Black people don’t have an accurate idea of their history, which has been either suppressed or distorted.

The remark argues that historical knowledge is not simply “missing” but has been actively shaped by power: through omission, censorship, selective emphasis, and misleading narratives. By saying Black people may not have an accurate idea of their own past, Abdul-Jabbar points to the downstream effects of distorted schooling, media portrayals, and public memory—effects that can weaken cultural confidence and political agency. The quote implies that reclaiming history is a corrective act: recovering suppressed achievements, confronting violence and resistance honestly, and building a fuller account that supports self-understanding and collective empowerment.