University of Iowa Professor Keisha Blain has responded to incidents of racially-motivated violence in Ferguson and Charleston by compiling resources for educators looking to integrate these current events into their syllabus.

Blain is an assistant professor in the Department of History, part of the UI College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. A historian of the 20th century United States, Blain’s specializations include African American History, the modern African Diaspora, and Women’s and Gender Studies. She is a regular blogger for the African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS), where the list of resources is posted.

Both reading lists were organized largely through Twitter, under the hashtags #FergusonSyllabus and #CharlestonSyllabus. Most recently, #CharlestonSyllabus was created by Brandeis University Professor Chad Williams, who invited other historians to suggest readings for educators to use in their teaching. Blain and collaborators organized the suggestions into a reading list on the AAIHS website, which drew international attention from PBS, BBC, the LA Times, and other news outlets.

An extended reading list will soon be available on thecharlestonsyllabus.com, which Blain will curate.