Professor Robert Bland (University of Tennessee) joins the Levin Center for a wide-ranging conversation on Reconstruction, historical memory, and the enduring struggle to build and sustain multiracial democracy in the United States. Drawing on his 2026 book Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry’s Lost Political Generation, Bland explores the rich civic and political life that emerged among African Americans in South Carolina’s Lowcountry after the Civil War, highlighting the leadership of figures such as Robert Smalls and the institutions that helped shape Black political power and historical memory. The discussion examines how African Americans fought to secure civil rights, preserve their history, and challenge myths that distorted public understanding of Reconstruction.
The conversation also connects this history to the present, reflecting on the legacy of Black civic institutions, the role of congressional investigations in confronting racial violence, and the lessons Reconstruction offers for today’s democracy. Through this engaging exchange, Bland illuminates how debates over power, representation, and historical truth during Reconstruction continue to shape American political life.