Historian Jon Meacham for Presidents' Day; Slowing Down Central Park Cyclists; The History of Black History Month

The Brian Lehrer Show | Feb 16
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On today's show: 

  • On Presidents' Day, Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning presidential historian and the author of American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union (Random House, 2026), puts today's political conflicts in the historical context of tensions going back to the country's founding.

  • A new 15 mile per hour speed limit goes into effect for all vehicles in Central Park, including bicycles and e-bikes to make the drive safer for pedestrians. Sophia Lebowitz, reporter for Streetsblog, explains the new speed limit, while Neile Weissman, cycling advocate and contributor to Streetsblog, argues that more options for cyclists would be a more effective strategy.

  • Karsonya Wise Whitehead, president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), professor of communications and African and African American Studies at Loyola University Maryland and the founding executive director of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace, & Social Justice, talks about the history of Black History Month, which was established first as "Negro History Week" in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, and how it evolved over the mid-20th century.

Transcripts are posted to each segment as they become available.

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