 1996, cover of TIME “‘When John Kennedy promised that by the end of the 1960s we would put a man on the moon,’ he says, ‘everybody, including the scientists, shook their heads in dismay. But we did it. We can cure spinal-cord injuries too, if there’s the will. What was possible in outer space is possible in inner space.’” Read More » This week in 2000: Sex and the City cast TIME The Aug. 28, 2000, cover of TIME “The single woman is TV’s It Girl as well, not just on Sex and the City, the smash HBO series in the midst of its third buzz-producing season, but also on a growing number of network shows focused on strong, career-minded single women, such as Judging Amy and Providence.” Read More »

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