Educator Book Talk: Freedom Was in Sight: Reconstruction in the Washington, D.C. Region by Dr. Kate Masur

The end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery had a deep impact on the U.S. society and economy.  Newly freed African Americans were faced with opportunities to build their lives in freedom.  The new graphic history, Freedom Was in Sight shows how enslavers’ grip on power was loosened, the various ways that Black people sought freedom and the debate of the future of a fractured nation. Grounded in the history of Washington, DC, and the surrounding region, Freedom Was in Sight challenges Reconstruction’s conventional end point of 1877 and introduces us to well-known and lesser-known people who worked to empower the Black community during this period.

Join us for an inspiring discussion between author and historian Dr. Kate Masur, local educator Jessica Rucker and Maya Davis, Director of Riversdale Historic House in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  The panel will discuss some of the stories in the book, the importance of teaching Reconstruction both in the classroom and in the community, as well as how Freedom Was in Sight can be a tool in teaching this history.

Doors open at 6 p.m.; program begins at 6:15 p.m.