48. Season IV, Episode III: The Third Reconstruction (Peniel Joseph)

Out third episode jumps right up to the present day with a discussion of the ongoing civil rights movement. The term “Reconstruction” may call up images of the Post-Civil War Era, reintegration of the Confederate states, and the emancipation of formerly enslaved Americans. Our discussion this week broadens that definition of Reconstruction, tracing it through the mid-20th century Civil Rights movement, and up to the 21st-century American story involving civil rights, social media, and nationwide protests.

This “Third Reconstruction” places us in the era of the Barack Obama and Donald Trump presidencies. Common issues related to civil rights have persisted up through the present, including the housing disparities, effects of redlining, police brutality, and violence that pervade our news channels. From George Floyd to January 6th, we explore this present Third Reconstruction and its ramifications for the future of civil rights

Our conversation on this new period of reconstruction features Dr. Peniel Joseph of the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Joseph has written five books and authored numerous pieces on race, democracy, and civil rights.

Guest:

Peniel Joseph holds a joint professorship appointment at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the History Department in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the founding director of the LBJ School’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy.

Peniel Joseph is Professor of History and Public Affairs and the founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD) at The University of Texas at Austin. His career focus has been on “Black Power Studies,” which encompasses interdisciplinary fields such as Africana studies, law and society, women’s and ethnic studies, and political science. At UT, he also serves as the Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values. His commentary has also been featured in the Washington Post, CNN, and the Guardian.

He is the author of books The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century, The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr, Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America, Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama, and Stokely: A Life.

Follow him on Twitter @penieljoseph.