Schools and Race: Eve Ewing on the Construction of American Racism

Public education is touted as the bedrock of democracy, a leveler of playing fields, and our best tool to create active, engaged citizens. And while that vision is powerful, Dr. Eve L. Ewing argues that it was never intended to be those things for Black or Native students. In fact, her new book, Original Sins: The (MIs)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, maintains that schooling in America was created to prepare White kids for leadership, Black kids for subjugation, and Native kids for erasure. 

She joins us to discuss these three separate strands of education and the tools of discipline and punishment, implied intellectual inferiority, and preparation for economic subjugation used to support them.  She leaves us with love, justice and a focus on flourishing as possible antidotes to help us imagine something better. 

LINKS:

• Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side
• Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of AmericanRacism
• Bughouse Square - Eve Ewing's Podcast with co-ghost, Studs Terkel
• Faith Ringgold - United States of Attica, 1971
• Gwendolyn Brooks - We Real Cool
• How Watermelons Became a Racist Trope - William R. Black in The Atlantic
• The Abigail Fisher case
• Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica - currently at the Art Institute Chicago
• Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
• S7E9 – Revisiting Heather McGhee on How Racism Hurts Us All

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The Integrated Schools Podcast was created by Courtney Mykytyn and Andrew Lefkowits.

This episode was produced by Andrew Lefkowits and Val Brown. It was edited, and mixed by Andrew Lefkowits.

Music by Kevin Casey.

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