Black History 365 Installs Advisory Board

Dr. Walter Milton, Jr. is the co-author of Black History 365. Walter is native of Rochester, New York. He received his K-12 education from the Rochester City School District. He is a proud product of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. He earned a B.A. from the University of Albany and an M.S. from SUNY College at Brockport. He took postgraduate courses at the University of Rochester to receive his administrative certifications, including his superintendent’s license. He holds a Doctorate of Education degree in leadership and policy from the University of Buffalo.    Dr. Milton started his career in education in 1991 as a junior high school teacher for the Webster Central School District in Webster, New York, and then moved on to Brighton Central School District, a National Renowned School District in Brighton, New York.  Through the years, he moved from being a teacher to principal, central administration, and then to Superintendent of Fallsburg Central District, Fallsburg, New York. In 2005, he became Superintendent of Flint Community Schools, Flint, Michigan where he designed and implemented a district-wide education reform that has been recognized throughout the State of Michigan and other parts of the country. He is the former superintendent in Springfield, Illinois, where he served as superintendent for almost eight years. Throughout his educational career, Dr. Milton has received numerous awards and recognitions.   In addition to his academic and professional pursuits, Dr. Milton is an inventor who holds a patent. Through his vision, he has had the ability to motivate educational organizations and communities to develop and support initiatives/programs that encourage students to achieve their highest potential. He is a focused and disciplined leader with a great vision, effective communication skills, and a passion for students in the midst of triumph or adversity.     Dr. Milton has also taught at several universities across the United States. He is also a published author of Parents Perception of Schools and Schools Perception of Parents, (2006), Me in the Making – One Man’s Journey to Becoming a School Superintendent (2008), Why Black Men Must Save Black Boys in America’s Public Schools (2014), Truth Be Told-Narratives from The Souls of Black Women (2018) and Black History 365-An Inclusive Account of American History (2020).  BH365 was birthed from his passion for history and a traumatic 4th-grade classroom experience with his teacher attempting to teach black history, starting with slavery. This lesson was contradictory to what his parents had taught – that black history dates back to the beginning of time. In 2018, he began to research and write, spending many tireless evenings crafting the manuscript.  A year later, Dr. Milton invited his friend, Dr. Joel Freeman to join him on the Black History 365 project. Dr. Milton is currently CEO of Black History 365 (BH365) and From the Heart International Educational Services (FTH).

Dr. Joel Freeman is also a co-author of Black History 365. For 20 NBA seasons, Dr. Freeman served as player development mentor and character coach for the Washington Bullets/Wizards – surviving six coaching and three GM changes (1978-1998). Having grown up in Canada, it was during this time – working with NBA players – that his rather unique interest in Black History first emerged. Freeman also has served behind the scenes as a Secret Service chaplain since 2020. In 1995 he co-authored the book, Return To Glory: The Powerful Stirring of the Black Race, with the foreword written by Julius “Dr. J” Erving. Eight years later he co-wrote the film version of that book, currently with Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English subtitles. Audiences around the world have experienced his intriguing presentation, “A White Man’s Journey into Black History”. It’s an eye-opening experience that transcends race. With travels to over 55 countries, Joel has worked with the Association of International Schools for Africa (AISA), traveling extensively throughout the continent of Africa and conducting a number of training events for educators, government, and business leaders. He has also assisted in addressing issues surrounding conflict resolution, and tribal warfare in meetings with over 100 African kings and queens throughout Benin, Togo, and Nigeria. Since 2005 Freeman has led annual experiential/educational tours to the land of Israel and also Greece, helping hundreds of people understand the significance of the ancient topographical, historical, geographical, political, educational and spiritual elements of both regions of the world. Dr. Freeman’s 1:1, 3D replicas of the iconic Rosetta Stone are in museums (Houston Museum of Natural Science), libraries and private collections around the world. One of his ancient Egyptian replicas was part of the Vancouver, BC movie set during the 20th Century Fox filming of “Night at the Museum 3’’. Dr. Freeman officially launched the Rosetta Stone replica project at the Library of Congress (DC) in 2009, with his presentation, “The Mysterious Rosetta Stone: A Code-Crackin’ International Treasure” – launching other similar presentations at the National Security Agency (NSA), National Museum of Language, and other entities. He also has developed a short film, “Rosetta Stone: Replicating a Mystery.” With over four decades of research (since 1980), Dr. Freeman has become a respected authority on Black History, creating the Freeman Institute® Black History Collection, which consists of over 3,000 authentic documents and artifacts (oldest piece dated 1553). Genuine items from his collection were showcased at the United Nations, NY headquarters in unprecedented back-to-back exhibitions on the Transatlantic Slave Trade, for three months in 2011 and also for three months in 2012 — with well over one million visitors. He has also conducted exhibitions at the White House Communications Agency, Clinton Presidential Library, Secret Service, NIH and many other venues. Hundreds of images from his collection are included in the BH365 curriculum.