I am Matthew Henson
From Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum · 2025
Summary
Xavier feels overlooked even when he does important work, so the friends visit a young Matthew Henson — the Black Arctic explorer who co-reached the North Pole with Robert Peary and played a critical role that history initially ignored. The episode (which also features Gwen Ifill) is about getting credit, perseverance, and the importance of telling complete stories.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Matthew Henson co-reached the North Pole but wasn't recognized by history for decades.
- Who was Matthew Henson and what did he accomplish?
- Why do you think Matthew Henson's story was ignored for so long?
- What does it feel like when someone doesn't notice your hard work? What did Henson do?
- Why is it important that history books include stories of people from all backgrounds?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: explorer, Arctic, North Pole, expedition, recognition.
Try it: Draw a map showing the route from North America to the North Pole. Label the Arctic Ocean and write one hardship Matthew Henson faced on the journey.