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Critical Race Theory: Context, Controversy, and Call to Action with Dr. Richard Bell

Critical Race Theory: Context, Controversy, and Call to Action with Dr. Richard Bell


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Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

Suddenly, this past year, everyone has begun talking about Critical Race Theory (CRT), a set of premises developed by legal scholars decades ago to interpret America’s institutions in the context of race and civil rights. In recent months, legislators in many states have rushed to pass laws to ban the teaching of CRT from K-12 classrooms across the United States. Yet what exactly is CRT? It can be hard to know, and there’s no manifesto or mission statement. This has made Critical Race Theory a bit of a moving target.

Our seminar has three quite different goals. The first objective is to locate the origins of CRT, establish its core premises, describe the recent controversy, and interrogate the stakes of it all. The second objective is to show you CRT in action—to narrate the histories of voting rights and crime and punishment in the United States through the lens of Critical Race Theory. The third is to introduce participants to a list of practices that CRT scholars believe all of us can adopt to mitigate the worst legacies of slavery in our supposedly post-slavery world.

Led by an expert on American History, Dr. Richard Bell, this conversation will teach participants about the inclusion of Critical Race Theory in American classrooms. Participants will come away with a well-rounded understanding of this contentious debate between legislators, educators, and American citizens.

To explore additional seminars led by Dr. Bell on the topic of American History, click here. 

Dr. Richard Bell is Professor of History at the University of Maryland. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and has won more than a dozen teaching awards, including the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has held major research fellowships at Yale, Cambridge, the Library of Congress and is the recipient of the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship and the National Endowment of the Humanities Public Scholar Award. Professor Bell is author of the new book "Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped into Slavery and their Astonishing Odyssey Home," which was shortlisted for the George Washington Prize and the Harriet Tubman Prize.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 21 reviews
95%
(20)
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Rhoda, Silver Spring MD (Silver Spring, US)
Fantastic description of complicated and divisive issue

Richard is incredibly knowledgeable about a complicated topic that is so frequently demonized. His description is clear and concise and yet very thorough. I highly recommend this lecture for everyone to learn the origins and implications of CRT - a topic so sadly misunderstood. We've listened to dozens of Context lectures and Richard's is among the best.

J
J (Vancouver, CA)
CRT - you may think you know what it is but do you?

Dr. Bell (as always) gave a thought-provoking talk on a subject I little understood. This is a talk that needs to part of the "learning" and action list for us all.

A
A.P. (Marysville, US)
Learning About Critical Race Theory

This was an excellent presentation and one I highly recommend others to take part in.

D
D.B. (Manchester Center, US)
Insightful look at CRT

Dr. Bell is an excellent presenter and gives a sound understanding of CRT without trying to make the issue controversial by offering to hear other thoughts on the subject in a respectful way.

C
C.F. (Santa Monica, US)
Absolutely extraordinary and timely conversation.

I have watched on video a number of conversations with Dr. Bell and they are always interesting, informative, and wonderfully detailed and researched. This particular tour, however, was absolutely extraordinary. This is such a difficult topic right now, and Dr. Bell’s level of clarity about what it is composed of and how it’s actually being treated in the United States right now is such a gift to us all.

Customer Reviews

Based on 21 reviews
95%
(20)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
5%
(1)
R
Rhoda, Silver Spring MD (Silver Spring, US)
Fantastic description of complicated and divisive issue

Richard is incredibly knowledgeable about a complicated topic that is so frequently demonized. His description is clear and concise and yet very thorough. I highly recommend this lecture for everyone to learn the origins and implications of CRT - a topic so sadly misunderstood. We've listened to dozens of Context lectures and Richard's is among the best.

J
J (Vancouver, CA)
CRT - you may think you know what it is but do you?

Dr. Bell (as always) gave a thought-provoking talk on a subject I little understood. This is a talk that needs to part of the "learning" and action list for us all.

A
A.P. (Marysville, US)
Learning About Critical Race Theory

This was an excellent presentation and one I highly recommend others to take part in.

D
D.B. (Manchester Center, US)
Insightful look at CRT

Dr. Bell is an excellent presenter and gives a sound understanding of CRT without trying to make the issue controversial by offering to hear other thoughts on the subject in a respectful way.

C
C.F. (Santa Monica, US)
Absolutely extraordinary and timely conversation.

I have watched on video a number of conversations with Dr. Bell and they are always interesting, informative, and wonderfully detailed and researched. This particular tour, however, was absolutely extraordinary. This is such a difficult topic right now, and Dr. Bell’s level of clarity about what it is composed of and how it’s actually being treated in the United States right now is such a gift to us all.