1619’s Harvest: Stories of Resilience and Resistance Session:
In 1619, the transatlantic world was a changing world; people’s lives were being transformed by forces larger than the individual. This session will focus on examining the lives of people who lived through this transition. Using stories of resilience and resistance, activities will probe the experiences of people who began their lives as free people and analyze how they moved beyond the transitory condition of enslavement.
Event Highlights:
As part of our Title VI federal funding, the Boston University’s African Studies Center Outreach program is committed to serving K-12 teachers to promote teaching about Africa in U.S. schools. We aim to help make the work of teachers easier while also encouraging the incorporation of African Studies in every classroom. Outreach program manager Elsa Wiehe will introduce you to the resources the African Studies Center Outreach program has for you, including a library full of children’s and youth books, curriculum guides and teaching materials, professional development programming, and a Teaching Africa Teacher certificate. Retired BPS educator and master teacher Roberta Logan will lead a keynote session on 1619’s Harvest: Stories of Resilience and Resistance, highlighting the experiences and resilience of the lives of Africans who lived through the transitions that were occurring in the transatlantic world in 1619. This will be followed by a visit to the African Studies Library to hear further from head librarian Beth Restrick about the immense variety of African Studies resources available to K-12 teachers in the Boston area.
Speaker: Roberta Logan
Roberta Logan, retired Boston Public Schools educator, has been instrumental in developing courses and curricula in African American history for Primary Source, including the groundbreaking Making Freedom Sourcebook series and the Teacher’s guide for The Long Road to Justice exhibit which is installed at The Edward Brook Courthouse. While Teaching in Boston Public Schools for over thirty years, she worked collaboratively with colleagues as well as interns from Harvard University and Tufts University. Since retiring from Boston Public Schools, she has worked with educators who are at various career stages. Her appreciation of authentic voices has led to an ongoing relationship with the Africa Outreach Program at Boston University, where she co-facilitates a book group for K-12 educators.