89.3 WFPL News is proud to announce the creation of “ A Critical Moment,” a new radio documentary premiering on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. that examines how two countries teach about their difficult histories, and why.
Many American teachers and students say it’s time to learn about our country’s legacy of racism. But some conservatives are calling these lessons indoctrination. They've co-opted the term "critical race theory" to label these discussions. Now, Republican politicians in Kentucky and many other states are trying to rein in classroom conversations on race.
But the U.S. isn’t the only country with a painful history to deal with. In Germany, students are required to learn about their nation’s darkest chapter — the Holocaust.
While on an Arthur F. Burns Fellowship in Germany, WFPL’s Arts and Culture Reporter Stephanie Wolf investigated how the Holocaust is covered in German classrooms. Meanwhile, Education and Learning Reporter Jess Clark examined how race is covered in Kentucky classrooms. WFPL’s “A Critical Moment” examines how two countries teach about their difficult histories, and why.
Jess Clark and Stephanie Wolf are available for interviews about the reporting they did for the project. Contact pr@louisvillepublicmedia.org to schedule an interview.
“Jess Clark, Stephanie Wolf and the entire editorial team have outdone themselves,” WFPL News Director Rebecca Feldhaus Adams said. “This is a piece of unflinching journalism that puts talking points to the test. As ever, I'm proud to be part of this project and the WFPL Newsroom.”
“A Critical Moment” will air on 89.3 WFPL Thursday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., and again on Saturday, Jan. 29 at noon. You can stream the program live at WFPL.org and through the LPM app. The program will be also available for on-demand listening beginning Jan. 24 at wfpl.org/acriticalmoment.
For permission to excerpt or broadcast this program, contact Laura Ellis at lellis@louisvillepublicmedia.org.
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Support for reporting on youth issues comes, in part, from the Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence .
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