Past is Prologue

Past is Prologue:

Re-imagining and Modernizing African American History for a Digital World

“...We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again

(And by that destiny) to perform an act

Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come,

In yours and my discharge”

“The Tempest”, William Shakespeare, Act 2, Scene 1

Social media and a heavy dependence on instant digital gratification are changing the way we consume everything. Generation Z’s on the go lifestyle does not allow for time to break down pop culture topics rooted in heavy historical precedent such as Kanye West’s assertion that “slavery was a choice” or the failure to understand why placing a young African American child in an article of clothing that states that they are the “coolest monkey in the jungle” is historically disrespectful and flawed. Because of this, they will look to the most trendy culture blogs or popular social media account for context instead of society’s most renowned textual resources or even information they have learned in high school.

This dilemma comes as a double-edged sword: African American history is not being taught inclusively within the school system and it is more convenient to turn to social media for information instead of conventional sources of information such as textbooks and other types of research texts. However, we as “Gen Z’ers” cannot resist diving into a thread on Twitter when we wish to stay in the know about what poor choices our country’s leadership has made recently. With this being said, I believe that there is a necessity to better address how to connect with young people of this generation in a language they speak and format they understand: digitally. I want to address and understand how African American history can be modernized in an ever-changing society that prioritizes digital gratification and primarily only engages in the information that appears to be appeasing on the surface. Furthermore, I seek to question the conventions of the African American History curriculum being taught in the American school system and how African American history can be presented in a medium that can be more easily engaged with.

This highly digitized society that we have merged into has modified how we occupy space, critically think about our respective environments and even show compassion for our fellow co-habitants. This new way of life is reflected in how young scholars garner an understanding of the past and apply it to their everyday interactions with society. Instagram and Twitter have become the new textbooks and Gen Z is resorting to social media platforms to teach them about current and historical events. How can we, in 2019, keep up with this digitization, especially in the field of academia? Not only is this new digital landscape evolving at such a fast pace, but the information being disseminated also supports a one-sided retelling of history.

It would be completely irresponsible to negate that slavery, specifically chattel slavery, is America’s scarlet letter. It is the backs on which this country is founded and constructed upon yet the dark and gloomy past in which white Americans love to sweep under the rug of history. In the duration of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, approximately 12.5 million slaves were imported. This mass exodus from varying countries in Africa started the genesis of 400 years of struggle, innovation, and persistent beauty in the “New World” and impacted the lives of generations. However, this is not where African American history ends and it is more extensive than any historical buzzword associated with it. African American history spans beyond the Emancipation Proclamation, Reconstruction, the Jim Crow era and most definitely beyond the Civil Rights Movement.

When asking a group of 10 individuals to associate what topics they associate African American history with, the most popular responses were slavery and the Civil Rights movement. These 2 respective yet extremely important aspects of African American history are most frequently included in American history curriculum across the United States however they are taught in a manner that paints a narrative that African American history starts and ends with these two events. This narrative prioritizes the white knowledge framework which subsequently disfranchises the opportunity to open up an alternative version of this society that fosters and normalizes a critical search for truth and humanity. The current state of the American school system has failed to teach all aspects of American history, specifically African American History, and simultaneously keep in line with the digital times. Whether this is because of the Common Core framework or other institutionalized factors, there is a dire need to decolonize the minds of young scholars and young people while exposing them to a holistic education that will allow them to become civically and socially engaged participants in society.

The push from the digital humanities front to re-configure how history and historical artifacts are consumed in this current digitized landscape is simultaneously altering our ability to communicate across a variety of mediums in a more comprehensible fashion. There is a need for shifting the current digital landscape to become more accessible and revise the current consumption of knowledge, particularly when it comes to understanding and learning about African American history. Through exploring how African American history can be re-imagined and modernized for a digital world, we must also redefine how we understand and consume knowledge while knowing that lived experiences can equally be powerful sources of information that all should have access to tap into.

