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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?”

Links and Resources

Legacies links for February 6, 2023: Where every month is a Black History Month

6 Feb 20236 Feb 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. All incoming students at St. Edward’s University…
Updates from the Network

Centenary College Students Work to Diversify Anatomical Models

1 Feb 20231 Feb 2023
Centenary College of Louisiana students Jazmine Carroll, Yosajandy Bouslog, and April Jones at the Centenary Research Conference in April 2022. One of their diversified anatomical models is visible on the…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for January 30, 2023: Black history in Florida and other skirmishes in the culture wars

30 Jan 202327 Jan 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post. A link here does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. Splash Mountain (and its racist legacy)…
Updates from the Network

Touring the Legacies of Slavery in Shreveport, LA: Race, Health, and Medicine

27 Jan 202326 Jan 2023
Centenary College of Louisiana student Jayla Washington speaks to the tour group at Oakland Cemetery in Shreveport, Louisiana. This post has been reprinted with permission from Centenary Magazine (December 2022).…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for January 23, 2023: trillions of dollars (and other ways to reckon the cost of slavery)

23 Jan 202326 Jan 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post. A link here does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. On January 19, 2023, Maryland Gov.…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for January 17, 2023: Dr. King on campus, ancient DNA, environmental justice, and more

17 Jan 202317 Jan 2023
We took a break on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but the day after is still a good time to consider the history of social structures and systems that still…
Links and Resources…

Legacies links for January 9, 2023: independent colleges (and others) explore the afterlives of slavery

9 Jan 2023
We’re back with new links for a new year (but reaching back into late 2022, while we were on a break). As always, we encourage you to share this post.…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for January 2, 2023: The Emancipation Proclamation at 160

2 Jan 20231 Jan 2023
Happy new year! We hope that you found rest, reflection, and joy over the holiday break. As always, the links shared here do not imply agreement or endorsement by the…
Links and Resources

Legacies Links for the Winter Holidays: Hanukkah, Christmas, Jonkonnu, and Kwanzaa

19 Dec 202219 Dec 2022
Whatever holiday(s) you celebrate this season, we hope they are happy! The Legacies blog will be taking a brief winter holiday of its own, until January 2, 2023. In the…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for December 12, 2022: apologies, reparations, and overlooked histories

12 Dec 202212 Dec 2022
As always, we encourage you to share this post. A link here does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. A Black church in rural Eloy,…

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© Council of Independent Colleges except where otherwise indicated.

Council of Independent Colleges

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legaciesproject@cic.edu #CICLegacies
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Organized in collaboration with

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David W. Blight, Director

With generous support from


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Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this site do not necessarily represent those of the NEH.

 

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