In 1916, John Dewey, the American philosopher and educational reformer advised, “democracy must be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.” By that measure alone, America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were, inarguably, the first critical mass of educational institutions to take midwifery seriously enough to meaningfully and measurably deliver. The collective work of HBCU educators literally produced both a scaled movement and far-reaching, democracy-enhancing legislative results. In today’s conflict-ridden world, educators must once again tend to the rebirth of democracy. Join us on Zoom for a conversation with John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. who will discuss what today’s educators must learn from the HBCU activist tradition, and why our failure to harvest its most important lessons could be catastrophic.

Now serving as managing director of The Open Leadership Project at the MIT Media Lab, John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. directed the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during Barack Obama’s first term, before becoming the tenth president of Morehouse College in 2013. He is author of Hope and Healing: Black Colleges and the Future of American Democracy (Harvard Education Press 2023).

Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, 9/18 from 5:30–7 (ET). Register here to receive your zoom link.