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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.
    • A Timeline of the Legacies of American Slavery Initiative
    • 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
  • Legacies and ThemesDefining the “legacies” of slavery.
    • What Is a Legacy (Now)? Afterlives and the Turbulent PresentA reflection on the Legacies of American Slavery initiative by David Blight, looking back from 2025.
    • What Is a Legacy?An introductory essay by David Blight (2020).
    • 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.
    • Virtual Sessions: Independent Colleges and the Legacies of Slavery (September 19 and 21, 2024)
  • Archived ProgramsClick on the menu items below to learn more about previous programs, including a national conference in 2024.
    • Conference: Independent Colleges and the Legacies of Slavery
    • Summer 2023 Programs for Faculty and Staff from CIC Colleges (and Community Partners!)
    • Regional Conference Schedule, Fall 2022

Tag: Mass Incarceration

The disproportionate representation of African Americans and other people of color in the criminal justice system as well as the effects of incarceration on families, communities, and the formerly incarcerated.

Links and Resources

Legacies links for June 10, 2024: Resistance, Reparations, Racial Equity

10 Jun 20249 Jun 2024
As always, we invite you to share this post with students, colleagues, and anyone else who is interested in the legacies of slavery. A link here does not imply agreement…
Uncategorized

Legacies links for June 3, 2024: Ghosts, Breaths, and Perceptions of Race

3 Jun 2024
A plentiful collection of links today after we took some time to reflect on the legacy of Memorial Day last week! As always, we invite you to share this post…
Featured Video…

Legacies of American Slavery: The Public History Institute

1 Feb 2024
Last week, we shared a video of Cynthia R. Copeland in which she discussed the power of public history to engage communities and reckon with the past. This week, Copeland…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for November 20, 2023: Convict Labor, School Integration, and Cancelling MLK Day (?)

20 Nov 202320 Nov 2023
As always, the editorial team here at the Legacies blog encourages you to share the post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for October 16, 2023: the Underground Railroad, preserving the past, racial identities

16 Oct 202316 Oct 2023
As always, the editorial team here at the Legacies blog encourages you to share the post with friends, students, colleagues, etc. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by…
Reflections…

Incarceration and the Afterlife of Slavery: How a College and a Prison in Illinois Use Art to Reckon with the Past and Present

5 Oct 20234 Oct 2023
Guest contributor: Tennille Nicole Allen* It takes me four minutes to drive the five miles from the gates of Lewis University, where I chair the sociology department, to the gates…
Uncategorized

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…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for June 7, 2023: Black bodies “beyond survival”—and other topics

7 Jun 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. Artificial Intelligence can be used to perpetuate…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for May 15, 2023: Petrochemicals, prisons, and psychology

15 May 202315 May 2023
As always, we encourage you to share this post. A link does not imply agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. The industrial stretch of the Mississippi River…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for March 20, 2023: some recent scholarship illustrating the legacies of slavery

20 Mar 202320 Mar 2023
This week, a selection of recent scholarship related to the legacies of slavery. Access to some of these articles may be limited to subscribers. As always, a link here does…

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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


and additional support from

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

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