Gilder Lehman Center Annual Conference, Teaching Race and Slavery in the American Classroom

Event time: 
Thursday, November 3, 2022 - 6:30pm to Saturday, November 5, 2022 - 5:00pm
Event description: 

Once again, as at the turn of the twentieth century, in the 1960s and 70s, and in the 1990s “History Wars,” Americans are divided and debating the character and content of teaching history in our society. How did we get here and where do we go?

The 24th Annual Conference hosted by the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at the MacMillan Center at Yale will address the challenges of teaching slavery and race and other “tough histories” in the American classroom. This conference will engage multiple levels of the current crisis: the history of education and how we got here; the problem of teaching “difficult histories” of all kinds; the challenge of writing textbooks and deeper histories that capture the United States’ historical pluralism; and the everyday practice and political context US teachers grapple with in the classroom today. The panelists discussing these topics include academic scholars from the fields of history, sociology, and education studies; journalists who follow the US education system; and secondary school teachers and education specialists.

Co-sponsored by the Yale Education Studies (YES) program and the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies.

THURSDAY, November 3, 6:30—8:45pm
ONLINE FILM SCREENING & DISCUSSION: “Civil War (or Who Do We Think We Are)”
Sponsored by Connecticut Council for the Social Studies
Film screening: 6:30pm—8:10pm
Q&A: 8:15pm—8:45pm
With film director Rachel Boynton and GLC Director David W. Blight
In-person viewing available for Yale-affiliated people; link for online viewing will be provided for other conference registrants.

FRIDAY, November 4, 9:00—10:30
WELCOME & KEYNOTE CONVERSATION
Conversation between David W. Blight and Jamelle Bouie, columnist for the New York Times

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Speakers to be announced
· History of U.S. Education: What’s Race Got To Do With It?
· Writing Textbooks: Is a Unified Narrative of Pluralistic America Possible?
· Teachers Roundtable: History Classroom Practice Today
· The Rise of the American Right
· Teachers Roundtable: Dealing with Political Pushback
· Concluding Roundtable: Why Do We Teach US History?

*** According to current Yale COVID policies, this event will be accessible in person for Yale affiliated people and will be available to all online as a webinar. We will keep you informed of any changes as the conference approaches.