IN INTERPRET, , & DIS ISCUSS DIF IFFICULT ISSUES IN IS IN - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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IN INTERPRET, , & DIS ISCUSS DIF IFFICULT ISSUES IN IS IN - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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BUIL ILDING CAPACITY TO PRESENT, IN INTERPRET, , & DIS ISCUSS DIF IFFICULT ISSUES IN IS IN AFRIC ICAN AMERICAN HIS ISTORY THE SANKOFA COLLABORATIVE AASLH 2019 MEETING 1 WELCOME! As you come in, please Complete the

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BUIL ILDING CAPACITY TO PRESENT, IN INTERPRET, , & DIS ISCUSS DIF IFFICULT IS ISSUES IN IN AFRIC ICAN AMERICAN HIS ISTORY

THE SANKOFA COLLABORATIVE AASLH 2019 MEETING

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WELCOME! As you come in, please…

  • Complete the questionnaire
  • Introduce yourself to your table
  • Be ready to share what you most want to get from this

workshop

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WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE’VE DONE

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Oh Oh Freedom

Oh freedom Oh freedom Of freedom over me! And before I’d be a slave I’ll be buried in my grave And go home to my Lord and be free. No more crying No more crying No more crying over me! And before… There’ll be singing… There’ll be shouting… There’ll be praying…

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Elaine Buck & Beverly Mil ills

Trustees, Stoutsburg Cemetery Association Advisors, Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum Authors: IF THESE STONES COULD TALK African American Presence in Hopewell Valley, Sourland Mountain and Surrounding Regions of NJ

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St Stou

  • utsburg Cemetery

ry, Hopewell, , NJ

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Mt. . Zio ion AME, Skillman, NJ Buil ilt 1866 - Home of f the Stoutsburg Sourland Afr frican American Museum (S (SSAAM)

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Sa Sam St Stephens

The 1719 William Trent House Museum Trustee, Trent House Association Trenton, NJ

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1719 1719 William Trent Hou

  • use Museum,

Trenton, , NJ

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Slaves Listed in 1726 In Inventory ry After Trent’s Death

Acco’t of Negroes viz: A man Nam’d Yaft………………………………………40_”_” a Woman nam’d Joan ……………………………....35_”_” a boy nam’d Bob………………………………………..30_”_” 1 ditto Dick…………………………………………………20_”_” a Girle Nanny……………………………………….......32_10_” a Child Tom………………………………………………...10_”_”

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Slaves Listed in 1726 In Inventory ry After Trent’s Death

3 Negro Men as follows viz: Julius…………………………………………………………30_”_” Bossin……………………………………………………....30_”_” Harry……………….………………………………………..45_”_” Two (West?) Indieno Men, viz: Cupid…………………………………………………………45_”_” Pedro………….……………………………………….......35_”_”

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Br Bruce Daniels

The Grounds For Sculpture Hamilton, NJ

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VISUAL FROM GFS

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Jo Joyce J. . Scott: Harriet Tubman & Other Truths

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Lin inda Cald ldwell Epps

President/CEO, 1804 Consultants New Jersey Historical Society

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Th The 1967 Newark Rebell llio ion

I was between the second and third grades when it happened. It was summer vacation, it was hot, we were at in the Hayes Homes

  • projects. There was trouble, there was gunfire,

Mom was worried, I was terrified. Mom said to stay down on the floor so we wouldn't get hit, so we crawled along the floor from room to

  • room. We were on the second floor, close to

the street. I would forget and stand up and Mom would scream at me to get back down. This went on all day and all that night.

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History ry, , Memory ry, and Ac Acknowledgement

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OUR COLLECTIVE ID IDENTITY

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Why “Sankofa”?

  • What does “Sankofa” mean?
  • How does this symbolize

the meaning of “Sankofa”?

  • How does it represent the focus
  • f our work?

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Our Our Work Together

  • January 2017 Invitational Symposium “Interpreting African American History At

Historic Sites And Museums”

  • 2017 Workshops
  • May “Exploring African American History In New Jersey”
  • November “Presenting & Discussing Difficult Topics in African American

History”

  • 2018 Workshop “Telling African American History as New Jersey History”
  • 2019 Workshops
  • January “Engage Your Audiences With Difficult Topics in African American

History”

  • June “What Do You See? Using The Arts To Enrich Understanding Of The

African American Experience”

  • October “Teaching African American History: A Workshop For K-12 Educators”

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Our Our Go Goal als s for Our Our Work

  • Build our own organization’s capacity…

…to present, interpret, and engage others in self-reflection and civil discourse on the impact and legacy of African American history on

  • ur society today
  • Offer opportunities for others involved in similar work…
  • …to hear from experts with diverse perspectives, share resources

and experiences, participate in in-depth discussions, and build networks

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Share Who You Are & Why You’re Here

Briefly, in just a few minutes, please say:

  • Your name
  • Your organization
  • A recent experience related to why you are here
  • What you most want to get from this workshop

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CAS CASE STUDIES FOR REFL FLECTI TION

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The “Peculiar Institution”

  • Are your visitors generally expecting to hear or learn about

African American history when they come to your site?

