After-School Reading and Discussion Series

The Flow of History decided many months ago to focus our 2017-18 programming on using history as an entry point to talk about race in the classroom. While this important topic is always on the agenda, recent events have made this conversation even more timely. Our 4-session book group will launch with a new YA novel that is hard hitting and provocative. We’ll follow that up with some readings about the nature of identity in contemporary society. The final two sessions will investigate the ways that race and privilege figure into Vermont history and how we can use state and local history to engage students in empathic conversations about race and identity.

Dates and Locations:

Hartford Middle School, Hartford, VT, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

November 13, November 27, December 11, January 8

Brattleboro Middle School, Room 263

Brattleboro, VT: November 14, November 28, December 12, January 9

Registration Fee: $200; Books and materials provided

Sessions 1 & 2: Race and Identity in America

• Session 1: Book Discussion: Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
• Session 2: Discussion and Activities: Josh Bryan, “Charlottesville was my fault,” and Facing History and Ourselves, “The Complexity of Identity”

Sessions 3 & 4: The Significance of Race in Vermont History

• Session 3: Primary Source Inquiry: The Vermont Constitution and Vermont Slavery; Jeffrey Brace, The Blind African Slave
• Session 4: Discussion: Elise Guyette, “The Power of Erasure: Reflections on Civil War, Race, and Growing Up White in Vermont.” Primary Source Inquiry: The Power of Monuments

Register