Requiem for Reconstruction: In Conversation with Dr. Robert Bland
Sat, Feb 07
|The Bottom
Join us for a conversation moderated by Dr. LaToya Eaves with Dr. Robert Bland as he discusses his newest book, Requiem for Reconstruction!
Time & Location
Feb 07, 2026, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
The Bottom, 2340 E Magnolia Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917, USA
About the Event
About the Book:
Reclaiming the legacy of Reconstruction's pioneering generation.
The promise of Reconstruction sparked a transformative era in American history as free and newly emancipated Black Americans sought to redefine their place in a nation still grappling with the legacy of slavery. Often remembered as a period of failed progressive change that gave way to Jim Crow and second-class citizenship, Reconstruction’s tragic narrative has long overshadowed the resilience and agency of African Americans during this time.
Requiem for Reconstruction chronicles Reconstruction’s legacy by focusing on key Black figures such as South Carolina congressman Robert Smalls, Judge William Whipper, writer Frances Rollin, and others who shaped postbellum Black America. Robert D. Bland traces the impact of the Reconstruction generation—Black Americans born between 1840 and 1870 who saw Reconstruction as a defining political movement and worked to preserve its legacy by establishing a new set of historical practices such as formulating…
Tickets
General Admission + Book
This ticket includes admission to the event and a copy of the book
$35.00
+$0.88 ticket service fee
Pay What You Can
$+Ticket service fee
Total
$0.00