Discussion Group Packets

The 1619 Discussion Group centers on an article packet that serves as the discussion text each month. Past topics included the history of slave laws, policing in America, and Critical Race Theory.

All current packets are available on this website and at Heights Libraries branches. Previous packets are available as .PDFs here.

Unpacking Our History Lectures

The Unpacking Our History lectures complement the Unpacking Our History interviews and the monthly 1619 discussion group. These lectures center on current research projects and scholarship by leading historians delving into the documents of slavery, the state of American democracy, and the history of medicalized racism.

Each lecture is approximately an hour long and is recorded live during the last week of most months.

Unpacking Our History Interviews

Beginning in 2020, Heights Libraries Librarian John Piche’ began conducting interviews with academics, authors, and lawyers whose writing, research, and work deal with the topics raised by the New York Times’ 1619 Project.

Interviews have covered topics such as the evolution of modern policing, slavery and medicine, the Civil Rights Movements, slavery and the U.S. Constitution, and the controversy around the teaching of race in K-12 schools.

Disclaimer: The views presented in these…