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Legacies of American Slavery

Legacies of American Slavery

an initiative of the Council of Independent Colleges

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  • About UsLearn more about the Council of Independent Colleges and the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University.
    • Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)The Council of Independent Colleges is the nation’s leading association of smaller private colleges and universities.
    • Gilder Lehrman Center (GLC)The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at the MacMillan Center (Yale University) is dedicated to the investigation and dissemination of knowledge concerning slavery and its legacies across all borders and all time, from the distant past through the present day.
    • Meet the Project Team
    • Funders
  • What is a Legacy?An essay by David Blight.
    • Legacy ThemesThis project is organized around nine “legacy themes” that help define the afterlives of slavery
  • Network MembersSeven private colleges and universities serve as the backbone of a growing national network of higher education institutions and community partners.
    • Regional Collaboration PartnersSeven institutions serve as coordinating hubs for the national network.
    • Institutional AffiliatesTwelve additional colleges and universities support regional activities as part of the Legacies network.
  • ResourcesWhat are CIC institutions doing to reckon with the legacy of slavery? Find resources and examples here.
    • Resource DatabaseA publicly available, searchable, and sortable database of existing resources at independent colleges and universities related to the legacies of slavery.
    • Virtual Symposium (2022)CIC and the Gilder Lehrman Center hosted a virtual symposium on the Legacies of American Slavery in April 2022.
  • OpportunitiesOpportunities to participate in the Legacies of American Slavery initiative.
    • Summer 2023 Programs for Faculty and Staff from CIC Colleges (and Community Partners!)
    • Other Upcoming Events
    • Regional Conference Schedule, Fall 2022

Legacies of American Slavery: Reckoning with the Past is a multi-year initiative, providing a variety of opportunities for CIC member colleges and universities, their faculty members and students, and community-based partners to participate in research, teaching and learning, and public discussions about the multiple legacies of American slavery. Offered in collaboration with the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at the MacMillan Center at Yale.

What is a Legacy?

An Essay by David Blight (January 2020) — American history has never been for the faint-hearted, nor for those who seek a past that will merely please or entertain—although it may do both. The American past comes to us laden with both enlightenment and terror, with equal parts slavery and…Continue reading “What is a Legacy?”

Reflections

Why Do We Have a Blog?

8 Aug 2022
This blog was created to support the larger work of CIC's Legacies of American Slavery initiative—i.e., to help CIC member colleges and universities; their faculty, staff, and students; and the…
Links and Resources

The Resource Database

14 Jul 20228 Aug 2022
The Legacies of American Slavery network is much bigger than the seven Regional Collaboration Partners. Many CIC member colleges and universities are reckoning with the legacies of slavery through original…
Uncategorized

Legacies links for September 25, 2023: Hispanic Heritage Month, the wealth gap, updates from the CIC network

25 Sep 202325 Sep 2023
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Here are some links to help explore the complex intersections between Latino/a/x/e people and the legacies of American slavery. (As always, the editorial team here at…
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Legacies links for September 18, 2023: the Constitution and other legacies of slavery

18 Sep 202318 Sep 2023
Yesterday was Constitution Day, a great opportunity to consider the legacies of American slavery. (As always, the editorial team at the Legacies blog encourages you to share this post with…
Uncategorized

Legacies links for September 11, 2023: roadside markers, histories of Black displacement, and more

11 Sep 2023
As always, the editorial team at the Legacies blog encourages you to share this post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for September 7, 2023: Black breastfeeding, Black colleges, Black medicine

7 Sep 20237 Sep 2023
We're back after the holiday weekend! As always, the editorial team at the Legacies blog encourages you to share this post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not…
Uncategorized

Paul Robeson on the Labor that Built America

4 Sep 2023
The Legacies blog is taking a break for Labor Day, but here are some stirring words for the day from artist and activist Paul Robeson: Paul Robeson (1898–1976). source: New…
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Teaching Slavery in Texas: Report from a Syllabus Workshop at Austin College

31 Aug 20231 Sep 2023
Map Showing the Distribution of the Population of Enslaved People in Texas, 1860. Source: Lost Texas Roads Guest contributor: Claire Wolnisty* This summer, scholars from six Texas institutions of higher…
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Legacies links for August 28, 2023: MLK’s Dream at 60 (and counting)

28 Aug 202328 Aug 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. Today is…
Uncategorized

Teaching about Race and Medicine: A Teaching Circle at Centenary College

24 Aug 202324 Aug 2023
Source: Faith Eselé, courtesy of Unsplash. Guest contributor: Chris Ciocchetti* Teaching about race and medicine can be lonely.  When I created my course in bioethics at Centenary College over ten…
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Legacies links for August 21, 2023: Black property rights, an unmarked grave, and Confederate monuments

21 Aug 202321 Aug 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. In 1957,…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for August 14, 2023: a lost city, Afrofuturism, and teaching Black history

14 Aug 202314 Aug 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. A map…

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Council of Independent Colleges

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