WITNESS Teacher Resource Guide 2016-17
WITNESS: Underground Railroad
2016-2017 WITNESS SCHOOL PROGRAM TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Prepared by Joanna Cortright and Dwight Scott Edited by Kimberly D. Meisten and Robert Graham Layout and graphic design by Lora Aadalen Joshi | Aajo Design Cover photos: © Bruce Silcox
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Roxane Wallace G. Phillip Shoultz, III Melanie DeMore Vicki Olsen, Augsburg College Unisys Judy K. Bornetun Scott Vogel
ABOUT THE WITNESS TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE Thank you for your interest and participation in the VocalEssence 2016-2017 WITNESS School Program, where we celebrate the contributions of African Americans to our shared American cultural heritage. Since 1991, the annual concert theme, repertoire and performers have provided the framework for the study of cultural movements and the opportunity to learn about respected African American icons both past and present.
2016-2017 WITNESS THEME In 2016-2017, songwriter and vocal activist Melanie DeMore returns to the Twin Cities to explore Minnesota as a place of sanctuary both during the time of the Underground Railroad and for refugees today. Underground Railroad “stations” in St. Paul were successful in providing sanctuary for countless slaves who had been stowaways on riverboats or escaped from visiting slave owners and transported safely to freedom in Canada. Minnesota honors that tradition today by providing sanctuary to more than 217,000 immigrants seeking sanctuary including Hmong, Russian, Liberians, Somalis, Iraqis and Bhutanese. This year’s program will illuminate the underrepresented stories of the Underground Railroad and refugees in Minnesota, and will tie them to African American heritage through the exploration and performance of songs of liberation and freedom. The Young People’s Concerts will feature Melanie DeMore and the VocalEssence Chorus, along with singers from four Twin Cities middle and high schools.
WITNESS Artist Workshop with Timothy Berry, Folwell School, Performing Arts Magnet, Minneapolis
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PURPOSE OF THE TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE Addressing social, historical and cultural contexts, this resource guide can be used primarily in arts, language arts or social studies classes for grades 4-12. In an effort to stay current with trends in arts education and infused curriculum, we have prepared these materials in a manner that is collaborative with you. This resource guide integrates Minnesota Academic Standards and offers you a myriad of ways you can prepare students for the artist workshops and Young People’s Concert. The activities in this guide are intended as a springboard for teachers—they can be altered for different age groups, be implemented before or after the WITNESS Young People’s Concert or be a jumping off point to go deeper into a particular subject. With this said, we strongly recommend that all WITNESS partner school teachers use the lessons “The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 35 and “Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home” on p. 65. Doing these lessons first will help teachers build a common foundation of knowledge for students who are attending the concert. We also encourage you to share the handout “What You Can Expect at the WITNESS Young People’s Concert” on p. 14 with your students one week prior to the concert so that they have appropriate expectations for what they will experience as well as behavior and concert etiquette. As part of our mission at VocalEssence, not only do we “explore the interaction of voices and instruments through innovative programming of music, past and present,” we also “strive to inspire learners of all ages.” This collaboration between musicians, historians, artists, and teachers provides experiences that extend into lifelong learning. Thank you for your continued support and shared commitment to teaching and learning in our school communities. —Robert Graham VocalEssence Education Manager
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PART 1: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
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About VocalEssence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Program Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 VocalEssence WITNESS Program: A Brief History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Student Handout: What You Can Expect at the WITNESS Young People’s Concert. . . . . . . . . . . 14 Connections to Minnesota Academic Standards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PART 2: MUSIC, POWERPOINTS & VIDEOS FOR LISTENING AND VIEWING
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Annotated Track Listing of the WITNESS: Underground Railroad Companion CD . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Additional Material included on the WITNESS: Underground Railroad Companion CD . . . . . . . 24 Annotated Track Listing of the WITNESS: Underground Railroad Companion DVD. . . . . . . . . . 26
PART 3: ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES
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Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Student Handout: Meet Melanie DeMore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Script from the Melanie DeMore PowerPoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Graphic Organizer: Predict è Listen è Respond è Describe è Write. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary. . 35 Map Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Map Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Introduction to Spirituals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Spirituals Y chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Quick Write Listening Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Student Handout: “About Spirituals: A Reading for Younger Students”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Student Handout: “About Spirituals: A Reading for Older Students & Teachers” . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Graphic Organizer: Hidden Meanings in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Answer Key: Hidden Meanings in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Student Handout: “Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in Spirituals: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 -6-
An Article for Teachers and Older Students”
Songs of Hope, Sanctuary, and Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Background Information for "We Can Mend the Sky". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Listening Map for “We Can Mend the Sky”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Robert Hickman’s Legacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 “Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Underground Railroad Science Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Underground Railroad Science Worksheet Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Oral History Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Student Worksheet: Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Rights and Responsibilities . . 98 Student Worksheet Answer Key: Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Rights and Responsibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Seeking Refugee Status Role-Play Cards and Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
PART 4: WITNESS TEACHING ARTISTS: THEIR WORKSHOPS AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR THEM
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Timothy Berry: Vocalist, Composer, Percussionist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Patricia Brown: Dance Instructor, Choreographer, Performer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Brandon Commodore: Drummer, Musician, Producer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Ginger Commodore: Singer, Songwriter, Actress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Karla Nweje: Arts Educator, Dancer, Choreographer, Literary Artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 T. Mychael Rambo: Actor, Vocalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Anita Ruth: Musician. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Marciano Silva Dos Santos: Dancer, Choreographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Roxane Wallace: Performer, Dancer, Choreographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
IMAGE CREDITS/SOURCES
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PART 1: WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?
About VocalEssence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Program Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 VocalEssence WITNESS Program: A Brief History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Student Handout: What You Can Expect at the WITNESS Young People’s Concert . . 14 Connections to Minnesota Academic Standards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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ABOUT VOCALESSENCE VocalEssence champions choral music of all genres, celebrating the vocal experience through innovative concerts, commissions, and community engagement programs. As a leading Minnesota arts organization, VocalEssence uses the power of choral music to enhance our community by producing innovative vocal music events that stir people’s souls. We engage people of all ages and cultures through innovative, enticing choral music programming, such as performing e nsembles, school curricula, elder learning initiatives and advocacy projects. Called “one of the irreplaceable music ensembles of our time” by Dana Gioia, past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, VocalEssence is renowned for its innovative exploration of music for voices and instruments under the enthusiastic direction of Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Each season, VocalEssence presents an eclectic series of concerts featuring the 100-voice VocalEssence Chorus, the 32-voice professional Ensemble Singers, guest soloists and instrumentalists.
PHILIP BRUNELLE: Artistic Director and Founder, VocalEssence Philip Brunelle, artistic director and founder of VocalEssence, is an internationally renowned conductor, choral scholar and visionary. He has made his lifelong mission the promotion of the choral art in all its forms, especially rarely heard works of the past and worthwhile new music. Under his leadership, VocalEssence has commissioned more than 240 works to date. Philip has conducted symphonies (New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra among others) as well as choral festivals and operas on six continents. He is editor of two choral series for Boosey & Hawkes and chairman of the review committee for Walton Music. Philip is also Organist-Choirmaster at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis. Over the past decade Philip has been deeply involved with the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM). He served as president of the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music, held in Minneapolis in 2002. He is a Vice President of the IFCM Board and served as Executive Director for the 2014 World Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, South Korea. In 2017 Philip will produce and conduct the opening concert for the American Choral Directors national convention in Minneapolis, and he is serving as Artistic Advisor for the 2017 World Choral Symposium in Barcelona, Spain. Philip is the recipient of the Weston H. Noble Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the North Central American Choral Directors Association; the F. Melius Christiansen Lifetime Achievement Award, American Choral Directors Association-Minnesota Chapter’s highest honor; and the Michael Korn Founder’s Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art, Chorus America’s highest lifetime achievement award.
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Philip holds five honorary doctorates and has been recognized for his commitment to choral music by Norway (Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit), the United Kingdom (Honorary Member of the Order of the British Empire), Hungary (Kodály Medal), Sweden (Royal Order of the Polar Star) and Mexico (Ohtli Recognition Award).
