Mystic Valley NAACP to co-host ‘Decolonizing the History Curricula in Schools’ discussion
On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Mystic Valley NAACP Reparations Committee will co-host a hybrid roundtable discussion, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., Cambridge.
The following was submitted by the Mystic Valley NAACP:
On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Mystic Valley NAACP Reparations Committee, The Black Response Cambridge, and The Reparations Interfaith Coalition will host a hybrid roundtable discussion titled “Decolonizing the History Curricula in Our Schools: A Crucial Step in Achieving Reparations,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m., at The Foundry, 101 Rogers St., Cambridge.
The event is co-sponsored by the Cambridge NAACP and is part of the third annual Foundry Festival in East Cambridge.
White supremacy is coded into laws and practices of the U.S., yet few people learn about this in the course of their education. The Trump administration’s recent attempts to de-fund, silence, and censor public education has necessitated further discussions on the country’s complex and painful history making it difficult to grapple with hard truths about the nation’s troubled history.
What did you learn in school about slavery in the U.S. and its continuing effects in society? Did your books and teachers talk about how cotton production by enslaved Africans fueled the Industrial Revolution and built the very economic base of our country?
Did you learn about the pivotal role of Black soldiers in the Civil War? What about Reconstruction and the multiracial governments that flourished briefly until being violently destroyed? What did you learn about Jim Crow and convict leasing? Did your history books cover redlining? What about the GI Bill?
Most people did not learn any of this in school, making it impossible to understand the call for reparations for people whose ancestors were enslaved in the U.S. and who continue to feel its effects.
Come listen in as a roundtable of scholars/educators talk about the history curricula in schools and how it continues to reinforce white supremacy. There will be time for questions, too, so come prepared with yours.
Event speakers are: Professor Jemadari Kamara (UMass Boston), author of “State of the Race – Creating Our 21st Century;” Professor Lawrence Blum (UMass Boston), author of “High Schools, Race, and America’s Future;” and Professor Donald Yacovone (Harvard University), author of “Teaching White Supremacy.”
The moderator for the event is Jateja Spriggs, chair of the Governor’s Youth Advisory Council.
This hybrid event is free and open to the public.
The event space is wheelchair accessible.
Please register here. If you plan to attend remotely, please select the “remote” option to receive the Zoom link.
For accessibility inquiries or other event-related questions, please contact Maggie at margaret.carey13@gmail.com.
