My viewpoint is that a local story can make national history. Throughout history, local stories that develop a strong narrative often rise to become nationally significant events. I always wondered how a person made national history.

How does a small event become a national issue? What qualifies a story as historic? These are essential questions to consider, as not all local events gain historical significance, even if they have the potential to impact larger scales in the future.

When my three-year-old sister, Josefina Catherine Cunningham, passed away in 2023, I was determined to elevate her local story to become part of National African American history. I recall reaching out to Quintard Taylor, the founder of BlackPast.org, one of the giant online African American encyclopedias.

He advised me to “start with local press and social media to build momentum, and from there, the national press can take it further.” By following his advice, I was able to get her story featured in the national press within a year, making it historically significant. The story was picked up by national news outlets like Black Enterprise and Atlanta.

Black Star, The U.S Sun, Inside Edition, Afro Newspaper, and opportunities to get coverage from major news outlets. The story has been heard by over ten million people. I will continue to keep my sister’s story in the press to engage national organizations and politicians, as the strong narrative makes it more compelling and impactful.

Media wields significant power, capable of influencing events, shaping policy, altering public opinion, and even impacting court proceedings. The case of Emmett Till exemplifies this impact. Initially a local incident in Mississippi, Till’s story gained national attention after local media reported on his death.

The situation intensified when Mamie Till chose to hold an open-casket funeral, revealing Till’s mutilated body. Coverage by Jet Magazine further amplified the story, shocking the entire nation and birthing the civil rights movement.

A monument can be established to honor a loved one whose tragic death deeply affected the community and can be displayed in a local park. To ensure the monument gains national recognition, reaching out to regional and national press is advisable. This makes it part of the country’s history as a whole. This makes the monument even more powerful. I intend to pursue this in memory of my sister, Josefina Catherine Cunningham.

National history often unfolds through a snowball effect. It starts with a local tragedy that spreads word-of-mouth within the community, eventually reaching the state and national levels. As the news spreads, local media pick up the story, followed by national outlets, causing the information to spread rapidly. It’s also good to maintain that relationship with journalists and media organizations to continue coverage because, at the end of the day, they are like family.

Achieving this requires patience and persistence; results do not materialize overnight. Success hinges on crafting a compelling narrative and maintaining consistent media engagement. Movements often begin with a single individual who is passionate about a cause.

This person engages others, and the effort gradually expands from a small group to a larger organization, eventually reaching state and national levels.

The after-effects of the story and its historical significance are sometimes not apparent, and you won’t see the after-effects or the historical importance of a story years later on how it has changed the nation as a whole.