The first Reconstruction followed the Civil War, the second occurred during the Civil Rights Movement and a third, which started after President Obama’s election, is underway as the racial reckoning collides with white supremacy.
“This moment demands a third Reconstruction to revive our political commitment to implement moral laws and policies that can heal and transform the nation,” says U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, sponsor of House Resolution 438.
Through the “Third Reconstruction” project, Howard journalists are covering today’s thorniest issues while adding context to connect them to the past. This is critical given misinformation, disinformation and racial conflicts, along with misinterpretations and denial of systemic racism. Social inequality disproportionately affects African Americans and threatens to turn back the clock on hard-won progress.
Howard journalists are exploring myriad topics related to race, including the teaching of history, environmental justice, voting rights, impediments to generational wealth, fashion, technology and the arts. Their reporting methods include features, investigations, profiles, podcasts and other multimedia. The project also incorporate analysis of underreported responses to social problems as part of the Solutions Journalism Student Media Challenge in which Howard is one of eight national participants.
The students’ goal is to gain and share a better understanding of the Reconstructions of the Civil War and Civil Rights eras as well as how the nation ended up in a Third Reconstruction.
The stories in this project are available for free reuse with proper credit to the journalists and Howard University News Service. This is an ongoing project, and the site is still under construction. Other projects by HUNewsService.com include Breathing While Black and Your World, Your Way, Your Ballot — Stories: People and Issues Impacting Voting Rights and Democracy for the 2022 Midterm Election.