Digital Resources:

“...For one, K-12 Black history can be seen as successful to the extent that students are now aware of famous Black leaders: Wineburg and Monte-Sano’s Famous American study saw 2,000 high school students name Martin Luther King Jr, Rose Parks, and Harriet Tubman as the most famous historical figures in the United States other than presidents and their wives.10 Yet the Southern Poverty Law Center’s report, Teaching the Movement 2014: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States, noted that the majority of states received grades of Ds and Fs for their approach to teaching the civil rights movement, with five states neglecting the subject all together. Additionally, other research has indicated that teachers ignore Black history and that what is taught is sometimes lethargic, too celebratory, and lacks complexity... teachers may not teach Black history as much as they should because they lack content knowledge, confidence, time, and resources, and are concerned with students’ maturity levels for approaching difficult knowledge. The general consensus, however, is that Black history should be included in the curriculum, but (as the previously mentioned debate between Hare and Harlan showed), there is concern about how and what content should be delivered. (LaGarret, King. p. 15. 2017)”

The topic of digitizing African American history and the delivery of related concepts presents the question of what exactly counts as being “digital”. For the sake of this research, digital includes anything that can be accessed on mobile devices, influences the consumption of information in interactive formats and makes the accessibility of such information easier to understand. Whether it be learning modules that encapsulate the artistic and technological advancements of the Harlem Renaissance through videos or online texts that allow for the consumer to click through visual timelines of the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, digital formats will make engaging and learning about this knowledge more entertaining and less daunting while prioritizing the true history of the events that construct African American history. Formatting history in such a manner encourages those who consume it to want to learn more about the historical topics and question what they have learned previously, how they exist and operates as a result and how they can become more engaged as a member or society moving forward and apply this newfound information to the understanding of institutions they encounter.

The main reason for digital resources being more appealing to young people is due to the instant nature of acquiring information that is most needed in an expedited amount of time. According to the Center for History and New Media, the overwhelming aversion toward a digital future is the driving force behind historians and researchers looking to digitize history. This fear of being left behind that is widely felt is interesting when learning from the past is our only way of ensuring a formidable future. Aside from making the history more accessible via digital media resources, historical transcripts and manuscripts can be made more accessible as the fragility of these documents that are hundreds of years old are now reprinted on digital pages.

There are a variety of sources that have taken the initiative and liberty to redefine how history is being displayed and more specifically, catering and tailoring African American history in a structure that prioritizes the collective Black diasporic experience and paying attention to the complexities that Black Americans have faced in America. These resources occupy the digital landscape in both physical settings as well as remote digital settings, both extremely tangible in their approach and feasible to access. This research paper will directly detail and analyze four specific sources and their efforts to reimagine and modernize African American History.

The 1619 Project:

“The goal of The 1619 Project, a major initiative from The New York Times that this issue of the magazine inaugurates, is to reframe American history by considering what it would mean to regard 1619 as our nation’s birth year. Doing so requires us to place the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are as a country. (The 1619 Project)”

In August of 2019, The 1619 project was rolled out by the New York Times via an online compilation of historical accounts and stories to commemorate the 400 years since the first slave was brought to the Americas. This was done to counteract how Slavery is presented as being the main contributions of Black Americans, serving as a prime example of how the placement of African American history can be reconstructed to satisfy the collective digital imaginative of our world today. This project was significant as it not only contributed to diversifying the perception that African American history is framed in but was also a digital compilation of stories made available online and then replicated into a physical anthology as well. This is an example of making African American history relatable through emphasizing the importance of collective shared experience while adapting to the digital world we live in and making it accessible for all.

This resource adapts to a digital format through utilizing the New York Times’ digital magazine platform, podcasts and videos to tell the history. The topics that this initiative covers includes the wealth gap, popular music, the health care system and so much more. What makes the digitization of African American history significant in this case is that it not only makes the history more accessible, but it connects the history to current events and delineates the origins of injustices in American society as a result of our dark past as a digital literary timeline. Also concerning accessibility, the New York Times offers several different universities the opportunity to give their students, faculty, and staff free access to their online site. The 1619 Project has converted all of the stories into a physical anthology that is available for purchase. They also allow people to tell their respective stories and experiences related to Black history topics. The display of these shared, lived experiences being presented in this manner provides space for people to be in control of the narrative and also serves as a space for documenting history for the sake of collective memory.

It is the hope of the collaboratives of this project that through learning about the facets of African American history in a more digitized manner, educators will be equipped to teach their students and young people and people of all ages will feel inclined to question the infrastructure of America and make strides toward the betterment of American society and then radiating outward into the world.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture:

“As the African American Community diversifies and splinters, it is crucial to find mechanisms and opportunities to maintain our sense of community. As some families lose the connection with their southern roots, it is imperative that we understand our common heritage and history. The communal nature of black life has provided substance, guidance, and comfort for generations. And though our communities are quite diverse, it is our common heritage that continues to hold us together.” (Bunch, Lonnie. “Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future The Continuing Importance of Black History Month.” The National Museum of African American History and Culture”)

In its three year history, The National Museum of African American History and Culture, or NMAAHC, has become a fortress for the preservation of Black life in its totality. From the inclusion of Black cultural aspects to historical artifacts dating back to slavery, the museum is altering the way African American is perceived tangibly. Specifically, the formation of its many exhibits curate the historical content in a way that engages the past yet incorporates a strong and reliable digital presence as well.

