Past Is Prologue: How Lessons from the Reconstruction Era Can Help Us Build a Better Tomorrow

By Vanessa Williams

On February 23, Mimi Eisen, co-author of Erasing the Black Freedom Struggle: How State Standards Fail to Teach the Truth About Reconstruction, was in conversation with Michelle Coles, author of Black Was the Ink, to discuss the parallels between the Reconstruction Era and today. They further discussed what current school districts’ standards reveal about the present-day failures to accurately teach Reconstruction.

Participants in this virtual event had time to collaborate, share resources, and reflect on their own Reconstruction teaching and learning experiences. Attendees received a copy of Erasing the Black Freedom Struggle or a picture or YA book connected to the 13 guiding principles for Black Lives Matter at School.

Participants shared:

I appreciated Michelle's passionate energy talking about the book and the resources that inspired her writing. It's so wonderful that she made historical events relatable and engaging for younger readers. I loved her approach of using fiction to "distill" information about the Reconstruction era and make clear connections to events that are happening today.

Reconstruction is truly the missing link in the U.S. History Curriculum and it has allowed people to truly not understand why we are still where we are today.