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Bill Green lends historical perspective to Black Lives Matter media coverage

Summer 2016 Pinterest6

What does it mean to matter?  What does it look like to matter?

With the Black Lives Matter movement, questions of racial equity have ignited important—and difficult—conversations in communities and courtrooms, on political campaign trails, and at college campuses.

Augsburg College Professor William “Bill” Green studies and writes about Minnesota history and law. He teaches U.S. Civil Rights subject matter, and he recently has been called upon to share his expertise on these topics to assist media outlets covering Black Lives Matter news in the Twin Cities.

Green was quoted in a Minnesota Public Radio article that examined the roles non-black activists play in furthering the Black Lives Matter movement’s agenda.

In the article, “Allies on the front lines: Black Lives Matter’s non-black activists,” Green used the history of the Civil Rights movement to analyze current demonstrations and protests. He also discussed the ways “protest fatigue” could impact the movement’s progression.

On August 5, Green also appeared on Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac” program where he provided a comparison between contemporary protests or demonstrations and those occurring decades — perhaps even centuries — earlier. Green explained that the tactic of making a public display can be useful when a group is seeking to meet a particular goal.

“The trick with the demonstrations, of course, is somehow helping society turn the corner so that … a community doesn’t feel the need to resort to desperate measures,” he said.

The interview with cohosts Cathy Wurzer and Eric Eskola is available on the TPT website and begins at the 31:55 minute mark.

Green’s comprehensive knowledge of Minnesota history has been cultivated over decades, and his latest book, “Degrees of Freedom: The Origins of Civil Rights in Minnesota, 1865-1912” chronicles conditions for African-Americans in Minnesota in the half-century following the Civil War. The publication picks up where his previous book, “A Peculiar Imbalance: The Fall and Rise of Racial Equality in Minnesota, 1837-1869,” left off. Green spoke with MinnPost about the publication, describing his interest in state history.

“The history [of Minnesota] is amazing, particularly when you look at who was here before statehood and how they interacted with each other,” he said. “I found that we were lacking a good accounting of the black people who were part of that history. Most of them didn’t leave a written record, which looks like they had nothing to say, but of course they did. They were part of this experience.”

The Minnesota Book Awards honored Green and “Degrees of Freedom” with the 2016 Hognander Minnesota History Award.

New book by Bill Green earns Pioneer Press nod

logo-smallThe Pioneer Press featured “Degrees of Freedom,” a new book by Professor of History William “Bill” Green, shortly after its release from University of Minnesota Press. In the book, Green “draws a picture of black experience in a northern state and the nature of black discontent and action within a predominantly white society, revealing little-known historical characters among the black men and women who moved to Minnesota following passage of the 15th Amendment,” according to veteran journalist Mary Ann Grossmann.

Visit the Pioneer Press website to learn more.

Huffington Post covers college skyways

Huffington-PostAugsburg College was mentioned in an article about the skyway systems in use on some college campuses.

In Minnesota, the skyway systems help students stay out of the elements whilst still enjoying the natural beauty that abounds.

To learn more about the skyway systems and see a clip of Auggie Eagle enjoying a leisurely walk in an off-campus skyway, visit the Huffington Post site.

Building more links between Minnesota and China

mpccuicThe links between Minnesotan and Chinese private colleges grew this week at the Joint Faculty Professional Development Institute, which met at Augsburg College from June 19-23. The institute is a product of two years of planning between the China Consortium members of the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC), United International College (UIC) in Zhuhai, China, and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in Hong Kong. Continue reading “Building more links between Minnesota and China”