Missouri Historical Society
Last Tuesday, The Missouri Historical Society launched a six-week virtual event series called “How Did We Get Here: Conversations about Race, Anti-Blackness, and Identity.” Dr. Crystal Fleming kicked off the series with a virtual presentation on her book, How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide. At the free event, she highlighted the points she makes in her book about systemic racism, racial ignorance, and anti-racist change.
The series came about directly in response to what’s happening worldwide in terms of the Black Lives Matter movement, and it aims to connect the past to the present while rooting everything in fact. “That’s how we came up with the title,” says Shakia Gullette, director of African American History Initiatives. “This is what people want to hear right now, and this is what people want to see. We are doing our due diligence to root all of these conversations right back to history.”
The society’s African American History Initiative, which was introduced in 2015, developed the series in collaboration with its community engagement department. “We wanted to make sure that we were honoring the mission of the initiative with this series, and I do believe with all of the different components and the way that we approached putting this series together that we’ve definitely done that,” says Gullette.
All events in the series have a community conversations piece built in with facilitators who guide discussions after each program. “We’re trying to meet everyone on all levels,” says Gullette. “We want to make sure that we are accessible, and that when you come in, you’ll be met with kindness and we will address your questions as the programs progress.”
There are several tiers to the series, including virtual youth activism workshops that are divided into age groups 6-12 and 12-18. “The younger group will explore the civil rights movement in a broader context to see themselves in movements of the past, and the older group will have more conversations about social justice and civil rights” says Gullette. Another tier featured in the series focuses on local history and explores African American neighborhoods throughout the St. Louis region and the history of policing.
Just Breathe STL, which focuses on processing and healing, offers a five-week intergenerational wellness experience presented by The Collective STL that features everything from journaling, live art, music, healthy food, yoga, and dancing. “Anything you can think of, we will try to accommodate,” says Gullette. “We’re trying to make sure we’re reaching people in different ways. We’re giving you history and we’re giving you a space to process and heal throughout everything that we’re all experiencing." Just Breathe STL will take place from 6–8 p.m. on July 15, July 29, August 5, and August 12 on the Museum’s North Lawn.
A closing program might be the biggest treat of the whole series. The great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells will participate in a conversation that connects the activism of Wells and the research that she did to uncover lynchings in the early 1900s to street journalism of today. “We’re hoping that people will process history and look at history in a different light,” says Gullette. “History is living and it’s happening every day around us and we see that as we are in the midst of an international movement.” The free virtual conversation will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on August 4.
To learn more about upcoming events, visit mohistory,org/events.