G. PHILLIP SHOULTZ, III: Associate Conductor, VocalEssence Known for his innovative pedagogy and ability to inspire singers of all ages, G. Phillip Shoultz, III, enjoys a multifaceted career as conductor, educator, singer, and speaker. Phillip is the Associate Conductor of VocalEssence where he shares the podium with founding artistic director, and mentor, Philip Brunelle and serves as the artistic leader for education programs including WITNESS, ¡Cantaré! and the Carnegie Hall Lullaby Project. In addition to his work with VocalEssence, he serves as director of music, worship, and the arts for Good Samaritan United Methodist Church and frequently appears as throughout the U.S. as a guest clinician, adjudicator and consultant.
Phillip completed his doctoral studies in conducting at the University of Minnesota (D.M.A.) and also earned degrees with High Honors from the University of Georgia (B.A. and B.M.) and Georgia State University (M.M.). During his time in Atlanta, he served as Artistic Director to an adult community choir (Gwinnett Choral Guild) and a youth organization (Atlanta Institute for Musicianship and Singing), founding director of the Georgia Young Men’s Ensemble, a part of the Grammy Award–winning Gwinnett Young Singers, and the Assistant Director for the professional chamber choir, Coro Vocati. His work in public schools garnered school- and county-level Teacher of the Year honors on three separate occasions by different organizations. Phillip enjoys biking, boxing, and all things related to sports and food. A proud member of the VoiceCare Network, Phillip believes every person can experience great joy through singing and passionately encourages exploration of body, mind, and voice through corporate singing experiences. Phillip lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota with his wife, Michelle, and their three-year old son, Malachi.
The winner of the 2015 American Choral Directors Association Graduate Student Conducting Competition, Phillip appeared as a Conducting Fellow with the Oregon Bach Festival, Chorus America, Choral Music Experience Institute and several other summer programs. He has prepared choirs for performances in Canada, England, Finland, France, Estonia, Russia, and Germany, where most recently, he worked alongside his doctoral mentor, Kathy Saltzman Romey, to prepare the Weimar Bach Cantata Academy Choir for six performances under the baton of Helmut Rilling.
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PROGRAM TIMELINE We hope you will use this timeline as a calendar for your lesson planning. Everything below is organized so that you know what is expected of you in advance of the concert. Wherever possible, we have suggested possible date ranges for the activities. You will, however, need to choose when to do other lessons based on your own classroom schedule Saturday, September 24, 2016
Teacher Orientation Seminar, Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis
September 26, 2016-February 15, 2017
Introduce the WITNESS School Program to your students through the lesson plans “Meet Melanie DeMore” on p. 31, “The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 35 and other activities from this Teacher Resource Guide
October-November 2016
Select Teaching Artist; Planning Meeting and Artist Workshops Scheduled; Determine which activities from Teacher Resource Guide you would like to do with your students and the timeline for doing so
October 2016-April 2017
WITNESS Planning Meetings & Artist Workshops
October 2016-April 2017
All participating teachers and administrators complete workshop evaluation forms following your final Artist Workshop (note: this is not the Young People’s Concert evaluation survey)
October 2016; April-June 2017
Underground Railroad Simulations at Wilder Forest (Email Rob Graham to inquire about this opportunity)
Wednesday, February 13, 2017
Distribute the student handout “What You Can Expect at the WITNESS Young People’s Concert,” p. 14
Thursday, February 16, 2017 10:00am & 12:30pm
WITNESS Young People’s Concerts, Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium
February 17-24, 2017
All participating teachers and administrators complete Young People’s Concert Evaluation and submit bus reimbursement forms (note: this is not the Artist Workshop evaluation survey)
Sunday, February 19, 2017 4 pm
WITNESS Subscription Concert, Orchestra Hall (Teachers receive a 50% discount—for tickets, call 612.371.5656)
May 1, 2017
Final deadline for Bus Reimbursement Forms due to VocalEssence
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VOCALESSENCE WITNESS PROGRAM: A BRIEF HISTORY
WITNESS Artist Workshop with Patricia Brown, Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School, Saint Paul, MN
WITNESS Artist Workshops with Ginger Commodore, Columbia Heights High School
In 1991, we created WITNESS to celebrate the artistic contributions of African Americans to the fine arts and to our common cultural heritage. By commissioning new works and programming rarely heard works by African American composers, we help broaden ideas about African American musical expression and introduce important new voices to our audiences through concerts, recordings and radio broadcasts. Michael Abels, David Baker, Ysaye Barnwell, William Banfield, Larry Farrow, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Joseph Jennings, Bobby McFerrin, Rosephanye Powell, Patrice Rushen, Evelyn Simpson-Curenton and Alvin Singleton are some of the people who have written new works and arrangements especially for the WITNESS program. The first commission—David Baker’s WITNESS: Six Original Compositions in a Spiritual Style—inspired the name for our program. Our WITNESS concert artists have included James Earl Jones, Rita Dove, Billy Taylor, Melanie DeMore, Anthony Elliott, Patrice Rushen, Paul Shaw, Marietta Simpson and Yolanda Williams, and vocal ensembles Moore by Four, The Steele Family, Sounds of Blackness, The Fairfield Four, the Leigh Morris Chorale and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Many of the featured artists have made return appearances on other VocalEssence concerts. WITNESS has made it possible to initiate collaborations with African American artists in many disciplines. A Minnesota State Arts Board Cultural Collaborations Grant supported our partnership with St. Paul visual artist Ta-coumba Aiken whose art has become the visual representation of WITNESS on all ads and publications. Aiken’s large colorful banners provide a stunning visual backdrop for WITNESS concerts, and his artwork adorns our WITNESS Companion CD covers. WITNESS is critical for many of the students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend a professional event at a major concert hall. We believe an education and performance experience like WITNESS gives students an opportunity to learn from exceptional role models, increasing their self-esteem and creating a desire to continue exploring their own ways to express themselves through the arts.
Artist, Ta-coumba Aiken -13-
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AT THE WITNESS YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERT
Melanie DeMore
WHAT WILL I HEAR? o A variety of musical styles including songs of liberation and freedom. Listen for. . . . . . choral arrangements of spirituals, including “Wade in the Water”. What are some of the key words you notice? Why would a freedom-seeking person go in the water during their escape?
WHO WILL I SEE? Melanie DeMore, Vocal Activist
Singer-songwriter and vocal activist Melanie DeMore has a remarkable voice weaving the fibers of African American folk music with soulful ballads, spirituals and her own original music. First introduced to the traditional Gullah art of stick pounding when she performed with Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Melanie has shared this art, challenging her performers and listeners to connect with each other and the music within. VocalEssence Chorus with Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III
. . . original choral compositions by contemporary composers such as Jake Runestad’s “We Can Mend the Sky” and Rollo Dillworth’s “Harriet Tubman”. What do you recall about the young poet who wrote the text for Jake Runestad’s choral work “We Can Mend the Sky”? o Original solo and choral compositions by singer-songwriter and vocal activist Melanie DeMore, the 2017 WITNESS Guest Artist, including the "Spirituals Medley" and "Stick Sanctuary". What do you call the instrument that Melanie uses to keep the rhythm of the song? Which three spirituals are included in the "Spirituals Medley"?
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Founded by conductor Philip Brunelle in 1969, VocalEssence is a chorus that is well known around the world. People recognize them for their great voices as well as their performances of new and rarely heard songs. With help from the community, they sponsor the workshops you had or will have by WITNESS Teaching Artists. They are happy that you get to hear them perform.
Twin Cities High School and Middle School Choruses Talented singers from Franklin Middle and North High Schools in Minneapolis and Parkway Middle and Johnson High Schools in St. Paul will join the VocalEssence Chorus as this year’s guest student ensemble. This dynamic group of student singers has worked hard to prepare for today’s concert. They encourage you to join your school’s choir!
WHY SHOULD I CARE? • Music can express things that people cannot put into words alone. • All people have music in their lives, no matter where they grew up. • Singing brings people together. • Learning about people who create and perform music can help us better understand our differences and similarities.
WHERE WILL IT BE?
This year’s concert will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium in downtown Minneapolis. Just a few blocks from Orchestra Hall, the Convention Center Auditorium hosts many different types of events every year.
