Teacher Workshops & Other Programs

Why This Matters: Stories of Slavery and its Legacies

Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site

Grade Level:: Adult Education
Subject:: Social Studies
Common Core Standards:: 11-12.RH.1, 11-12.RH.2, 11-12.RH.3, 11-12.RH.5, 11-12.RH.7, 11-12.RH.9

A Workshop for Classroom Teachers, Museum Educators, and Historic Site Interpreters

At Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works, our goal is to create greater awareness, help visitors question, and broaden their understandings of the complex history and legacy of slavery. We also aim to share stories that allow connections between the past and the lives of residents today. We understand other organizations have similar (or the same) goals and are also grappling with how best to learn, understand, teach, and interpret the whole story.

The goals of our workshop were to:

Deepen knowledge about the complex history of slavery in New England.
Learn research skills and strategies for teaching and interpreting slavery.
Make connections that reveal slavery’s impact on contemporary society.

With the goal of doing “better together,” we will offer this as an annual professional development workshop with expert scholars, teachers, and community educators. We will also be transparent about our planning and development process for others to learn from and be inspired by. This page contains most of the materials and information from the February 2020 workshop. Please email us with questions or for more infotmation.

AGENDA

9:30 AM Arrival and Welcome
Paul DePrey, Superintendent, Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites

9:45AM Introduction to Day
Maryann Zujewski, Education Specialist, Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites

10:00AM Confronting the Past: A Research Primer on New England Slavery
Dr. Jared Ross Hardesty, Western Washington University

12:00PM Lunch

1:15PM Breakout Sessions
A.“An Authentic Approach to Hard History,” Kevin Toro, Modern World & United States History, Black Student Union Advisor, Arlington High School, Massachusetts
This session seeks to address common concerns educators in any setting have when approaching "Hard History" topics such as Slavery and Racism. Through modeled teaching methods and dialogue in combination with the use of primary sources and landmark sites, participants will be introduced to an authentic pedagogy centered on promoting student engagement and empathy.

B.“Pitfalls of and Best Practices for Interpreting Slavery with Kids," Kristin Gallas, Interpreting Slavery
School programs are essential programming for most museums and historic sites, but very few are comprehensively and conscientiously interpreting slavery and its legacies. Pulling from the research for the forthcoming book, “Interpreting Slavery with Children and Teens,” this session will introduce some best practices for creating developmentally appropriate programming that will help students garner a deeper understanding of the history of slavery and its relevance to their lives today.

C. "The History of Slavery at Salem Maritime," Nora Halloran, Education Ranger, Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites
What comes to mind when you think of American slavery? What are the connections between Salem and slavery? On this walking tour, participants will examine sites and primary sources to learn about the lives of enslaved and newly freed people of African descent living in Salem during the 18th century. This tour will also examine the ties between New England merchants (like Richard & Elias Hasket Derby) and slave plantations in the West Indies.

D. “Teaching Hard History in Truth,” Alice O. Mitchell, Grade 5 Teacher, Match Community Day, Hyde Park, Massachusetts
This session will allow educators to explore how to authentically and appropriately introduce difficult truths about the history of slavery to the youngest of scholars. Using the Teaching Tolerance Framework, educators will learn two activities that can be adjusted to meet the needs of any grade level and be aligned to various academic standards.

2:30PM Confronting Slavery’s Legacies: Why This Matters
Community Panel:

Nicole Mcclain, President, North Shore Juneteenth Association Inc., Lynn, Massachusetts
Dorothy A. Clark, Editorial Services Manager, Historic New England and Board Member, Loring Greenough House (1760), Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Katrina Hobbs Everett, Co-Founder/CEO, Power of Self Education (POSE) Inc. and Co-Founder, COCO Brown, Cultural Community Center, Haverhill, Massachusetts
Jacquelynn Coles, President, Ralph F. Browne Jr. Chapter, Lifetime Member, Blacks in Government, Bedford, Massachusetts

3:30-3:45PM Wrap-up