Read a guest post at the African American Intellectual History Society by Dr. Chad Williams, curator of the #CharlestonSyllabus. He discusses his reaction to the Charleston shooting, his appreciation for the #FergusonSyllabus, the engagement of African American history, and crowd-sourcing using the "conscientious" hashtag.
Curated by Dr. Marcia Chatelain, the #FergusonSyllabus features readings by authors that analyze and contextualize the place and role of police in black and brown communities, police violence, and the hyper-criminalization of marginalized individuals.
"Here is a list of readings that educators can use to broach conversations in the classroom about the horrendous events that unfolded in Charleston, South Carolina on the evening of June 17, 2015. These readings provide valuable information about the history of racial violence in this country and contextualize the history of race relations in South Carolina and the United States in general. They also offer insights on race, racial identities, global white supremacy and black resistance."
Activist Bree Newsome removing the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina state capital. Photo from Heavy.com
With the help of over 70 black women, Candace Benbow, doctoral student of Religion and Society at Princeton Theological Seminary created the #LemonadeSyllabus to explore and support the complex interrelated themes of black womanhood, spirituality, resistance, place, and identity in Beyonce's lush visual album Lemonade.
Another essential reading list via the African American Intellectual History Society, curated by historian Dr. Keshia N. Blain. Inspired by Beyonce's politically-motivated visual choices in video and fashion and the PBS documentary The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution.
"This Gallatin [via Prof. Frank Leon Roberts at NYU] seminar links the #blacklivesmatter” movement to four broader phenomena: 1) the rise of the U.S. prison industrial complex and its relationship to the increasing militarization of inner city communities 2) the role of the media industry in influencing national conversations about race and racism and 3) the state of racial justice activism in the context of a neoliberal Obama Presidency and 4) the increasingly populist nature of decentralized protest movements in the contemporary United States."
