The Meaning of American Racial Innocence: From Twain to Baldwin to Everett *In-Person* *NEW*

We will trace the evolution of American racial innocence from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, through The Fire Next Time in 1963, to James in 2024. Through our analysis of racial innocence, we will explore the nature of our racial, cultural, political and social identities at a time of seismic demographic change. Instructor: Joshua Frank

Sections

Instructor

Joshua Frank has worked as an educator for twenty-nine years--as a teacher, an administrator and a trainer. He has designed and implemented innovative, data-based programs for at-risk middle and high school students, helping them to set and reach specific academic goals. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at UMass/Amherst, and Master’s degrees from UMass/Boston and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His areas of interest include working with at-risk students, fostering positive, effective teacher-student relationships, and promoting cultural competence and equity in schools. Josh’s 2007 Education Digest article, “When White Educators Discipline Students of Color,” was republished as a “classic” in the August 2015 Connections: The Journal of the National School Reform Faculty.