HOW SHOULD I ACT? When you go to the concert, concentrate on listening to the music… • Try to feel the rhythms and follow the tunes. • Listen for changes in the music—sometimes it will be very powerful and loud, and other times very soft and delicate. …also, don’t forget to watch the performers on stage... • Which instrument or voice has the main tune? • What can you tell about the music by how the performers interact with one another? ...and reflect on what you hear. • How does it make you feel? • Does it bring back certain memories? • Could you sing these songs? If you feel a little nervous because this is your first concert, that’s okay. You are not alone. Other students feel the same way, even though they may not show it. The main thing to remember is that although performers like to hear your applause, they are also grateful for your quiet attention. Remembering the following rules will help make the experience more enjoyable for everyone. Refrain from talking. The first and greatest rule. It also includes whispering during the music. If you like, tap your toes quietly inside your shoes– it’s a good exercise to reduce toe fat. Please have nothing in your mouth, besides your teeth and tongue. Gum and candy are not allowed. Do not ring or text. Leave cell phones, video games, iPods, cameras and other electronic devices at school or on the bus. Do not sigh with boredom. If you are really bored, keep it to yourself. Your neighbor just may be having a good time, which should also be kept under control. Do not embarrass your teacher or your school. Remember that you are representing your school and want to be on your best behavior. There are many eyes looking at you. Do not compete. Cheering, screaming and trying to chant a little louder than your neighbor is allowed at a basketball game, but not at the Orchestra Hall. Applause is the best way to show you have enjoyed something. (Adapted from “The Ten Rules of Concert Etiquette for Students,” by the National Association for Music Education.) -15-
CONNECTIONS TO MINNESOTA ACADEMIC STANDARDS 2016-2017 VOCALESSENCE WITNESS SCHOOL PROGRAM SUBJECT STRANDS AND STANDARDS LESSONS/LEARNING ACTIVITIES ARTS: MUSIC Music: Artistic Foundations Standard 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area.
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Standard 2: Demonstrate knowledge and use of the technical skills of the art form, integrating technology when applicable.
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Introduction to Spirituals, p. 45
Standard 3: Demonstrate understanding of the personal, social, cultural, historical contexts that influence the arts areas.
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Introduction to Spirituals, p. 45 Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs, p. 56
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Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore, p. 28 Introduction to Spirituals, p. 45 Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home, p. 65
Introduction to Spirituals, p. 45 Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs, p. 56 • Robert Hickman’s Legacy, p. 71 (applies only to extension activity)
Music: Artistic Process (Respond or Critique) Standard 1: Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations.
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Music: Artistic Process (Create or Make) Standard 1: Create or make in a variety of contexts in the arts area using the artistic foundations.
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Robert Hickman’s Legacy, p. 71 (applies only to extension activity)
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Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs, p. 56
Music: Artistic Process (Perform or Present) Standard 1: Perform or present in a variety of contexts in the arts area using the artistic foundations.
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS English Language Arts: Reading (Key Ideas and Details) Standard 1: · Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore, Read closely to determine what the text says p. 28 explicitly and to make logical inferences from · Introduction to Spirituals, p. 45 it; cite specific textual evidence when writing · Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African or speaking to support conclusions drawn from American Songs, p. 56 the text. · Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home, p. 65 · Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84 Standard 2: · Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs, p. 56
English Language Arts: Reading (Craft and Structure) · Standard 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining…connotative and figurative meanings…
Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84
English Language Arts : Writing (Text Types and Purposes) Standard 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
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Robert Hickman’s Legacy, p. 71 Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84
English Language Arts : Writing (Production and Distribution of Writing) Standard 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
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Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore, p. 28 Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84
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English Language Arts: Writing (Research to Build and Present Knowledge) Standard 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
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Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84
Standard 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources…and integrate the information…
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Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore, p. 28
English Language Arts: Speaking, Viewing, Listening and Media Literacy (Comprehension and Collaboration) · Standard 2: Integrate and evaluate information · presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
Robert Hickman’s Legacy, p. 71 Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84
SOCIAL STUDIES Social Studies: Geography (Geospatial Skills) Standard 1: People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to acquire, process, and report information within a spatial context.
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The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35
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The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35
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The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35
Social Studies: Geography (Human Systems) Standard 5: The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the earth’s surface influence human systems (cultural, economic and political systems). Social Studies: History (Historical Thinking Skills) Standard 1: Historians generally construct chronological narratives to characterize eras and explain past events and change over time.
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Social Studies: History (United States History) Standard 19: · Regional tensions around economic development, slavery, territorial expansion, and governance resulted in a civil war and a period of Reconstruction that led to the abolition of slavery, a powerful federal government, a renewed push into indigenous nations’ territory and continuing conflict over racial tensions. (Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877)
The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35
Standard 23: · The end of the Cold War, shifting geopolitical dynamics, the intensification of the global economy, and rapidly changing technologies have given renewed urgency to debates about the United States’ identity, values and role in the world. (The United States in a New Global Age: 1980— present)
Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 92
Social Studies: History (Peoples, Cultures, and Change Over Time) Standard 4: The differences and similarities of cultures around the world are attributable to their diverse origins and histories, and interactions with other cultures throughout time.
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Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 92
Standard 5: History is made by individuals acting alone and collectively to address
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The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35
Social Studies: Citizenship and Government (Civic Values and Principles of Democracy) Standard 3: The United States is based on democratic values and principles that include liberty, individual rights, justice, equality, the rule of law, limited government, common good, popular sovereignty, majority rule and minority rights.
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Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 92
Social Studies: Citizenship and Government (Rights and Responsibilities) Standard 4: · Individuals in a republic have rights, duties, and responsibilities
Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 92
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Social Studies: Citizenship and Government (Governmental Institutions and Political Processes) Standard 8: Public policy is shaped by governmental and non-governmental institutions and political processes
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Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 92
Social Studies: Citizenship and Government (Relationships of the United States to Other Nations and Organizations) Standard 12: Governments are based on different political philosophies and purposes; governments establish and maintain relationships with varied types of other governments.
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Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 92
SCIENCE Science: Nature of Science and Engineering (The Practice of Science) Standard 1: Understanding About Science
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“Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 75
Standard 2: Scientific Inquiry and Investigation
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“Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 75
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“Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 75
Science: Earth and Space Science (The Universe) Standard 3: Age, Scale and Origin of the Universe
Science: Life Science (Structure and Function in Living Systems) Standard 1: Levels and Organization
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“Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 75
Science: Life Science (Interdependence Among Living Systems) Standard 1: Ecosystems
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“Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 75
PART 2: MUSIC & VIDEOS FOR LISTENING AND VIEWING
Annotated Track Listing of the WITNESS: Underground Railroad Companion CD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Additional Material included on the WITNESS: Underground Railroad Companion CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Annotated Track Listing of the WITNESS: Underground Railroad Companion DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
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Composed/Arranged by & Date Composed CD Title Artist Traditional Spiritual arr. Melanie DeMore In the Mother House (2012) Melanie DeMore Traditional Spiritual arr. Paul T. Kwami In Bright Mansions (2003) Fisk Jubilee Singers Traditional Spiritual arr. Dale Adelmann (1988) What a Mighty God – Spirituals and Gospels for Chorus (2004) VocalEssence Ensemble Singers Conducted by Philip Brunelle Three Traditional Spirituals Front Porch Music (1997) Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
Track/Song
1. Swing Low
2. *Wade in the Water
3. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
4. *Spirituals Medley
WITNESS UNDERGROUND RAILROAD COMPANION CD
WITNESS COMPANION CD & DVD
This medley of three Underground Railroad spirituals includes “Way Over in Beulah Land”, “Wade in the Water” and “Run Mary Run”.
This a cappella rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, arranged by by Dale Adelmann, features lush harmonies and a baritone solo. See "Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs" on p. 56.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers were the foremost proponents of the traditional choral style of spiritual performance that emerged after the Civil War. This a cappella choral arrangement features a soprano solo. See “Introduction to Spirituals” on p. 45.
This arrangement of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” features the Melanie DeMore’s low vocal range and acoustic guitar. See “Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore” on p. 28.