As the museum puts it, their mission consists of four pillars that include:

It provides an opportunity for those who are interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history through interactive exhibitions

It helps all Americans see how their stories, their histories, and their cultures are shaped and informed by global influences

It explores what it means to be an American and share how American values like resilience, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture

It serves as a place of collaboration that reaches beyond Washington, D.C. to engage new audiences and to work with the myriad of museums and educational institutions that have explored and preserved this important history well before this museum was created.

(NMAAHC. 2016.)

Within the museum is an educational space called “Explore More!” This space interacts with its visitors through a plethora of digital resources such as “The Arc,” a digital wall that showcases objects and stories from all of the exhibits in the museum and a Google 3D interactive tool that recreates artifacts present in the museum. This interactive gallery expounds upon the messages and content already present in the museum and puts visitors virtually inside history through the digitization of this content. Within the other various exhibits, there are digital elements that assist in threading together the themes they highlight while personalizing the experience to the visitor.

In addition to the on-site resources available at the museum, NMAAHC has online and remote resources available for educators, students, adults, and families. While physically visiting the museum, there is a mobile application that can be downloaded to give an augmented reality experience and take what the visitors are experiencing to another level. While exploring the museum in real-time, the mobile application allows for visitors to give reactions and reflections on what they’ve learned which redefines the idea of who has access to the history in this format and who has the ability to tell the history.

Cultivating a learning space in this format allows visitors to instantly build a connection to the history and push past the confines of their perception and start to imagine a more inclusive world that encapsulates the shared experiences of African Americans in this country. The 20 sub-topics of Black history and culture that span throughout the museum This museum includes a variance of cultural attributes that dispels the myth of Blackness being monolithic and one-sided, despite what American history tells us.

Langston League:

“Deep understanding of culture is making your scholars’ backgrounds and experiences part of their daily life through the books on the shelves, their assignments, and instructional material, as well as their interactions with educators and staff...Having well designed culturally responsive materials is integral to scholar success and performance. Our materials are laid out as a menu to empower educators, designed as a foundational set of options instead of must-dos. (Langston League, IMPACT).”

The Langston League was founded in 2016 by Erica Buddington, an educator, writer and spoken word poet based in Brooklyn, New York. The Langston League was directly founded out of her observation of how schools and organizations miss the mark when interacting with students. Her background in education where she catered to inner-city students led her to create the Langston League which allows her to meet students where they are at where in regard to their cultural backgrounds and comprehensive skill set. As a start-up, the Langston League has successfully helped educators bring culturally responsive material to various classrooms over a span of ten states in two countries.

The success of this program strictly comes via the way in which the material is packaged. In a three-step process that consists of onboarding, proposal and design phases, educators have the ability to work with the Langston League to tailor the concepts and materials in a way that fits their classroom environment. The structure of the curriculum is dependent on an understanding of historical precedent and efficiently targeting and articulating the nuances of a past rooted in African American history to create a more inclusive and progressive future by way of education in the classroom.

EverFi:

“Today, we have the opportunity to change the way that African-American history is taught in schools across the country. Stories of grit, resilience and determination should remind us all that it is as important as ever to understand and learn from the past. Through digital education, we can provide an immersive learning environment that brings the real world into the classroom. ( EverFi 306: African American History, Overview)

EverFi is a company that merges technology with education is an effort to solve real-world issues through academia in all spaces of learning whether it be the classroom or a boardroom. Founded in 2008, EverFi operates on a system of community engagement and makes this known through its learning modules, specifically the 306- African American History curriculum in a comprehensive software system. The company was started by Ray Martinez, Jon Chapman, and Thomas M. Davidson Jr. as a way to reconfigure how education is delivered and conceptualized in academic institutions and other organizations.

In the opening video giving an overview of what the curriculum aims to achieve, it is said that the 306: African American History curriculum is formulated to bring attention to untold stories that are unknown to American society while fitting into the Common Core framework. In the curriculum modules, students can integrate their learning through engaging history through interactive learning maps, digitized texts and speeches and simulated interviews that present key figures of specific historical times and correlates their struggles and stories to modern-day challenges. Through its college and career readiness structure, users of this software can critically break down how each of the concepts has contributed to our country’s infrastructure and show how the racist construction of America stunted the growth and livelihood of African Americans over time.

