Emily Hardesty is an eleventh grade U.S. History and Economics teacher from Richmond, Virginia. She teaches at the Appomattox Regional Governor's School in Petersburg, a public magnet school for students talented in the arts and technology. She has been teaching since 2012 and prior to that earned a BFA in Art History, a BA in History and a Masters of Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Teaching an inquisitive and justice-minded student population, she is motivated to teach an honest American history that does not shy away from the brutalities committed by our nation. She hopes her involvement in this seminar will enrich her units on indigenous history and reform her teaching about Native Peoples, rather than simply framing their diverse rich histories as a response to a white history of colonization and manifest destiny. In addition to teaching, she sponsors Key Club, Film Appreciation Club, Economics team, and Model United Nations. In her rather limited free time she likes to read and travel.