About the Song
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American Folk Song Sweet Slumbers: Soothing Lullabies For Kids (2010) Taj Mahal, Linda Tillery, The Cultural Heritage Choir
Rollo Dilworth (2013) Ye Shall Have a Song! (2013) University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club Conducted by Dr. Eugene Rogers Music by Jake Runestad (2014) Words by Warda Mohamed World Premiere concert USF School of Music Concert Hall Master Chorale of Tampa Bay Conducted by Dr. James Bass Corinne Bach, soprano Michael Jackson (1988) Bad Michael Jackson John Legend, Common and Che Smith (2014) Selma John Legend and Common
5. Follow the Drinking Gourd
6. *Harriet Tubman
7. *We Can Mend the Sky
8. Man in the Mirror
9. *Glory
Singer-songwriter John Legend and Hip Hop artist Common wrote the text and music as the theme song for the 2014 film Selma, which portrays the 1965 Selma to Montgomery Alabama marches. This song connects the past to the present and the “Resistance is us/ That’s why Rosa sat on the bus/ That’s why we walk through Ferguson with our hands up.”
We all leave behind a legacy. This song describes how one person can strive to create their own legacy by looking within themselves and starting with the “Man in the Mirror”.
“We Can Mend the Sky” was commissioned by the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay and was premiered at the USF School of Music Concert Hall on April 26, 2014. The words include a poem, written by 14-year-old Somali immigrant, Warda Mohamed. See “Songs of Hope, Sanctuary, and Home” on p. 65.
“Harriet Tubman” by Rollo Dilworth was commissioned by the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Hill Auditorium (1913-2013), Ann Arbor, Michigan. The middle section of this piece includes an arrangement of “Go Down Moses”, a song often associated with the Underground Railroad.
This arrangement of the American folk song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” features Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir – a group that Melanie DeMore was a founding member of for 18 years. According to folklore, a similar type of song may have helped escaping slaves use the ‘drinking gourd’ (another name for the Big Dipper) to find the way north to freedom. See “Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs” on p. 56.
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Melanie DeMore Share My Song (1993) Melanie DeMore Traditional, Arr. Melanie DeMore In The Mother House (2012) Melanie DeMore, featuring Mary Watkins Library of Congress Voices from the Days of Slavery collection Uncle Bob Ledbetter, interviewee John and Ruby Lomax, interviewers (1940)
11. *Share My Song
12. Balm in Gilead
13. Slave Narrative: Excerpt from Interview with Uncle Bob Ledbetter
John Lomax interviews Uncle Bob Ledbetter, a former slave from Oil City, Louisiana. See “Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 84.
This African American spiritual is about hope and yet full of sorrow. It teaches about faith being the most important thing in the midst of great trial and strength to rise against all odds.
This song, written by Melanie DeMore, is an example of her style of songwriting and showcases the unique timbre of her voice. See “Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore” on p. 28.
This song, written by Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell, a founding member of Sweet Honey in the Rock, is about providing shelter to all others who are in need.
Produced by Artist & Date Joanna Cortright, July 2016
PowerPoint Title/Website Link
PowerPoint: Meet Melanie DeMore
Introduce students to the 2017 WITNESS Guest Artist. PowerPoint is accompanied by teacher script on p. 33. See “Meet WITNESS Guest Artists, Melanie DeMore” on p. 28
About the PowerPoint/Images
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL ON THE WITNESS UNDERGROUND RAILROAD COMPANION CD
Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell (1994) Sweet Honey in the Rock
10. Would you Harbor Me?
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Dwight Scott, July 2016
Joanna Cortright, July 2016
Dwight Scott, July 2016
Dwight Scott, July 2016
Library of Congress, Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Voices from the Days of Slavery (1940) John Lomax, Interviewer Bob Ledbetter, Interviewee Dwight Scott, July 2016
PowerPoint: The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History and Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary
PowerPoint: Robert Hickman and the Pilgrim Baptist Church
PowerPoint: “Bird in the Air!”: The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary
PowerPoint: Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary
Interview with Bob Ledbetter Transcription
PowerPoint: Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary
This PowerPoint is designed to be used during the lesson plan “Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 92 (not as a stand-alone resource)
Transcript from historian John Lomax’s interview with “Uncle” Bob Ledbetter, a former enslaved man. This interview, along with many others, was conducted as part of the Library of Congress Voices from the Days of Slavery project in 1940. See “Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 84
This PowerPoint is designed to be used during the lesson plan “Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 84 (not as a stand-alone resource)
Using text from the American folk song “Follow the Drinking Gourd”, students will consider the strategy of coded messages that enslaved people used to instruct, warn, and encourage one another in the pursuit of freedom and sanctuary. They will explore and understand the science behind these ideas. See ‘Bird in the Air!’: The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 75
Explore the rich legacy of Reverend Robert T. Hickman, former slave and founder of Minnesota’s first African American church. See “Robert Hickman’s Legacy” on p. 71
Students will cover 250 years of history regarding slavery and freedom in the United States with a spotlight on Minnesota stories. Throughout this historical journey, students will place this history in its geographical context. See “The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History and Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 35
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Yacine Ait Kaci (YAK), artist(2015) Published by the United Nations
Produced/Composed by Series/Video Title Artist & Date 90th Parallel Productions Ltd in association with Rogers Broadcasting Limited and WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto February 6, 2012 Independent Filmmaker Project of Minnesota (IFP MN) Deacon Warner, videographer and producer Annalise Lamberty, editor May 2016 Independent Filmmaker Project of Minnesota (IFP MN) Deacon Warner, videographer and producer; Annalise Lamberty, editor May 2016 Independent Filmmaker Project of Minnesota (IFP MN) Deacon Warner, videographer and producer Annalise Lamberty, editor May 2016
Video Title Website Link
1. Underground Railroad: The William Still Story – Coded Spirituals http://www.pbs.org/ video/2181639247
2. Interview with Saida Hassan
3. Interview with Sharon Harper
4. Interviews with Magnolia Yang Sao Yia and Saida Hassan
WITNESS UNDERGROUND RAILROAD COMPANION DVD
Six Illustrations from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
Students will learn about the role that oral histories play as important tools for studying the past. In this video, Twin Cities’ residents Magnolia Yang Sao Yia and Saida Hassan talk about their experiences as being refugees or the child of refugees and finding sanctuary in Minnesota. See “Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 84
Learn more about the legacy of Reverend Robert T. Hickman, founder of Pilgrim Baptist Church (Minnesota’s first African American church) from Hickman’s great-great granddaughter, Sharon Harper. See “Robert Hickman’s Legacy” on p. 71
VocalEssence and IFP MN collaborated to record the oral histories of both descendants of the Underground Railroad in Minnesota, and members of refugee communities who found sanctuary in Minnesota. This interview, led by Melanie DeMore, features Saida Hassan. See “Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home” on p. 65
Narrated by author and historian Rev. Velma Maia Thomas, this video explores some of the hidden meanings contained within the words of “Coded Spirituals”. See “Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs” on p. 56
About the Video
These images, from the illustrated edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are published by the United Nations. They are to be downloaded and used during the lesson plan “Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary” on p. 92 (not as a stand-alone resource)
PART 3: ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Student Handout: Meet Melanie DeMore. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Script from the Melanie DeMore PowerPoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Graphic Organizer: Predict è Listen è Respond è Describe è Write. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Map Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Map Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Introduction to Spirituals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Spirituals Y chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Quick Write Listening Log. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Student Handout: “About Spirituals: A Reading for Younger Students”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Student Handout: “About Spirituals: A Reading for Older Students & Teachers”. . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Graphic Organizer: Hidden Meanings in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Answer Key: Hidden Meanings in “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Student Handout: “Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in Spirituals: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 An Article for Teachers and Older Students”
Songs of Hope, Sanctuary, and Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Background Information for "We Can Mend the Sky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Listening Map for “We Can Mend the Sky”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Robert Hickman’s Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 “Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Underground Railroad Science Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Underground Railroad Science Worksheet Answer Key. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Oral History Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Student Worksheet: Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Rights and Responsibilities . . 98 Student Worksheet Answer Key: Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Rights and Responsibilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Seeking Refugee Status Role-Play Cards and Sheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 -27-
