RECONSTRUCTION Inc

Pew’s Center for Arts and Heritage has funded Reconstruction, Inc. to match an African American story teller, psychologist along with historians in the field of African American history together with a group of African American men who are members of Reconstruction’s Alumni Ex Offenders Association. The purpose was to continue the personal transformation and organizational growth. In practice, this means various historians have come in to share information with them about (for instance) the early laws of Virginia, and how the colony worked to separate white Christians and Africans from each other and to enforce evolving regulations controlling black behavior. In this case, the purpose was to look at the origins of state controled of racial issues and of structural racism. We had four history sessions, facilitated by: Steven Hahn, Allison Dorsey, Peter Kolchin and David Silverman. This experience was disturbing for many of our participants, especially the younger onesRead more… Read more…

How can public historians and their audiences come to terms with the traumatic and ongoing legacies of racism and slavery in the United States? This is the question motivating a project I’m currently working on in Philadelphia with a group of ex-offenders, ages 21 to 72. The project is a collaboration with Reconstruction Inc., a grass-roots group (William Goldsby, chair) that supports returning citizens as well as youth at risk and lifetime prisoners. Read more…