The United States was built on more than just the work of our founding fathers. Channel 13 speaks with a UNLV professor who's making sure the Black perspective is not forgotten. Rachel Moore reports.

The United States was built on more than just the work of our founding fathers. There are, of course, men and women of different colors and races who helped form this country. Channel 13 speaks with a UNLV professor who's making sure the Black perspective is not forgotten.

The United States was built on more than just the work of our founding fathers. There are of course men and women of different colors, race and creed who helped form this country.

A few weeks ago, two California lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban the use of police dogs to arrest or apprehend suspects — or as a form of crowd control. The California Department of Justice says in 2021, police dogs caused more serious injuries or deaths than either tasers or batons, and that nearly two-thirds of use-of-force incidents involving dogs were against people who are Black or Latino.

Imagine going to the Las Vegas Strip to do some gambling and being turned away. That was the case in the 1950s if you were Black. It took a Black dentist from the South to successfully lead the fight against segregation on the Las Vegas Strip. A local valley school is named after him.

Remember the lines of cars for food banks during the pandemic? People drove miles then waited hours because they were out of work, had little money and some food staples were just in short supply.

Amid economic turmoil, political unrest, public health crises and general global strife, love—especially Black love—is a grounding force. Every time we express love, we honor our ancestors who dared to love deeply and fearlessly. Even with the threat of being forcibly separated from each other, and with the inability to establish comfortable homes, our people embraced one another, with the singular faith that things wouldn’t always be so bleak. Their decision to make room for hope and warmth has grounded and sustained us.

"In Defense Of..." is a yearlong look at Blackisms that have been co-opted, gentrified, manipulated or misunderstood.