From INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY
After years of debate and political resistance, California recently voted to adopt an optional ethnic studies curriculum in K-12 schools. This action resulted from years of discussion about how to teach the complex history of race in the United States. In recent years, the of the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement made more visible how systemic racial injustices have deeply rooted historical contexts. The need for broader discussion about how to teach the history of race in the United States has been highlighted by the launch of the 1619 Project and the 17776 Commission, two projects with opposing views on how to present the history of race in the United States.
On Tuesday, April 13 at 7 p.m., BGSU’s Institute for the Study of Culture and Society (ICS) will host a virtual roundtable about “The Politics of Teaching U.S. History.” The featured speakers for this event are Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse, Dr. Nicole Jackson, and Gloria Wu.
Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse, a professor of ethnic studies at BGSU, has written about the 1619 Project and Trump’s 1776 Commission. Dr. Nicole Jackson, an associate history professor at BGSU, studies Black social movements and intersections between historical reality and representation in popular culture. Gloria Wu, a BGSU alum who teaches social studies at Bowsher High School in the Toledo Public Schools. Wu has taught for 20 years, primarily in AP American Government and Honors World Studies will provide perspective on culturally relevant education in K-12 schools.
Stevie Scheurich, PhD candidate in American Culture Studies and ICS Graduate Assistant who organized the event, explains its purpose: “I really us want to unpack beliefs about whether or not history can ever be neutral and objective and what we can do to make sure that we are representing history as truthfully as possible.”
Discussion will cover the debate over the New York Times’ 1619 Project and then-President Donald Trump’s 1776 Commission in order to explore the difficulty and importance of teaching U.S. history honestly, sensitively, and culturally responsively. This interactive roundtable will provide multiple opportunities for the audience to share their experiences with teaching, learning, and grappling with U.S. history.
“If we don’t understand this part of our history, we can’t understand how it actively shapes our present. Without this understanding, we can’t effectively advocate for racial justice in the here and now,” said Scheurich.
This virtual roundtable is open to all students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general community. To register for this event go to: https://bit.ly/3wEO0sf
For those unable to register in advance, the event will be livestreamed from ICS’s YouTube channel at: https://bit.ly/2PPhZwW
ICS is committed to accessibility at our events. This virtual event will be live captioned. Please email ics@bgsu.edu with any accommodation requests or questions.
