Reconstruction, the period so named after the U.S. Civil War, is a period that in its totality is a clear articulation of the lasting implications of settler colonialism. Take the conceptualization of ‘reconstruction’ itself. This concept implies an implicit notion of equality, collectivism, cooperation, rebuilding, togetherness, democracy, so on and so forth. W. E. B. Du Bois writing in a chapter titled, “The Propaganda of History” in his seminal work Black Reconstruction argues that: “the facts of American history have in the last half century been falsified because the nation was ashamed. The South was ashamed because it fought to perpetuate human slavery. The North was ashamed because it had to call in the black men to save the Union, abolish slavery and establish democracy...." Further solidifying the sharp analysis of Du Bois on the creation and power of nation creating myths, Cedric Robinson, in Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition, argues that when examined properly it can be understood that the formation of nation-states and political reigns precipitate the development of founding myths—such as myths of origins. Citing Du Bois, Robinson writes, the “bourgeoisie use of print and press, their appeals to and seduction of the classes they intended to dominate facilitated the fabrication of these national myths. These myths sole purpose was to be recognized in the official instruments of class hegemony: national creeds, social ideologies, philosophical tenets, constitutions, etc. They functioned to legitimate the social orders that they create. As they begin to inform the social consciousness of everyone forced and freely a part of the social order, these myths were substituted for history.” They provide the appearance of being a historical narrative when in fact they are actually nothing more than class-serving rationales for exploitation. The formation of the American state is no different. In fact, when properly contextualized, the American Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the considerations in the Federalist Papers were all expressions of the interests and creed of the American bourgeoisie. Today, Dr. Greg Carr explores this period called, (re)construction. Dr. Carr is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University and on the Faculty at the Howard School of Law. He holds a Ph.D. in African American Studies from Temple University and a JD from the Ohio State University College of Law. The School District of Philadelphia’s First Resident Scholar on Race and Culture (1999-2000), Dr. Carr led a team of academics and educators in the design of the curriculum framework for Philadelphia’s mandatory high school African American History course. These materials are the first to approach African American History using an Africana Studies methodology. He is a co-founder of the Philadelphia Freedom Schools Movement, a community-based academic initiative that has involved over 13,000 elementary, high school and college students. Dr. Carr has presented his curriculum work for the Board of Public Education in Salvador, Bahia, and has lectured across the U.S. as well as the world. His publications have appeared in, The African American Studies Reader, Socialism and Democracy, Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, The National Urban League’s 2012 State of Black America and Malcolm X: A Historical Reader. Our show was produced today in solidarity with the Native/Indigenous, African, and Afro Descendant communities at Standing Rock, Venezuela, the Avalon Village in Detroit; Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Cooperation Jackson in Jackson Mississippi; Palestine, South Africa, and Ghana and other places who are fighting for the protection of our land for the benefit of all peoples!