History isn’t just dead and buried: It’s essential to our understanding of the present, as well as helping us make progress into the future.

But what happens when true history is obscured by omissions, revisions and restrictions? 

At the Friday, March 6 meeting of the City Club of Eugene, Johnny Lake, a scholar of race, culture and ethnicity, will explore that question.

The meeting begins at noon at WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave. Club meetings are free to attend. 

The presentation by Lake, who also works as an administrator on special assignment with the Eugene 4J School District, is titled “Black History is American History.”

Lake will also discuss how American history, as presented in mainstream white culture and in many educational institutions, often creates an inaccurate and false image.

In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, “Restoring Truth in American History,” which prompted officials at museums, libraries and monuments to revise their programs and exhibits.

In the wake of the order, the National Park Service abruptly removed an exhibit on the history of slavery at the site of the former President’s House on Independence Hall in Philadelphia. A judge ruled that the exhibit be restored, and work to do that is underway.

The program will be livestreamed on the club’s YouTube page. City Club programs are rebroadcast Mondays at 7 p.m. on KLCC, 89.7 FM, and are available as an episode on the club’s podcast.

The City Club of Eugene explores significant local, state, and national issues. Membership is open to all.