  • What do you think your visitors’ responses are to what you

present about African American history?

  • How prepared is your site/organization to identify and

respond to visitor discomfort about what is presented?

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Quotes from Visitors to Plantations

  • From white visitors:
  • “We felt we were being lectured and bashed.”
  • “Subjected to a lecture aimed to instill guilt”
  • “Very racist. If you’re white, don’t go.”
  • From African American visitors:
  • The tour guide said, “enslaved men and women were treated and fed well on the
  • plantation. In fact, they ‘were like family’ to the owners”… My friend and I exchanged

“This is bulls—t” glances throughout the tour.

  • The docent told a story about an enslaved woman and her family who stayed on the

plantation after the owners fled during the Civil War. The docent was clear that they likely stayed there only because they had nowhere else to go. I appreciated her honesty.

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Re Rethinking the Honors Bestowed

  • Who in the past is your site/organization most associated

with and for what reason?

  • What is presented about the connection this person had

with African American history?

  • How does your site/organization help visitors deal with this

connection?

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  • Dr. J. Marion Sims

“Father of Gynecology”

1813-1883

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A A Simple Lawn Ornament

  • How does your site/organization make sure that information

presented to visitors is accurate and complete?

  • What “myths” about your site might visitors have about

people or events associated with African American history?

  • How does your site/organization respond to visitors’

misinformation or preconceptions?

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JOCKO GRAVES – LAWN JOCKEY

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BUIL ILDING COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

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Ho How Our Our Collaborative Developed

  • Started with “ah-ha” moment
  • Followed by conversations with each other and internally
  • Reinforced by each organization’s link with consultant
  • Expanded during search for workshop venue
  • Strengthened through joint projects (workshops) and

internal work

  • Continued because of demonstrated need/interest from

audiences and positive impact for individual organizations

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Wh Who Are You Currently Engaging?

  • Stakeholders
  • Board/Governing body
  • Donors/Supporters
  • Staff
  • Volunteers/Members
  • Audiences
  • Partners
  • Peer organizations
  • Community groups
  • Experts

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What’s Missing

  • Who is your organization/site not attracting as volunteers or

members? As donors/supporters? As audiences?

  • How committed are your staff and board/governing body to the

work?

  • What is missing in terms of your organization’s/site’s own knowledge,

skills, experiences, resources, visibility?

  • Who could be valuable partners that your organization/site is not

engaging?

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Ta Table Work

  • Describe Current Stakeholders, Audiences, Partners
  • List Potential Stakeholders, Audiences, Partners
  • Identify Opportunities To Engage Those Potential Groups
  • Identify Challenges In Engaging Those Potential Groups

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Reporting Out fr from Tables

  • Who are the frequently missing stakeholder or audience

groups?

  • Who are frequently mentioned as potential partners?
  • What are the most promising opportunities and most

difficult challenges in developing relationships with stakeholders, audiences, and partners?

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Ou Our Lesson

  • ns Lear

arned ed

  • There is no “quick fix” within our own organizations or in our

work together

  • Trust among individuals as important as organizational

alignment

  • Opportunities for partnerships can emerge through

serendipity, but require awareness and action

  • Be willing to acknowledge what you don’t know & seek out

those who do

  • Recognize the potential risks in forming partnerships &

tackling difficult issues, but be bold

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QUESTIONS BEFORE LUNCH

  • Are we on the right track in terms of what you are hoping to get from

this workshop?

  • Is there anything more you’d like to know about our work together?

About how our individual organizations have contributed to, benefited from our work?

  • What other questions do you have so far?
  • What are you hoping we’ll cover in the rest of the workshop?

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Ta Target Audiences & Agendas

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We began not to inform others but to learn how to improve what we were doing.

We were surprised to find out that we were viewed as a resource.

