(Re)membering beyond respectability: Honoring trap epistemologies in history education

This paper examines how the Trap Music Museum in Atlanta engages in critical historical counter-storytelling that challenges traditional notions of respectability in history education. Grounded in trap critical theory, this research employs reflexive photography and qualitative analysis to explore how the museum (re)members marginalized trap narratives. Findings reveal that the Trap Music Museum functions as a site of public history education through three key approaches: illuminating Black survivance as resistance to erasure, contextualizing trap music within broader sociopolitical awareness of systemic inequities, and celebrating Black joy as both personal expression and a political statement. Unlike traditional museums that often present whitewashed perspectives, the Trap Music Museum embraces the full complexity of Black experiences, including narratives that reject respectability politics. This work contributes to broader discussions about how history education can, and should, facilitate critical engagement with counter-narratives and provides implications for social studies educators seeking to integrate more holistic representations of Black history that honor trap epistemologies.