LESSON PLAN: MEET WITNESS GUEST ARTIST, MELANIE DEMORE LEARNING GOALS Students will view and read biographical resources about the artist and her musical life, predict what she will sound like after reading comments of critics and others, and finally hear her voice and describe it in their own words. MATERIALS • Copies of the biographical article, “Meet Melanie DeMore,” p. 31 • “Meet Melanie” PowerPoint from the WITNESS Companion CD and PowerPoint script for teachers p. 33 • Recordings of "Swing Low" (track # 1) and "Share My Song" (track # 11) from the WITNESS Companion CD • Copies of the Predict èListen èRespond èDescribe èWrite graphic organizer
INTRODUCTION To learn about Melanie DeMore, students will view the “Meet Melanie DeMore” PowerPoint, read a short biography, read reviews of her vocal performances, make predictions about her vocal style, and listen to her music on select recordings. They will discuss details from her life story that are significant and/or of interest to them and write a personal response to the sound and character of her voice using descriptive and figurative language. PROCESS 1. View the “Meet Melanie DeMore” PowerPoint on the WITNESS Companion CD. 2. Divide students into small groups to read the short biography. Direct them read out loud and share the reader’s role within their group. · Remaining in groups, students then discuss what they’ve learned about the artist, highlighting some of the events, experiences, and details of Melanie DeMore’s life that they find interesting or significant. (Encourage note taking as they share information and comments on her background, interesting and important events and circumstances that led to her life in music, her inspirations, and her goals as an artist.) 3. Tell students that when audiences first hear DeMore sing, they are fully captured by her voice. Read the following quotes from musicians and music critics about their thoughts and responses. Point out that they are personal opinions written by musicians, arts writers, and critics taken from blogs and print media. Pause after each and ask students to interpret the quote by paraphrasing what they think the author was communicating. Focus on the figurative language, the similes and metaphors in the quotes, and read them out loud again. What do they mean when applied to a singing voice? “When she turns her direct gaze to the audience, it feels like she was born to bring a powerful message through her songs. The combination of her gentle spirit and her deep resounding voice stopped me in my tracks.” —Barbara Price, Producer
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“When she comes your way, her energy will charge the very air you breathe like a meteor shower, so get ready to rise up!” – Sonja Heller “Melanie DeMore’s singing is thrilling. This is not a voice that comes along every day. This is WOMAN POWER WRAPPED IN VELVET.” —Ronnie Gilbert 4. Distribute the PredictèListen èRespond èDescribe èWrite graphic organizer, a step by step process for documenting their thoughts, reactions and descriptions. As they work through the organizer students will imagine and predict what her voice will sound like, listen to the recording, and finally, describe her voice in their own words using descriptive language. This activity can be an individual or a group process. · Review the quotes and write the similes and metaphors in the first box. · Write a short prediction of how you think her voice will sound based on what you know about the artist, the descriptive language in the quotes, and personal experiences with singing and singers, in the 2nd box of the organizer. Share it with another student. · Listen to the recording and determine how reality fit your prediction. How close did you come?
GLOSSARY Figurative Language: Words used by writers to produce images in readers’ minds and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways. Includes similes and metaphors. Similes: Words used to compare two things that are alike in one way. Similes use the words “like” or “as” in the comparison. Metaphor: Words or phrases ordinarily used for one thing, but applied to another in order to give a rich, clear description. The words “like” or “as” are not used in metaphors, one thing appears to be the other.
5. Play an excerpt of “Swing Low” on the WITNESS Companion CD (track # 1). Students listen and write responses to describe Melanie’s voice. Take time to compare the predictions to what they actually heard. Were they on target? Close? Was anyone surprised by the sound and what surprised them? Jot descriptions in the third box. · Listen to "Share My Song" (track # 11) and compare it to "Swing Low". Direct partners to describe what they heard and make comparisons between the two songs. They can practice how it feels to talk about timbre, pitch, dynamics, tempo, and vocal qualities. Encourage the use of many similes and metaphors. 6. Finally, ask each student to imagine they are writers for a music blog or a newspaper arts and music section. Using what they heard, their descriptions, and newly created similes and metaphors, students will write a quotable description of Melanie DeMore’s voice in the last section of the worksheet. -29-
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS ARTS: MUSIC Artistic Process: Respond or Critique Standard 1: Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: LITERACY Reading: Key Ideas and Details Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing Standard 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
RESOURCES · http://www.melaniedemore.com/ The artist’s website provides videos, photos, and stories about the artist (retrieved 7/15/16) · http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQlg-UomM8k A profile of Melanie DeMore and her work with the traditional Gullah art of stick pounding on YouTube video (retrieved 7/15/16) · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8At6uxrWas BMA Backstage spotlight of vocal activist and educator Melanie DeMore speaking on the Gullah people, culture, communication and art. Filmed at BMA Networks WCCO studios in Minneapolis (retrieved 7/15/16) · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoD98a4qtKI A mesmerizing performance DeMore’s interpretation of “Swing Low” (retrieved 7/15/16) ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS Students’ written descriptions on the graphic organizer provide evidence of musical thinking and their ability to describe a vocal performance using both musical vocabulary and figurative language. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES · Post and read reviews of local musical groups and of concerts by artists booked into the Twin Cities. Challenge students to pay attention to how reviewers use language, particularly similes and metaphors, to communicate their opinions. · Look at a map of the U.S.A. and locate the various places DeMore has lived and worked. · Students can select a singer whose voice they like, listen to a recording of a specific song, then write a review describing the artist’s voice and musical style.
FIGURES OF SPEECH – SIMILES & METAPHORS A simile compares two things that are alike in one way. To help you identify a simile, know that the words “like” or “as” are always used. A metaphor is a word or a phrase ordinarily used for one thing, applied to another in order to give a rich, clear description. It does not use the words “like” or “as,” but states that one thing appears to be the other. NOTE: Two terms, “figure of speech” and “figurative language,” might be used by students as they define the terms ‘simile’ and ‘metaphor.’ Figures of speech/figurative language are devices for expressing meaning or heightening the effect of words to help us make strong connections to the words. Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, and alliteration are some of the categories of figurative language taught in Language Arts classes. -30-
MEET MELANIE! Melanie DeMore was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City. She is the oldest child in a family of five kids and two very musical parents. Both of her parents were singers. Her father’s roots were in the South and her mother was a genuine New York City girl and the first African American musician offered a full scholarship to the prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York. Because she wanted to keep singing “her way” and not the conservatory way, she decided to decline the scholarship. Music was hardwired into family life. The morning wake-up call came when her mom waltzed into their bedrooms loudly singing “wake up, my children!!!” All the siblings made music in some way. Melanie remembers some of the sweet musical chaos that occurred when she practiced piccolo in one room while her brother marched up and down the hallway rehearsing drum beats and patterns. Growing up, Melanie heard her parents perform many times. Because her father was in the military, the family moved each time he was stationed to a new military base. One tour of duty took the family to Anchorage, Alaska. While in Anchorage, her parents started the first black theater company in Alaska. They also sang in the Anchorage Opera Chorus. Melanie remembers going to an opera rehearsal of The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan. Her mom had to point out her Dad onstage to Melanie, because she didn’t recognize him. His make-up and costume turned an African American guy into an Asian character! Melanie heard the famous American contralto, Marian Anderson, and choral conductor Robert Shaw, because her parents took her to so many rehearsals. With two professional singers as parents and music at the center of family life, it is no accident that Melanie followed a musical path. Piano lessons started when she was five, and flute, guitar and piccolo were added in middle school. Every Christmas for 14 years, she received a new instrument from her parents. She particularly remembers a mandolin, a jaw harp or Jews harp, and a recorder among the 14 instruments. Sometimes it was an instrument which she’d never seen before. Her job was to figure out how to play it.
Melanie DeMore www.melaniedemore.com
With Pounding Sticks www.melaniedemore.com
Then there is her most amazing voice. It is very low – lower than Marian Anderson’s famous contralto voice; as low the famous African American bass, Paul Robeson. But since it is produced through a female’s vocal mechanism, the timbre of Melanie’s voice is unmistakably female and incredibly mellow and velvety. In an interview, Melanie recalls a time during childhood when she was paying attention and really heard her voice. She says that she didn’t realize for a moment that it was coming from her own body. Some people describe it as possessing a magical ability to -31-
soothe crying babies and console the sick and dying; “resonant, mesmerizing, comforting, and downright jaw-dropping in its power and sensuality.” She says her voice is “a miracle.”
