Multi-Cultural Food Stories Meet the 2026 History Tellers Award Winner: Marcus P. Smith from the W.E.B. DuBois Freedom Center mfpubteam | July 6, 2026 Share this blog post by email Share this blog post on Facebook We are proud to award Marcus P. Smith the 2026 History Tellers Award! Marcus P. Smith is a historic preservationist, public historian, and Ph.D. candidate in Afro-American Studies and Public History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He’s passionate about telling the stories of historically African-American communities and heritage sites, always working hand-in-hand with the people who call them home. Marcus and his work inspired everyone on the History Tellers selection committee with his knowledge, dedication and professionalism. Marcus is also the founder of the Black Grassroots Heritage Preservation Network, a national platform dedicated to lifting up Black-led preservation projects. His scholarship and public history work have earned recognition from organizations including the National Council on Public History and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Since 2023, he’s supported programming and interpretation initiatives at the Du Bois Freedom Center, and has also served as a docent at the W. E. B. Du Bois National Historic Site and Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church. About the History Tellers Award As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the History Tellers Award shines a spotlight on the educators, interpreters, preservationists, guides, and storytellers who keep our nation’s past alive. Created by Mars and AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate, the award celebrates individuals, like Marcus, whose work helps audiences connect with the people, places, and experiences that have shaped this country over the past two and a half centuries. It is a natural extension of the brand’s 20+ years of dedicated support of American history preservation. Through museums, historic sites, community projects, educational programming, culinary tastings, and immersive storytelling, History Tellers keep the past relevant, engaging, and accessible for generations to come. Chocolate and American History Chocolate has always played an important role in American history, and Mars and AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate have helped bring history to life through partnerships with museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions across America. Chocolate has been a part of so many milestone moments. Our Founding Fathers enjoyed drinking chocolate on a daily basis. In 1806, Meriwether Lewis wrote about drinking chocolate during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. More than a century later, pioneering aviators like Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh relied on chocolate as an easy source of energy during record-setting flights. Chocolate has even traveled to some of the most extreme places imaginable – from the summit of Mount Everest to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and even into outer space. When you look across the last 250 years, chocolate’s story isn’t separate from America’s story. It has been there alongside explorers, innovators, adventurers, and everyday Americans, which makes it such a fascinating lens through which to experience history. Experience History this Summer One of the best ways to connect with history is to experience it firsthand. This summer is a great time for families to visit local museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions to experience their special exhibits and programs. Many of our site partners offer unique opportunities to experience history through food. For example, visitors to Monticello can learn about Thomas Jefferson’s love of chocolate and explore historic recipes from his era. At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, visitors can explore artifacts that help tell the story of how chocolate was enjoyed in early America. And history doesn’t have to stop when you leave a historic site. Food is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to connect with the past because every recipe has a story to tell. Explore our historic recipes and educational resources to help families bring history to life right in their own kitchens. And of course, we recommend visiting Marcus at the DuBois Freedom Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts if you can! Visit the DuBois Freedom Center to see their summer planning.
