Then & Now

400 Years of Racism, Myth, and Hope: Historical Perspectives on our Current Moment with Prof. Brenda Stevenson

June 11, 2020 UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy Episode 11
Then & Now
400 Years of Racism, Myth, and Hope: Historical Perspectives on our Current Moment with Prof. Brenda Stevenson
Show Notes

"We cannot be the nation we want to be if we wrap ourselves in a flag of mythology, and refuse to look at what lies underneath that flag."

As part of our special coverage on the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing debate over policing and structural racism, we welcome scholar Brenda Stevenson to the program. A leading historian on slavery and the legacy of America's race problems, Dr. Stevenson ranges widely, from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, from the murder of Latasha Harlins in 1991 to the recent murder of George Floyd, drawing out major lessons for activists and change-makers today. One major lesson she pulls from the past? Resist, resist, resist.

Find Dr. Stevenson’s writing and other media coverage on these issues at her website.