With the Oakland Children’s Choir http://www.melaniedemore.com/
After Alaska, her family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where Melanie continued her education. At Robert G. Cole High School in Texas, she was the student president of the Marching Band and alto soloist in the choir. As a high school musician, her piccolo playing won a gold medal in a state competition. College came next, at Incarnate Word University in San Antonio, where she earned a music degree in piano, flute, and music history. But in college, NO ONE EVER HEARD HER SING! That changed when she signed on as one of the founding members of Linda Tillery’s Cultural Heritage Choir, an ensemble that specializes in and preserves African-American roots music – music from the Gullah and other slave song traditions. Melanie sang with them for 18 years, and was the “sticker” who played the pounding stick that carried the rhythm of a song beneath the layers of voices.
With Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir http://www.dakotacooks. com/artist/linda-tillery/
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At different times in her life Melanie was a nun, a forklift operator for Sears, the head chef in an expensive Texas restaurant, an actor in residence at UT-Austin for black playwright Cheryl Hawkins, a teaching artist, folk singer, and a healing singer to the very ill. Everywhere she settles and in all the cities she visits, Melanie DeMore shares her wisdom as a singer, songwriter and agent for kindness and harmony amongst people. This is true for her solo performances, music residencies in schools and with all kinds of choirs, in hospice centers, and when she forms an “instant choir.” Her mission and gift is to take her special energy and the songs of tolerance, peace, and healing to all the people she meets along the way.
SCRIPT FROM THE MELANIE DEMORE POWERPOINT Teachers can narrate or ask students to read from the slides. TITLE
MEET MELANIE DEMORE, WITNESS GUEST ARTIST, 2017
#2
She was born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, and grew up with music. Her parents were gifted singers who passed a deep love of music down to all of their five children.
#3
Melanie began piano lesson at five, and in Middle School she played flute and guitar. Every Christmas for 14 years, she received a new instrument from her parents. She particularly remembers a mandolin, a jaw harp or Jews harp, and a recorder among the 14 instruments. Some were instruments she’d never seen before. Her job was to figure out how to play it.
#4
From New York, her family moved to Anchorage, Alaska – near the beautiful snow covered mountains.
#5
Her parents were fine singers and actors. In Anchorage, they sang in the Opera Chorus during the 1960s. The chorus sang for guest artists too. One famous artist Melanie remembers was Marian Anderson. Melanie’s mom would often take her to rehearsals. She heard all kinds of good music during those rehearsals. When her mom gave her a Simon and Garfunkel record it opened her ears to other musical styles.
#6
Next it was on to San Antonio, Texas, where Melanie finished her education. You may have guessed that Melanie’s father was in the military. Military families move many times as parents are stationed in new places.
#7
At Robert G. Cole High School in Texas, she was the student president of the Marching Band. In college in San Antonio, Texas, Melanie played in the orchestra and earned a music degree in piano, flute, and music history. BUT NOBODY IN COLLEGE EVER HEARD HER SING!
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At different times in her life Melanie has been a nun, a forklift operator for Sears, the head chef in an expensive Texas restaurant, an actor in residence at UT-Austin for black playwright, Cheryl Hawkins, a teaching artist, folk singer and healing singer to the very ill.
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Melanie’s whole body approach to music came from the 18 years she sang with Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir. The group specializes in and preserves African-American roots music – music from the Gullah and all kinds of old slave songs. One of the groups founding members, Melanie was the “sticker” – playing the pounding stick to carry a song’s rhythm.
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In 2011, Melanie DeMore sang in the 10th Anniversary Remembrance Concerts at Trinity Cathedral, New York City, in the shadow of Ground Zero.
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New York Times critic, James R. Oestreich, wrote:“That night in the big concert the singer and songwriter Melanie DeMore led the audience in singing “Amazing Grace.” You loved the communal spirit; you wished you could have heard more of a solo rendition from the soulful Ms. DeMore.”
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She believes that when you sing, you know it deep inside, and you do it from the inside out. She works endlessly to help singers bring forth the music they have deep inside.
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PREDICT è LISTEN è RESPOND è DESCRIBE è WRITE The sound of her voice is like warm melted butter. Her songwriting is steeped in the many styles of America’s rich musical tapestry. This makes her a standout.” —Linda Tillery
“When she turns her direct gaze to the audience, it feels like she was born to bring a powerful message through her songs. The combination of her gentle spirit and her deep resounding voice stopped me in my tracks.” —Barbara Price, Producer “Melanie DeMore’s singing is thrilling. This is not a voice that comes along every day. This is WOMAN POWER WRAPPED IN VELVET.” —Ronnie Gilbert “Mel’s voice is low and smooth as chocolate.” –Sadie (web review)
1. READ the comments. Make a list of the figurative language used to describe Melanie’s voice & personality. ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________
2. PREDICT what you think her voice will sound like based on other’s comments.
3. LISTEN to a recording and DESCRIBE what you actually hear in the space below.
Were any of your predictions on target? ________ 4. WRITE a quotable description of Melanie’s voice from your point of view. Use one or more figures of speech (such as similes & metaphors) to make it interesting. If you loved it, what was it that you loved? If you were not so excited, find an interesting way to express your opinion. Use the back if you need more space.
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -34-
LESSON PLAN: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN MINNESOTA: THE HISTORY & GEOGRAPHY OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY INTRODUCTION The most powerful way for students to study history is for them to realize that it is basically a series of stories – about real people, in real places, making decisions (large and small, good and bad) that cause changes to occur (in their personal life, in their community, in their country, even in the world). In this lesson, teachers take on the role of the storyteller, dramatically spinning out the tale of how the United States of America moved from the enslavement of Africans and their descendants to the abolition of that institution. As this larger story unfolds, a spotlight will be shown on four African Americans in Minnesota, whose stories will add a personal and local connection. Additionally, students will hone their geospatial skills, as they progressively map out key aspects of this history. PROCESS 1. Begin the PowerPoint slideshow, displaying the word “Sanctuary” and ask for definitions. · Tell students that they are going to learn about the great efforts that people in the past put forth to escape terrible conditions and to find sanctuary. And they are going to be mapping it all. o Give each student (or group of students, if you prefer) a Map Worksheet. o Using the PowerPoint presentation, progressively help students annotate their maps. ·
LEARNING GOALS Students will cover 250 years of history regarding slavery and freedom in the United States with a spotlight on Minnesota stories. Throughout this historical journey, students will place this history in its geographical context.
MATERIALS · PowerPoint: “The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History and Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary” on the WITNESS Companion CD · Copies of Map Worksheet, p. 43
NOTE: Present the timeline and the four life stories below as a dramatic narrative (interspersed with questions and activities). Discuss this history in present tense, as though the events are unfolding as you speak.
2. We’re going back in time now – about 400 years. What group of people in this country are living in extremely terrible conditions that they desire to escape from? · 1619: About 20 Africans, who have been taken from their home, are sold into slavery at Jamestown, Virginia. ·
MAP: Students will find Jamestown and annotate their map: “Virginia” and “Jamestown, Virginia - 1619: first Africans sold as slaves”.
·
1776: The Declaration of Independence is signed, in which the 13 colonies declare themselves to be a new nation.
·
Let’s read the Declaration’s opening words together. Do any of you think that the idea of slavery contradicts these words? How so?
Eastman Johnson (1824-1906) A Ride for Liberty – The Fugitive Slaves, ca. 1862. Brooklyn Museum
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REALITY CHECK We must be careful not to paint too simplistic a picture of Northern and Southern views about slavery and blacks leading up to the Civil War. While it is true that by 1804, all Northern states had voted to abolish slavery within their borders, the reasons for doing so involved more than morality. Economics played a key role. The cost of importing Africans had already risen tremendously before the American Revolution, which drove many Northern slave merchants out of the trade. Additionally, while the South’s economy continued to be mainly agrarian in nature, the North’s economy became increasingly more industrial. And the growing ranks of working-class whites who sought employment in the North were anti-slavery primarily because the institution put them in competition with an unpaid labor force. Military strategy was another factor in the emancipation of blacks in the North. During the American Revolution, the British enticed many slaves to join in fighting against the Americans by offering them freedom. Northern colonies, in response, also began to offer freedom to slaves in exchange for military service. Even the view that slavery should be abolished on moral grounds was not necessarily based on the belief that blacks were equal to whites. And this created a situation in which the North’s efforts to tear down the institution of slavery was not commensurate with a corresponding effort to build up those who had been victims of that institution, whether economically, socially, educationally, legally, or otherwise.
