Holistic history: The African diaspora

Dr. Kim Butler, who leads Rutgers’s Africana Studies program, says that while we usually teach history and social studies in discreet, testable units, events are complex and interconnected. Slavery throughout the Americas was central to the development of capitalism. Dr. Butler describes how working class students often can’t choose a liberal arts education because they have to focus on getting jobs. Overview 00:00-00:50 Intros 00:50-05:23 What Africana Studies is 05:23-07:28 Relationship of slavery and capitalism 07:28-10:47 Why all students should take Africana Studies 10:47-14:21 How high schools could do a better job of teaching about the African diaspora 14:21-18:30 Learning about the Western Hemisphere 18:30-22:22 Importance of learning writing skills 22:22-25:57 Impact of “teaching to the test” 25:57-27:39 “Teaching to the test” v. a freer engagement with new ideas 27:39-34:49 Liberal arts education and workforce development 34:49-36:49 Potential impact of Movement for Black Lives on students 36:49-37:57 Critical importance of educators 37:57-39:45 Outro Transcription Click here to see the full transcript of this interview. 

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