1619 Project Event Series

September 11–November 6, 2020

This four-event public programming series from the Bowdoin College History Department focuses on The 1619 Project, published last year by The New York Times Magazine. The initiative grew out of calls by our students and colleagues to address the outrage, protests and pain following the murder of George Floyd as well as the continuing importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.

For each session, two to three faculty members from the History Department will discuss relevant themes and readings. These sessions will be held remotely.

The goals of these gatherings are three-fold: to affirm the History Department's and Bowdoin College's continued commitment to inclusion and diversity in light of recent events; to use our skills as historians to analyze and share our interpretations of this current moment of racial reckoning for the Bowdoin community with the help of The 1619 Project; and to answer the call from Academic Affairs to create programming for students, especially first-years on campus, during this difficult time.

1619 Project Library Guide

Event Recordings

Event recordings are available to Bowdoin faculty, students, and staff. Log in with your Bowdoin credentials to access through Panopto.

Schedule of Events

Patrick Rael and Brian Purnell — Left: Patrick Rael; Right: Brian Purnell

Friday, September 11, 4-5:30 p.m.

Session #1: One Nation?: America’s Origins and Slavery’s Unfinished Past

The Idea of America, by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Capitalism, by Matthew Desmond
Sugar, by Khalil Gibran Muhammad

Patrick Rael, Professor of History
Brian Purnell, Geoffrey Canada Associate Professor of Africana Studies and History

Chiang, Klingle, and Hecht headshots — Left to right: Connie Chiang, Matthew Klingle, David Hecht

Friday, September 25, 4-5:30 p.m.

Session #2: Bodies on the Line: Prisons and Health Care

Mass Incarceration, by Bryan Stevenson
A Broken Health Care System, by Jeneen Interlandi
Medical Inequality, by Linda Villarosa

Connie Chiang, Professor of History and Environmental Studies
Matthew Klingle, Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies
David Hecht, Associate Professor of History

Page Herrlinger and Rachel Sturman — Left: Page Herrlinger; Right: Rachel Sturman

Friday, October 16, 4-5:30 p.m.

Session #3: Deep Cuts: Structural Inequality and Popular Culture

American Popular Music, by Wesley Morris
Undemocratic Democracy, by Jamelle Bouie
Traffic, by Kevin M. Kruse
The Wealth Gap, by Trymaine Lee

Page Herrlinger, Associate Professor of History
Rachel Sturman, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies

Dallas Denery and Meghan Roberts — Left: Dallas Denery; Right: Meghan Roberts

Friday, November 6, 4-5:30 p.m.

Plenary #4: The 1619 Project and Making Sense of the 2020 Election

Readings to be announced.

Dallas Denery, Professor of History
Brian Purnell, Geoffrey Canada Associate Professor of Africana Studies and History
Meghan Roberts, Associate Professor of History

Bowdoin faculty, students and staff have access to The New York Times Digital Edition through an Academic Site License provided by the Library. For more information about how to register, visit the Library website.