“Lies My Teacher Told Me” Lecture by Loewen

Mary Purdy, Staff Reporter

On Thursday, Oct. 27 author and sociologist, James Loewen, gave a keynote presentation called “Lies My Teacher Told Me,” to over 100 people including students, professors and community members in Valhalla, Cartwright. Loewen’s presentation provided the audience with insight on how history books reinforce systemic racism. Throughout his presentation, he discussed many historical events and concepts, including Reconstruction, the Nadir and Sundown towns. Through humor and discussion questions, he challenged the audience’s knowledge of these historical events and concepts while discussing the effects of these lies told from history books in America.

After spending two years at the Smithsonian Institution and studying twelve American history books, he wrote his book entitled, “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong.” His book discusses the need for educators to approach history with context and root causes not facts and dates to memorize.

UW-L Writing Programs Coordinator and Assistant Professor of English Dr. Bryan Kopp discussed how Loewen’s keynote presentation influenced him as a professor.

Dr. Kopp stated, “Loewen has deepened my understanding of how classrooms can perpetuate racist ideologies. His approach was critical and constructive and has already helped me imagine new assignments that can counter the “lies” and plan for positive change in our communities.”

Loewen’s events were sponsored by UW-L College of Liberal Studies, School of Education, Campus Climate, Institute for Social Justice, Office of Diversity & Inclusion, Office of Multicultural Student Services; Office of Residence Life Leadership Development Committee & Broadening Horizons, Educational Studies, History Department, English Department and Sociology Department. Other sponsors were community partners including La Crosse’s Big Read Program and the City of La Crosse Human Rights Commission.

UW-L English Department Chair and Associate Professor Dr. Natalie Eschenbaum commented on the why the English Department was one of the sponsors for this event and the importance of bringing Loewen to the community.

Dr. Eschenbaum said, “The English Department wanted to sponsor Dr. Loewen’s visit for a few reasons. First, a central message of his work is that history is a powerful and changeable story; it is a series of rhetorical moves developed for specific audiences and purposes. Second, Dr. Loewen tells us that we all have the ability to do archival and community-based research that can change the stories we tell about our history and the present in which we live. The power and ethics of storytelling, rhetoric, and research: These are some of the central tenets of the discipline of English. Finally, Dr. Loewen’s research dovetails with the La Crosse Community’s Big Read Program this year; we are reading Earnest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, which is a novel about a black man wrongly accused of murder that gives us access to an alternative history of race relations in the 1940s south.”

In addition to his keynote presentation, Loewen facilitated a workshop for educators entitled, “Lies My Teacher Told Me and How to Avoid Them,” as well as a program and discussion called, “Sundown Towns.” If you would like to learn more about Loewen’s work or his books, you can visit his website: http://sundown.tougaloo.edu.