Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission Final Performance Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission Final Performance Report Project Title: 1619: The Making of America” Project Directors - Cassandra Newby-Alexander and Eric Claville Grantee Institution - Norfolk State University and Hampton University Submission Date – December 9, 2014 1 Narrative Description The NEH-funded project, “Observing 1619,” provided the foundational support for us to host our second 1619: Making of America conference was held on September 18-19, 2014 at Norfolk State University and Hampton University. Planning this conference and accompanying programming targeting teachers has resulted in the creation of a broad-based partnership among various institutions, including the Hampton History Museum and the City of Hampton, our primary partners for 2013-2014. Moreover, our other partners included the College of Liberal Arts at Norfolk State University, Creative Services and Distance Learning at NSU, the NSU Foundation, Student Affairs at Norfolk State University, WHRO, the Fort Monroe National Monument (National Park Service), the Virginia Arts Festival Hampton University, Old Dominion University, Media Park at ODU, the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, Virginia Wesleyan College, the College of William and Mary’s Lemon Project, the Sankofa Project, the NSU Honors College, and the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence at NSU. In addition, over the past two years, the project has received funding from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission, Cox Communications, Dominion Resources, the Fort Norfolk Plaza, Bedford/ St. Martin’s Publishing, Pearson Publishing, the Fort Monroe National Monument (National Park Service), the NSU Foundation, Student Affairs at Norfolk State University, the College of Liberal Arts at Norfolk State University, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Project Accomplishments On September 18-19, 2014, the Joseph Jenkins Roberts Center for African Diaspora Studies at Norfolk State University partnered with the Civil Rights Institute at Hampton University to sponsor the third annual conference, 1619: The Making of America. Three major events occurred in 1619 that insured that the British American colonies would continue and thrive 12 years after the founding of Jamestown. Those events included the arrival of Africans to colonial North America, the founding of America’s first legislative body, the House of Burgesses, and the establishment of a viable economy based on tobacco. Preparing for the 400th anniversary, this annual conference series, which continues in September 2015, asks the important question: When did we become Americans? The conference was attended by approximately 1,000 people (with 80 who registered to attend both days; the remainder were allowed to attend sessions on a day-pass) who had an opportunity to hear experts on related topics in law, medicine, history, political science, geography, genetics, and literature. We also had teachers from Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, Richmond, and Virginia Beach. In addition, we had students from all of our partner universities attending the conference. 2 We also worked with Hidden Heritage Education to sponsor a special 3-hour credit class that included a tour of historic sites in Hampton was held for teachers who wanted a more in-depth approach. We have tailored this class so that teachers can assist us in developing lesson plans and feedback on the preliminary 1619 Teachers Guide and the conference. Currently, we are at work editing and expanding the Teachers Guide. Our preliminary Guide that was distributed to teachers, who attended the conference, is being evaluated and expanded. The class that we developed in conjunction with this conference with our partner, Hidden Heritage Education, includes teachers from the Hampton Roads and Richmond areas of Virginia. This class worked on lesson plans and short essays developed to assist teachers who want to use this information in their classrooms [see attached example]. And because many of the textbooks used by teachers do not include information about the theme “1619” in the narrative, we are collecting primary documents that will be available to teachers in the Guide that will be in print and electronic form (hosted on our 1619 website). The Teachers Guide has been included in the appendix section. We were successful in getting word disseminated about the conference through our university’s website and through our partners’ channels. We have included examples of these contacts in our appendix. Additionally, we anticipate that we will have even more notice about our conference because of expected support from Cox Communications. We have received word that Cox Communications will support additional programming in the form of Roundtable Discussions that will be filmed for distribution. We also enlisted the aid of Cox Communications, Hampton University, WHRO the local PBS affiliate, the Hampton History Museum, the Hampton Visitors' Bureau, the Fort Monroe National Monument that is part of the National Park Service, and the Virginia Arts Festival to assist us in promoting the conference, targeting teachers and the general public. Conference Highlights: 2014 CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING The advantages of the Hampton University-Norfolk State University partnership far outweighed the inconvenience of two venues separated by a 30-minute ride. This arrangement permitted the inclusion of resources and scholars from both schools; and it allowed for greater participation from the Hampton Roads community. Professor Eric Claville of the Hampton University Civil Rights Institute and his team did yeoman’s duty in their preparations. The success of this episode has confirmed our intention to continue and enhance this partnership in our future 1619 conferences. As the conference opened, attendees were treated to a riveting talk about the African Diaspora, presented by New York University professor Michael Gomez, one of the pioneers of the Diaspora approach to studying black history and culture. Following this, there were several panel discussions focusing on Native American culture, black 3 enslavement, and colonial Virginia history. Professor Lisa Brooks of Amherst University spoke about “Making Native Space in American Literature,” and later Professor Paul Finkelman of Albany Law School reprised his 2013 conference contributions with a talk on the use of religion in proslavery thought. Popular also were panel papers about ideas of racial extermination, slave funerals, Hollywood’s perception of early minorities, and “Banjos, Bluegrass, and Southern Blackness.” Our students, faculty, and guests connected especially with a session on the Diaspora of Dance, which featured Virginia Johnson, Artistic Director of the Dance Theater of Harlem, Glendola Mills-Parker, Associate Professor at Morgan State University (and formerly at Norfolk State), and Kariamu Welsh, Professor and the Department of Dance Chairperson at Boyer College of Music and Dance, Temple University. Each of the discussants was formerly a professional dancer; and Virginia Johnson has expressed an interest in a continuing relationship with our conference agendas, perhaps culminating with a commissioned dance performed by her company. Equally exciting to the participants was the presentation of California State University Professor Benjamin Bowser, who discussed the African influences on the hip-hop movement and compared this movement with the focus on Gangster Rap. New to our conference this year were the spoken word presentations and contest, which enlisted creative contributions from both college and pre-college students. In addition to sessions on teaching colonial history, our conference highlighted early foodways. Donna Gabaccia, Professor of History, University of Toronto, discussed “The Culinary Dynamics of Natives and Newcomers: Is Colonization Different?” and Harold Caldwell, African American History Interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, supported his presentation with samples of colonial foods, which were happily accepted by the audience. And our sessions culminated with an emotional performance by the Native American Dance and Drumming Corps. After two days of presentations and discussions, the 1619 conference sponsored a bus and boat tour of early historical sites in Hampton Roads. “Waterways to Freedom Tour of Historic Hampton” was extremely popular as it had the advantage of four tour guides who are authorities on local history. Additional Support Secured We were able to secure additional funding to support our expanded program from the following entities: A grant from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission Corporate support from Cox Communications a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities institutional support from Norfolk State University’s Student Activities Division (they supported lunches for our 50 volunteers who worked on Friday) Norfolk State University Foundation (supported a Friday reception for conference attendees) City of Hampton (supported a Thursday reception for conference attendees) Hidden Heritage Education Individuals, such as William E. Ward and Algie Howell 4 Conference Highlights The emphasis in 2014 was on exploring the cultural underpinnings of American society beginning in 1619. Scholars examined this from the perspective of dance, music, literature, and the culinary arts. Four special sessions—dance, foodways, Native music, and spoken word were organized that engaged the audience in understanding how three