In 2.5 hours, the 306 curriculum teaches about African American leaders who have changed the face of American history for the better in great detail. As innovative as this curriculum is, it fails to override the narrative that the bulk of African American history starts at slavery and ends with the Civil Rights movement as African American people have continued to makes strides within the United States after the 1960s and continue to do so now in 2019. Nevertheless, this program is absolutely intentional with what they aim to teach and how they plan to enlighten young scholars as mentioned in their overview:

“From the Harlem artists collective “Group 306” to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s preferred room, number 306, in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis where he was assassinated in 1968, the term “306” represents themes of creativity, strength, grit, and determination that have characterized the African-American journey. EVERFI is committed to reawakening that journey by transforming the way that African-American history is taught in schools today. (EverFi 306: African American History, Overview)”

This method of presenting African American history is more innovative than presenting information via textbook as it targets a specific demographic of young scholars and charges them to go beyond what they’ve learned about African American history at a base level and think critically about what the material can teach them about American society and how they can train their minds to think more analytically in regard to the historical event and what it means for their own existences.

Solutions:

“The study of history requires learning about the identities of groups of people. History not only indicates where people have been, what they have been, where they are, and what they are; history also provides a blueprint for where they still must go and what they still must be.27 K-12 Black history is as important as ever as we enter a new political era that might be contentious about those principles. As was the case in the early twentieth century and the 1960s, Black history is needed to allow society to comprehend Blackness through the record of Black agency and advancement in the context of systemic notions of White supremacy and racism. Our teaching should center on how Black history improves our understanding of contemporary circumstances, and how it can stimulate us to improve our democracy. (King, LaGarret. p.17. 2017)”

If we do not have knowledge of where we came from, we will never know where we are going. Institutions who seek to seriously integrate African American history into digitized formats should always seek to fulfill the betterment of the future based off what they put into place in the present moment.

In conclusion, there is undoubtedly a need for African American history. Moreso, there is a need to make this wondrous history accessible for all people no matter the demographic. If all people took the opportunity to learn more about African American history and opened their minds to embracing and understanding the collective struggle and triumph that the history encapsulates, we would be able to truly learn from our mistakes and work toward a truly inclusive country that fully appreciates all people and their pasts.

Bibliography

“Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web.” Center for History and New Media, chnm.gmu.edu/digitalhistory/digitizing/.

“Early Childhood Education.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 12 Apr. 2019, nmaahc.si.edu/early-childhood-education.

Elliott, Mary, and Jazmine Hughes. “A Brief History of Slavery That You Didn't Learn in School.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/19/magazine/history-slavery-smithsonian.html.

Fordham. “Fordham Online Information: Academics: Research: Libraries and Collections: Bronx African American History Project.” Fordham University: The Jesuit University of New York, Fordham University, www.fordham.edu/info/25190/bronx_african_american_history_project.

Hirtle, Peter B., et al. Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitization for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Cornell University Library, 2009.

“Inside Higher Ed.” Literary Scholars Should Use Digital Humanities to Reach the Oft-Ignored 'Public' (Opinion), www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/01/29/literary-scholars-should-use-digital-humanities-reach-oft-ignored-public-opinion.

Johnson, and Jessica Marie. “Markup BodiesBlack [Life] Studies and Slavery [Death] Studies at the Digital Crossroads.” Social Text, Duke University Press, 1 Dec. 2018, read.dukeupress.edu/social-text/article/36/4%20(137)/57/137032/Markup-BodiesBlack-Life-Studies-and-Slavery-Death.

Lumb, David. “Museum of African American History Is Freely Digitizing Home Movies.” Engadget, 2017, Museum of African American History is freely digitizing home movies.

“SERVICES.” SERVICES -, www.langstonleague.org/.

Vollman, Alexandra. “Alexandra Vollman.” INSIGHT Into Diversity, 14 Aug. 2018, www.insightintodiversity.com/modernizing-the-humanities/.

King, J. LaGarrett. The Status of Black History in U.S. Schools and Society. National Council for the Social Studies, 2017. https://www.socialstudies.org/system/files/publications/articles/se_810117014.pdf

Bunch, Lonnie. “Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future The Continuing Importance of Black History Month.” National Museum of African American History and Culture, 20 Feb. 2018, nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/knowing-past-opens-door-future-continuing-importance-black-history-month.

“306: African-American History™ - Shaping Tomorrow's Leaders.” 306 AfricanAmerican History, 306.everfi.com/.