A White Historian Explores Race Riots

Cover of "Le Petit Journal", 7 October, 1906. Depicting the race riots in Atlanta, Georgia. "The Lynchings in the United States: The Massacre of Negroes in Atlanta." Source: Wikimedia Commons

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church is excited to host Dr. Susan Strasser’s fifth illustrated talk on American racial history on February 23, 2022, at 7 PM in the Church Sanctuary with a live Zoom feed.

Dr. Strasser began these challenging talks in 2015 after the murders of nine people in Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church. New information and new ways to think about history are always part of Dr. Strasser’s work.

Violent clashes between large crowds of different races have disturbed the social order in the United States since long before the Civil War. The phrase “race riot” has been used to describe such disparate events as the Tulsa massacre of 1921, the 1968 uprisings following the assassination of Martin Luther King, and the anti-Chinese riots of the 1870s. Dr. Strasser, an award-winning historian, investigates the term, and a history of racially charged violence that has framed American discussions of race throughout the nation’s history.

Dr. Strasser brings a unique and provocative perspective to her work.  “History is not a collection of facts, but a way of thinking about how things change.  My goal is to delve deeper into these crucial chapters of American history than most white people usually do. I believe that history offers a way to become honest with ourselves.  In doing this work, I have met many people interested in going beyond simplistic accounts of the past that confirm what they already know and think.”

Takoma Park Presbyterian Church is located on the corner of Tulip and Maple Avenues in Takoma Park.

All are welcome to this community event.