We invite you to join in our community read and discussion of Four Hundred Souls, edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Dr. Keisha Blain.  The editors have assembled ninety brilliant writers, each of whom takes on a five-year period of a four-hundred-year span. The writers explore their periods through a variety of techniques: historical essays, short stories, personal vignettes, and fiery polemics to approach history from various perspectives: through the eyes of towering historical icons or the untold stories of ordinary people; through places, laws, and objects. While themes of resistance and struggle, of hope and reinvention course through the book, this collection of diverse pieces, reflecting ninety different perspectives, fundamentally deconstructs the idea that Africans in America are a monolith—instead it unlocks the startling range of experiences and ideas that have always existed within the community of Blackness.

We hope to study this text and to engage in open, honest discourse and perspective-taking about its many concepts related to the teaching our history. This is necessary work that aligns with our efforts to Humanize, Personalize, and Problematize instruction.  These sessions will be virtual and will be held on Friday evenings from 6-7:30 pm. We aim to begin this study on Friday, February 3, 2023, and end on Friday, March 3, 2023. Our shared learning experience will culminate with an in-person Fireside Chat on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.