Nicholas Psarakis · Sewanee: Black Lives Matter Oral History Project

Title

Nick Psarakis (Abstract)

Interviewee/ Narrator

Nicholas Psarakis

Interviewer

Eli Bastiaansen

Date

November 17, 2023

November 20, 2023

Location of the Interview

The narrator was located in Colorado Springs, Colorado while the interviewer was located in Sewanee, Tennessee. The interview took place over Microsoft Teams with the audio recorded using “Voice Memos.”

Length

1 hour, 42 minutes, 12 seconds

Abstract

Born in an old colonial town in New Milford, Connecticut, Nick Psarakis attended Colorado College for his undergraduate degree and the University of Colorado Boulder for a graduate degree in American History. Psarakis is currently in his 29th year of public school teaching in Academy District 20 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One of Psarakis’ first contacts with the Black Lives Matter movement came while teaching about Ferguson, Missouri, the city where Michael Brown was killed, in an AP Human Geography course. The city of Ferguson offered Psarakis the opportunity to teach as well as read more about the legacy of redlining and white flight in the evolving residential patterns in suburban America. Additionally, Psarkis spoke about the initial design for a Black History course as prompted by the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of John Lewis. In designing the curriculum for the course, Psarakis initially relied on John Hope Franklin's textbook, “From Slavery to Freedom” which led to later controversies with the Colorado Springs Board of Education who questioned the textbook and its potentially divisive language. Psarakis had initially planned to title the course, “The African-American Experience,” but was forced to change the class name to “Black History” due to push back from district administration. Additionally, throughout the interview, Psarakis emphasized the idea that history does not occur in a vacuum. In other words, as a teacher, Psarakis attempts to draw connections between time periods in order to highlight the fact that the modern political and social landscape has its origins in history. For example, he describes how Former President Trump’s use of the phrase “Law and Order” is a deliberate reference to Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew who began using this term in 1968 as a code word to white voters. Psarakis discusses how the Black Lives Matter movement encouraged him to further educate himself on Black history. Lastly, Psarakis includes personal narratives to help articulate how, despite initial district pushback over the Black History class and criticisms of Republican presidents in the late 20th century, politics has always been deeply embedded in education. Psarakis claims that it is his role as a teacher to educate his students and provide them with an understanding of history in which they can use to analyze current events; it is through the learning of history that individuals are able to hold on to and give meaning to the past. This interview is part of the Black Lives Matter Oral History Project (BLMOHR) to document reactions, opinions, and interpretations of the Black Lives Matter movement.