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3. Soon people begin to see this contradiction: · 1777: Vermont, independent from the 13 original colonies, drafts a constitution that abolishes slavery within its borders. (Not until 1791 does Vermont become the 14th State.) As years go by, other New England states also abolish slavery. ·
MAP: Students will find Vermont and annotate their map: “Vermont – 1777: abolishes slavery”.
·
1803: The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France.
·
1820: The Missouri Compromise forbids slavery in the new territory north of Missouri’s southern border; but Missouri is admitted to the Union as a “slave” state. And Maine is admitted as a “free” state.
·
MAP: Students will draw a line along the southern borders of Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, and annotate their map: “Kentucky”, “Missouri”, “Maine”, and “1820: Missouri Compromise.”
4. By 1820, where in the country does slavery continue to exist? · What do many slaves desire to do? ·
1831: The methods used to gain freedom and help others to do so begin to be called the “Underground Railroad” o Explain that the “Underground Railroad” was not literally a subterranean system of rail transportation but was a metaphor for the secret efforts that blacks employed to escape from their enslaved condition and that both blacks and whites used to help convey freedom-seekers from the South to the North. o Did people try to escape slavery before 1831? o Why was it not until 1831 that this term was used? [Before this time, the literal railroad didn’t exist!]
5. DRED SCOTT · Dred Scott is born into slavery in Virginia around 1800. (His year of birth is not known with certainty.) He is taken to Alabama, and then to St. Louis, Missouri, where he is sold to an army surgeon named John Emerson. ·
Emerson brings Scott to Fort Armstrong in Illinois and then, in 1837, to Fort Snelling (then in Wisconsin Territory). There, he meets and marries an enslaved woman named Harriet Robinson.
·
1846: After moving to Missouri, Scott is hired out to others and is allowed to save money for himself. He tries to purchase his family’s freedom, but his offer is refused; so he files a legal suit for his freedom.
·
MAP: Students will map Scott’s general route from Virginia to Alabama to Missouri to Illinois to Fort Snelling and back to Missouri, and annotate their map: “Alabama”, “Illinois”, “Fort Snelling”, and “Dred Scott’s Journey”.
·
From what you have just drawn on your map, what do you think Scott’s argument is for why the court should free him? [The years he spent in free states and territories.]
·
His case goes from court to court to, finally, the United States Supreme Court. Stay tuned for their decision…
6. Tension over slavery rises! · 1849: Minnesota becomes a territory ·
1850: The second Fugitive Slave Law is enacted o Show a portion of the law and discuss how it made the act of seeking sanctuary even harder. o Is it still enough for a freedom seeker simply to get to a northern State? o MAP: Students will find Canada and annotate their map: “Canada”.
A photograph of Dred Scott, taken around the time of his court case in 1857
JOSEPH FARR · Joseph Farr is born free in Washington, D.C. in 1832. ·
1850: He arrives in Saint Paul and goes to work for his uncle, William Taylor, who has a barber shop at Minnesota and Third (later Kellogg Blvd.) Streets. His house is across the street on Third.
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Describe how their Underground Railroad system works. [See the article “Joseph Farr Remembers the Underground Railroad in St. Paul”. The Internet address can be found in the Resources Section.] o “Agent”: James Garrett Johnson (in Galena, Illinois) o “Conductor”: Eugene Berry (aboard the steamship Dr. Franklin) o “Stations”: William Taylor’s and Mr. Fournier’s houses o “Station Masters”: Taylor, Farr, David Edwards, James Highwarden, and Mr. Fournier
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1852: Relate Farr’s story about a young lady, disguised as a man, who escapes from her master in Galena, Illinois, flees to St. Paul, is brought to Taylor, taken out to the White Bear area, then to Chicago, and finally to Canada.
·
MAP: Students will map her general route along the Underground Railroad, based on Farr’s story and annotate their map: “Minnesota” and “1852: a freedom seeker’s journey”.
·
Farr, his uncle, and friends not only help enslaved men and
Drawing of Farr in a St. Paul Pioneer Press article, May 5, 1895
From a photograph of a nanny in the South -37-
women who flee from their masters to St. Paul, they also help those who are brought by their masters to St. Paul. o Wealthy southerners, on vacation during the summer, bring slaves with them to tend to their needs. o They stay at the International Hotel in St. Paul and Winslow House in St. Anthony. o Farr and the others find ways to approach the enslaved ones and help them make plans for escape. ·
Is Minnesota a free territory or slave territory in the early 1850s? Why are southerners allowed to bring slaves with them to Minnesota? [Tourism! … Money!]
8. Tension over slavery rises … and rises! · 1857: Do you think the Supreme Court decides that Dred Scott should be free or remain a slave? … It ruled against him! The Court’s decision was that no slave, ex-slave, or descendent of slaves can become a citizen and has no rights that deserve respect; and the Government cannot make slavery illegal in the territories. ·
1858: o Abraham Lincoln, after being chosen as the Senate candidate for Illinois by the new anti-slavery Republican party, delivers a speech in which he comments on the growing tension in the nation. He says: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” [He loses in that election.] o Minnesota becomes the 32nd State.
9. ELIZA WINSTON · Eliza Winston is born into slavery in 1830. She is first owned by a Mr. McLemore, then sold to his son-in-law, Mr. Gholson, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. ·
Gholson falls into debt and pawns Eliza off for $800 to Colonel Richard Christmas, a wealthy plantation owner from Mississippi.
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1860: Christmas arrives in Minnesota with his wife and Eliza; he rents a cottage on Lake Harriet.
·
MAP: Students will map Winston’s general route from Tennessee to Mississippi to Minnesota and annotate their map: “Tennessee”, “Mississippi”, and “1860: Eliza Winston’s Journey”.
·
With the help of Emily Goodridge Grey, a free black seamstress, and Frances Cornell, a white lawyer, Winston sues for her freedom in the Hennepin County Courthouse at Fourth Street and Eighth (later Chicago) Avenue. o Christmas’ lawyer argues that, based on the Dred Scott decision, Winston is not entitled to freedom. o Cornell reads from Minnesota’s constitution: “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the state.” o Do you think the judge rules that Eliza should be free or remain a slave? o Judge Charles E. Vanderburgh rules in Winston’s favor!
·
Many local courts in the North are ignoring the Supreme Court’s ruling and granting fugitive slaves their freedom.
10. Tension over slavery rises … and rises … and rises! · 1860: Abraham Lincoln is elected President. ·
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1861: o 11 southern states, feeling that the Government will violate their right to keep slavery, secede from the Union. o The Civil War begins on April 12th.
11. Lincoln’s description of the nation as a “house divided” is exactly what it has become. · 11 Confederate States | 15 Slave States | 19 Free States | 23 Union States 12. Do the Math: · How many states are there in 1861? (34) · MAP: Students will draw slash marks on Union States and back-slash marks on Slave States and annotate their map: “/ = Union States” [and abbreviations of those states]; “\ = Slave States ” [and abbreviations of those states]. They will discover that some states are in the Union but are also slave states. o How many states fall under their own category? (4) Which states? (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri) o These are Border States. [Slave States that don’t secede from the Union] o Students will annotate their maps: “Border States”. 13. ROBERT T. HICKMAN · Robert Hickman is born into slavery in Boone County, Missouri in 1831. He learns to read and write from his master and takes on the role of pastor among the other slaves. ·
1863: o Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation, which declares that anyone enslaved in a Confederate State is free. o Hickman leads a group of 75 enslaved people in their escape north. What general route do you think they take they take? Here’s a hint: they make a raft. . . They travel up the Mississippi River, arriving in St. Paul on May 5.
