bell hooks Taught Us to Transgress
Like many people of my generation who cut their teeth on the critical insights of bell hooks, news of her passing in December unleashed a wave of reflection for me about the ways she’s impacted me as a person and public scholar. Beyond the many moments of resonance I experienced while reading her writings over the years, her impact on me is most powerfully encapsulated in an experience I had in 2008 when I met her.
![bell hooks standing on stage and speaking while holding a microphone.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/bellhooks.jpeg?itok=jpRETw0k)
COP26, Environmental Justice, and Human Rights
The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) that took place in Glasgow, Scotland from October to November 2021 was, in many ways, a historic event. However, even though the COP remains a crucial space for international cooperation in the fight against climate disaster, there is notable consternation over the unique burdens that various policies may place on poorer nations and those most vulnerable to adverse climate events.
![Photo of Earth and African continent from space](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-04/photo_earth_from_space.jpeg?h=a8d93925&itok=dhi2SXIm)
A Contested History
Students consider how US history books, films, and other works of popular culture have misrepresented the history of the Reconstruction era.
![A portrait of W.E.B. Du Bois, head-and-shoulders, facing slightly right.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/3a53178u.jpg?h=87584735&itok=bgkKYE0Q)
Defining Freedom
Students examine how freed people in the United States sought to define freedom after Emancipation.
![A black and white image of African American schoolchildren in Liberty County, circa 1890.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Copy_of_m-11013.png?h=d1cb525d&itok=BZqbljCV)
The Political Struggle, 1865–1866
Students learn about President Andrew Johnson and the Congressional Republican's conflicting visions of how to rebuild the nation after the Civil War.
![A photograph of Andrew Johnson.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/03751u.jpg?h=8c44f663&itok=SOBBoTvF)
Interracial Democracy
Through a video-based activity, students explore how Radical Reconstruction changed the nature of voting rights and democracy in the South.
![People voting.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/FreedmenVotingInNewOrleans1867.jpeg?h=4bc92e92&itok=w2ULaH3x)
Violence and Backlash
By examining periods of violence during the Reconstruction era, students learn about the potential backlash to political and social change.
![Portraits superimposed on an image of the American flag](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Reconstruction_2022_FH2174814.png?h=8e4088dc&itok=zv81hdEs)
Legacies of Reconstruction
Through a video-based activity, students examine America’s struggle for a stronger democracy during Reconstruction and today.
![Dr. Martin Luther King leads thousands of civil rights demonstrators out on the last leg of their Selma to Montgomery 50-mile hike.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/1965_SelmaMontgomeryMarchLeadersandCrowd_FH227.jpg?h=b82ee7a4&itok=0U1Hgtmh)
The World the War Made
Students explore the ways that Emancipation and Radical Reconstruction altered the lives of many Americans.
![Survivors of slavery observe Juneteenth in hats, canes, and bonnets inAustin, TX](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Civic_Engagement_1900_Emancipation_Day_Celebration_FH21310.jpg?h=cb77d5da&itok=zICD1mG2)
Reflecting on Statues and the UK’s Colonial Past
This lesson provides students with an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between statues and the UK’s colonial past.
![BLM protest image in Norwich](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Black_Lives_Matter_Norwich_%2850081199172%29_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=c9f93661&itok=24wTr26v)
The Power of Names
Students begin their study of Reconstruction by examining the relationship between the individual and society through an exploration of names.
![Survivors of slavery observe Juneteenth in hats, canes, and bonnets inAustin, TX](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Civic_Engagement_1900_Emancipation_Day_Celebration_FH21310.jpg?h=cb77d5da&itok=zICD1mG2)