In the summer of 2020, North Andover High School teacher Brian Sheehy was approached by his students to demand an explanation as to why they were not being taught much of the history behind current events and racial tensions. This was the catalyst for a Spring 2021 workshop series organized by Essex Heritage called “Teaching Hidden Histories.”
Working with Mr. Sheehy, scholars, and community activists, in the subsequent years, Essex Heritage has offered online and in-person workshops designed to support educators in teaching lesser-known local histories of traditionally marginalized groups within the Essex National Heritage Area. These workshops gave educators a chance to talk to each other about these issues, and to hear from students themselves. We designed accompanying websites to provide access to many compiled resources on these topics, available HERE. Recordings of the workshops are available HERE.
We are continually building on these workshops and working to offer new opportunities to explore all the stories of the Heritage Area.
