What is Footnotes?
I’m Jemar Tisby—historian, author, and public scholar committed to telling the full story of race, religion, and justice in America.
Footnotes is where I connect the dots between history and current events so you can understand what’s happening—and why it matters. I write with the conviction that history isn’t just about the past. It’s about power, faith, identity, and the choices we make today.
My focus is on uncovering the uncomfortable truths often left out of textbooks and sermons:
how racism has shaped American Christianity
how resistance movements were fueled by faith
how people of courage have fought for justice in every generation
Some might call this a “woke” perspective. I call it honest, faithful, and necessary.
This newsletter is for people who want more than surface-level commentary. I invite you to dig deeper, reflect spiritually, and take action with clarity.
If you’ve ever wondered why injustice persists in the church or the nation—and what you can do about it—Footnotes is your guide.
Whether you first found me through The Color of Compromise, How to Fight Racism, The Spirit of Justice or one of my podcast or video teachings—welcome. And if this is your first encounter, you’re in the right place.
This is history for the hope-filled and justice-minded. Let’s make sense of the past so we can shape a better future.
Why Subscribe to Footnotes?
History isn’t just being forgotten—it’s being rewritten.
Across the country, efforts to erase the truth about slavery, racism, and resistance are gaining ground. But we don’t fight misinformation with silence—we fight it with facts, faith, and moral clarity.
Footnotes is my independent platform to tell the truth about our past so we can pursue justice in the present. No corporate sponsors. No hidden agendas. Just well-researched, theologically grounded storytelling that helps you stay informed, inspired, and equipped.
If you believe in this mission, your paid subscription helps keep this work going—and keeps it accessible to as many people as possible.
What Could I Do With Increased Support?
There are three tiers of subscriptions:
Free (most of my articles)
Paid ($7 month for all of my free article + exclusive content + recordings of live events)
Founder ($200 annually, all of the above + founders only live discussions and opportunities)
If you value the kind of truth-telling you find here, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Here’s why it matters:
I spend hours each week researching, writing, and producing content that gives historical and spiritual depth to the headlines.
That includes combing through archives, purchasing books and scholarly sources, recording videos and podcasts, and making this work as accessible as possible.
Your support would allow me to:
Your paid subscription fuels far more than articles—it helps create an entire media ecosystem rooted in justice, faith, and liberation.
Here’s what your support makes possible:
🔍 Dig Deeper
Invest in rigorous, justice-centered research that connects past and present with clarity and conviction—so we don’t just remember history, we mobilize through it.
🎥 Grow the Media
Expand into high-quality short-form videos, animated explainers, short documentaries, and narrative storytelling that reach new audiences with transformative impact.
🧑🏾🏫 Expand the Team
Bring on researchers, writers, and scholars—especially people of color—to help uncover overlooked stories and mentor the next generation of public intellectuals.
📍 Go On Location
Travel to historic sites and record stories where they happened, capturing the sacred power of place and bringing our collective memory to life.
🧭 Build the Future
Develop projects like Roadmap to Ruin, The Justice Journey, and visionary documentary films that don’t just explain what’s broken—they help us dream what’s possible.
We’re in a moment where history is being erased—or weaponized. This platform exists to reclaim truth, tell the full story, and equip you to take action.
I’m not just here to inform—I’m here to create media that liberates, stories that build a new world. JemarTisby.Substack.com is where that work begins.
From research to reels to resistance—your support makes it happen.
