BY KAREN BOSSICK
Winston Churchill has taken it on the nose in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, as some have condemned him for being a racist and white supremacist.
In fact, his statue in London was recently defaced and some argued it should be dismantled.
Lee Pollock, longtime executive director of the International Churchill Society, will address what is fact and what is fiction during a virtual program being Livestreamed by The Community Library at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12.
The library will follow that up on Thursday, Aug. 13, with a Livestream looking at schooling during the pandemic.
- Pollock who presents a Churchill lecture at the library every year, will present “Churchill, Race and Empire: Fact and Fiction” on Wednesday.
Pollock says Churchill would not have been surprised that future generations might interpret his role in history in different and challenging ways.
Today, for instance, Churchill is accused of such transgressions as suppressing workers in England and revolutionaries in Ireland, even causing a famine in India. His views on race and empire, often expressed in moments of passion recorded by his contemporaries, are used to condemn him as a racist and white supremacist.
Others admire him for his resilience leading Britain and the free world during World War II.
To see the program, go to https://livestream.com/comlib
- On Thursday the library will present a Crowdcase Livestream looking at what parents and others can do to help teachers and students be successful as they head back to school in the middle of a pandemic.
The program, “Creating Pathways to Learning for Everyone,” will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/creating-pathways-session3/register
The event will feature Dr. Evelyn Johnson, CEO of Lee Pesky Learning Center, and Martha Williams, program and education manager of The Community Library.
They will examine the data and predictions for the impact of school closures on classrooms. They also will discuss what classrooms need and what’s available to support classrooms.
The Lee Pesky Learning Center is a nonprofit based in Boise and Hailey that works with students, families, schools and communities to understand and overcome obstacles to learning. Johnson is a professor in the Early and Special Education Department at Boise State University’s College of Education.