Welcome to the conversation!


Welcome to the conversation!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), made her the most famous American woman of the 19th century and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

The Stowe Center is a 21st-century museum and program center using Stowe's story to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Salons at Stowe programs are a forum to connect the challenging issues (race, gender and class) that impelled Stowe to write and act with the contemporary face of those same issues. The Salon format is based on a robust level of audience participation, with the explicit goal of promoting civic engagement. Recent topics included: Teaching Acceptance; Is Prison the New Slavery; Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North; Creativity and Change; Race, Gender and Politics Today; How to be an Advocate

This blog will expand the reach of these community conversations to the online audience. Add your posts and comments to keep the conversation going! Commit to action by clicking HERE to stay up to date on Salon and social justice news.

For updates on Stowe Center programs and events, sign up for our enews at http://harrietbeecherstowe.org/email.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

#SalonatLunch: Why Are We Reluctant to Address Slavery?

Join us, for another Salon at Lunch! This week we are tackling the question, "why are we reluctant to address slavery?"

At last week's Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama addressed the history of the White House stating, “I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.”

Several commentators took issue with the statement and some even rebutted that those who built the White House were “treated well.” Conversation about the reality and misconceptions of slavery has since ensued.

Join the conversation at this free event: Why do we have difficulty addressing history? Why are there so many misconceptions about slavery? How can we best understand history and its connections to present injustices? 

Chekc out these articles below for background reading: 

Michelle Obama’s Speech and the powerful realities of American Slavery
Kirt von Daacke, July 28, 2016, NBC BLK
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/michelle-obama-s-speech-powerful-realities-american-slavery-n618811

What Bill O’Reilly doesn’t understand about slavery
Rebecca Onion, July 28, 2016, Slate
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2016/07/what_bill_o_reilly_doesn_t_understand_about_slavery.html

Teaching slavery to reluctant listeners
Edward Baptist, September 11, 2015, The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/teaching-slavery-to-reluctant-listeners.html?_r=0 

Salons at Lunch are every Wednesday at noon. Free and open to the public. 
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