Date:
Location:
The Struggle for Liberty, Equality, and Property: Examining Resistance to Exclusionary Policies Against Black People in Essex County
The history of Black People’s experiences in Essex County, MA, including enslavement, “gradual emancipation,” and hard-fought access to fundamental rights, offers a rich set of stories for our students to explore. In this workshop, we will examine how these experiences exemplify a larger history of structural racism and prejudice, but also perseverance and change. In uncovering some of these stories, we will explore how and why this history has often been hidden from view or distorted to fit more comfortable narratives, discussing implications for our students in today’s world.
Join us as we work to answer many questions about this history and its relevance today, including:
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What are some exemplary stories of Black people’s experiences in our region that highlight larger themes of exclusion and the fight for access?
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How can primary sources from the region’s past as well as contemporary voices in the local Black community inform our understanding of how to approach this topic with our students?
Speakers:
Kabria Baumgartner, Assistant Professor of American Studies, University of New Hampshire; principal investigator, The African Americans in Essex County Project
Bethany Jay, Associate Professor of History, Salem State University; co-editor, Understanding and Teaching American Slavery
Moderator: Brad Austin, Associate Professor of History, Salem State University
More details to come at TeachingEssexHistory.org