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Our Our Aud udience ces

  • Initial symposium - experts and people with experience with goal of

exploring interests and issues

  • First two workshops – broad reach
  • Museum/historic site staff and volunteers
  • Educators
  • Community and faith group members
  • University students
  • Next three workshops – more targeted in focus
  • Museum/historic site/library professionals
  • Artists and those interested in using the arts in their work
  • K-12 educators

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Our Our Worksh shop Agendas as

  • Shaped by feedback
  • Facilitated by support from funders and partners
  • Consistently includes 4 components:
  • Keynote speaker – information & inspiration
  • Small group breakout sessions – examples of what’s being done
  • Informal networking
  • Feedback

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Feedback fr from Our In Initial Symposium

  • Difficult conversations/topics; Multi-narrative interpretive planning
  • Resource bank is a great idea and very needed - an internet resource site would be great!
  • A follow-up to this Symposium ASAP
  • Methods to present information in a non-confrontational way – how to begin the dialog &

continue the conversation

  • More strategies for engagement with community & various audiences
  • The mechanics of accessing historical resources in New Jersey

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From Our Fir irst Wo Workshop

  • Strategies for raising awareness about African American history and eradicating racism today
  • Teaching, curriculum, and story telling
  • Sharing articles and information on current research
  • How to use communicate about African American history through other disciplines, especially the arts.
  • Research tools
  • Organizing for social justice in context of schools, communities, and other contexts (especially through the arts)
  • Cross-curricular activities – how to support incorporating art/artistic perspectives into other spaces
  • How to deal with contemporary issues about race, not focus primarily on slavery

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Fr From Our Se Second and and Thi hird Wo Workshops

  • Have workshops more frequently
  • More time in workshops — consider two days
  • We need a conversation on White Fragility
  • Workshop on moving racial justice through political power
  • Sessions for attendee questions & dialogue on own concerns
  • Recruiting diverse volunteers, board members, stakeholders
  • Working with consultants - how to find and use them
  • The legacy - how history informs today's culture

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Wh What D Do Y You H Hope to to Get f from C Creating a a Ca Capacity-Bu Building Expe perience?

  • Learn?
  • Build?
  • Teach/Share?
  • Change?
  • Grow?
  • Reap and Sow?
  • Fulfill your mission?

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Cr Creating a Ca Capacity-Bu Building g Exper erien ence

  • Who would be your target audience and what do you know

about their current knowledge and skills and their interests?

  • What specific goals would you have for creating a capacity-

building experience with this audience?

  • What would your agenda for this experience be and what

resources would you need?

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FIN INDING COMMON THREADS IN IN CRE CREATING A A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT

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Wa Wade in the Wa Water

Wade in the water Wade in the water Children, wade in the water God’s gonna trouble the water. Who’s that host all dressed in red Wade in the water Must be the children that Moses led God’s gonna trouble the water. Wade in the water… Who’s that host all dressed in white Wade in the water Must be the children of the Israelite Oh, God’s gonna trouble the water. Wade in the water… Who’s that host all dressed in blue Wade in the water Must be the children that’s coming through God’s gonna trouble the water, yeah Wade in the water…

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Why We Start with a S Song

  • What difference do you think this can make?
  • What other “openings” might be used in other settings?

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Ta Table Work

  • Share examples of situations from your experience when

presentation or discussion about African American history was comfortable for those involved

  • Share examples when this was uncomfortable for some or all of those

involved – Who was uncomfortable? How was that discomfort displayed? What was the response of others? What was the effect on the presentation or discussion?

  • What made the difference? Was it the topic? The setting? The mix of

people involved? What people already knew, believed, or expected?

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Dy Dynamics s of Ra Race

  • What resistance or “push back” do whites presenting

information or leading discussions on difficult topics face…From white audiences? From African American audiences? From mixed audiences?

  • What about when African Americans are presenting

information or leading discussions?

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Bein ing Prepared to Engage and Respond

  • Anticipate, but don’t assume
  • Know the facts
  • Be open to questions and discussion
  • Acknowledge discomfort, don’t ignore
  • Have strategies to defuse or deflect conflict

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Beyond In Individual Preparedness

  • Institutional commitment to presenting and discussing

difficult topics – what does this look like?

  • Leadership
  • Mission & strategic plan
  • Allocation of resources
  • Benchmarks and accountability
  • Engagement and training at all levels
  • Continuity and sustainability

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More Questions & Further Dis iscussion

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Con Contact Us

  • Elaine Buck – sharon.buck@verizon.net
  • Bruce Daniels –

bdaniels@atlanticfoundation.org

  • Linda Caldwell Epps -

lce@1804consultants.net

  • Beverly Mills – bmills72@verizon.net
  • Sam Stephens – sstephens@capd.org

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