Discussing racial politics
Sarah Polachek
Issue date: 3/9/09 Section: News
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Held at the Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch, the theme of this year's symposium was "Racial Politics: African-American Activism in 20th Century America."
The event brought nationally acclaimed scholars to the community to meet with university students and staff.
They analyzed a variety of ideas concerning the roles of race and politics in the United States.
The also discussed history as a tool, considering the ways the history of politics should be taught in schools.
The event began Thursday evening in an auditorium crowded with scholars, teachers, high school and college students and individuals from the community viewing a documentary preceding a tonic lecture on the politics of Garveyism.
The discussion was led by Dr. Steven Hahn, graduate of Yale University and Pulitzer Prize-winner, who presented "Marcus Garvey Reconsidered."
The public lecture was called "Roots and Shadows: The Social Base and Political Legacy of Garveyism," which was derived from his most recent book called "The Political Worlds of Slavery and Freedom."
Within these works, Hahn challenges solid opinions about the validity of literature on America and African American History.
He said he hoped to provide an "interesting and provocative addition to the symposium."
He discussed the geography and populations of the UNIA movement, how we frame African-American civil rights and political policy and Garvey's idea of the importance of self-governance and self-defense.
"It was an invigorating discussion about the several black movements of the early 20th century," said Dr. Cynthia Jones, UMKC professor of History. "There is plenty to know about Garvey's powerful influence, but many scholars haven't taken the opportunity to really investigate matters behind the movement."
Following the initial lecture were the workshops for teachers and students titled, "20th Century African-American Culture Politics," "Politics of Race in the NAACP" and "Where Does Race Fit into American Politics (and the Classroom)?"
Guest scholars included Dr. Kimberly L. Phillips and Dr. Ken W. Goings.
McKinzie taught in the UMKC History department from 1969 until his death in 1993.
He believed history was a living discipline. He was an advocate for equality and civil rights, and believed that those ideas could be successfully embodied through the teaching of history, especially through the didactics of America's multicultural past.
His acknowledgement of the value of history and diversity led to the founding of the UMKC High School/College Program (HSCP), the UMKC/Moscow State Faculty Exchange Program, the UMKC PACE program and many legacies which continue to be widely recognized today.
This symposium was an impacting representation of political policies both new and old, and put in retrospect the evolutionary advancements of ethnic relations in the United States.
spolachek@unews.com
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