Robert Hickman, photograph, ca. 1877, Minnesota Historical Society
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A second group escapes and arrives ten days later.
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Hickman’s group, calling themselves “pilgrims”, form a congregation.
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1866: Pilgrim Baptist Church is formally established, becoming Minnesota’s first African American church.
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MAP: Students will map a general route for Hickman’s journey, from Boone County, Missouri, and up the Mississippi River to St. Paul and annotate their map: “Robert Hickman’s Journey”.
For more information on Robert Hickman, see the lesson plan “Robert Hickman’s Legacy” on pp. 71-74
14. Free at last! · 1865: o The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolishes slavery throughout the country. o The Civil War ends on April 9th. ·
1868: The Fourteenth Amendment grants citizenship to all persons born in the United States.
·
Conclusion: o Well, we’re going to leave the 1800s and return to our time. Can you believe it? . . . We just journeyed through 250 years of United States history! o Who will tell us something they learned that they never knew before?
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GLOSSARY Sanctuary:
a place (or feeling) that provides (literally or a sense of) shelter, well-being, protection, or safety
Slave:
a person who is bought, sold, owned, or in some other way, forcefully controlled by another person
Annotate:
to make or add explanatory notes or comments
Abolish:
to completely put an end to (something)
Compromise:
an agreement in which each side gives up some demand in order to end an argument
Territory:
a geographic area belonging to or under the control of the United States that is not part of a state but has its own system of government
U.S. Supreme Court:
the highest court of law in the United States
Fugitive:
running away or trying to run away to avoid being captured; the person who is running away
Agent (UGRR):
a person who plans and organizes the way of escape
Conductor (UGRR):
a person who leads escaping slaves along the route to safety
Station (UGRR):
a place of safety and protection (for example, a house, church, business, etc.)
Station Master (UGRR): the owner or caretaker of a place of safety Tourism:
the business of encouraging people to travel for pleasure and serving such traveling
Pawn:
to leave property with someone in order to borrow money from that person, with the agreement that if you do not pay back the loan, the person becomes the owner of that property
Constitution:
the basic laws of a nation or state that establish the powers and duties of the government and the rights of the people
Secede:
to separate from a nation or state and become independent
Union:
The United States; the group of states that supported the federal government during the American Civil War
Emancipation:
to free (someone) from someone else’s power or control
Proclamation:
an official statement or announcement made by a government or a person in power
Plantation:
a large area of land (especially in hot regions of the world) where crops are grown
Pastor:
a minister or priest in charge of a church
Pilgrim:
someone who travels (such as to a foreign land or a holy place of worship)
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RESOURCES Slavery: · Slavery and the Making of America [Timeline], PBS http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/timeline/index.html · Harper, Douglas. Slavery in the North: Northern Emancipation http://slavenorth.com/emancipation.htm
If you do not teach social studies, consider collaborating with your colleagues who do!
Dred Scott: · Missouri’s Dred Scott Case, 1846-1857, Missouri State Archives https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/africanamerican/scott/scott.asp · Dred Scott Heritage Foundation http://www.thedredscottfoundation.org/dshf/ · Revised Dred Scott Case Collection, Washington University (St. Louis, MO) http://digital.wustl.edu/d/dre/index.html Joseph Farr: · Swanson, Deborah (Ed.). Joseph Farr Remembers the Underground Railroad in St. Paul. Minnesota History, Fall, 2000. MNHS Press http://collections.mnhs.org/mnhistorymagazine/articles/57/v57i03p123-129.pdf Eliza Winston: · Green, William D., Eliza Winston and the Politics of Freedom in Minnesota, Minnesota History, Fall, 2000. MNHS Press http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/57/v57i03p106-122.pdf · Eliza Winston’s deposition [Transcription], Minnesota Communities, MNHS http://www.mnhs.org/school/online/communities/milestones/ABOdoc2T_transcript.php Robert Hickman: · Wilson, Cynthia, Robert T. Hickman (1831-1900), Blackpast.org http://www.blackpast.org/aah/hickman-robert-t-1831-1900 · Pilgrim’s History, Pilgrim Baptist Church http://pilgrimbaptistchurch.org/about/history/ · French, Rose, Minnesota’s Oldest Black Church Pilgrim Baptist marks 150 years of praise, Star Tribune, June 16, 2013 http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-s-oldest-black-church-marks-150-years-ofpraise/211702161/ Underground Railroad: · National Geographic Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom http://nationalgeographic.org/media/underground-railroad-journey-freedom/ · National Park Service: Network to Freedom https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ugrr/index.htm · National Park Service: Teaching with Historic Places (National Register of Historic Places) https://www.nps.gov/subjects/teachingwithhistoricplaces/index.htm · Brown, Curt. “Following in the Tracks of the Underground Railroad”, Star Tribune, January 9, 2016 http://www.startribune.com/following-tracks-of-minnesota-s-underground-railroad/364747191/
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ASSESSMENT SUGGESTION Students will complete and turn in the Map Worksheet.
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS Social Studies: Geography (Geospatial Skills)
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES · Play the Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom Game (National Geographic) http://nationalgeographic. org/media/underground-railroad-journey-freedom/ · Explore the National Park Service’s digital Underground Railroad map https://www.nps.gov/subjects/ugrr/ discover_history/underground_ map.htm
Standard 1: People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to acquire, process and report information within a spatial context. Social Studies: Geography (Human Systems) Standard 5: The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the earth’s surface influence human systems (cultural, economic and political). Social Studies: History (Historical Thinking Skills) Standard 1: Historians generally construct chronological narratives to characterize eras and explain past events and change over time. Social Studies: Peoples, Cultures and Change Over Time Standard 5: History is made by individuals acting alone and collectively to address problems in their communities, state, nation and world. Social Studies: United States History Standard 19: Regional tensions around economic development, slavery, territorial expansion, and governance resulted in a civil war and a period of Reconstruction that led to the abolition of slavery, a more powerful federal government, a renewed push into indigenous nations’ territory and continuing conflict over racial relations (Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877)
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Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -43-
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -44-
LESSON PLAN: INTRODUCTION TO SPIRITUALS LEARNING GOALS Students will summarize their prior knowledge about spirituals, then expand their knowledge and understanding through reading, discussion, listening and responding, and describing a performance by the historically significant Fisk Jubilee Singers. Prior knowledge and new learning will be documented on a Y chart.
MATERIALS · Large Y chart displayed electronically or on the board, or copies for smaller group work, p. 49 · Copies of the Listening Log graphic organizer, p. 50 · The reading “About Spirituals,” hard copies or posted on the class web page. There are two versions; one for older and one for younger students. · Recording of "Wade in the Water" by the Fisk Jubilee Singers from the WITNESS Companion CD (track # 2)
INTRODUCTION Historically, spirituals have been described and defined in many ways. They were the… songs of liberation and freedom… songs that provided the strength to carry on… songs of solace… of rebellion…and of hope. Spirituals endure just as the people endured. Today their legacy is woven into the fabric of American music. Sung in churches, choral concerts and community singalongs, arranged for bands and orchestras, featured in media, and a part of school curricula, spirituals are never far from our ears, hearts, and minds. But few of us have more than an inkling of the deep and compelling story embedded in spirituals. To prepare for the WITNESS Young People’s Concert, students will focus their attention on the spirituals and comprehend some of the reasons why they have survived the passing of time. PROCESS 1. Before asking students what they already know about spirituals, provide context for the inquiry. In your own words tell students about the WITNESS 2017 themes and events: · WITNESS 2017 will explore Minnesota’s role as a destination and sanctuary during the era of the Underground Railroad. Spirituals related to the Underground Railroad enhance our understanding of the era. Parallels to 20th and 21st century immigration and refugee experiences will also be investigated. · Events include in-school workshops with teaching artists from the VocalEssence WITNESS School Program and a WITNESS Young People’s Concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center with Melanie DeMore, VocalEssence singers, and singers from four Minneapolis and St. Paul middle and high schools. 2. Initiate a discussion about spirituals in relation to the Underground Railroad. What do students know/remember about the songs? Collect this information on a Y chart. Use a large chart for a whole class activity, or individual copies of p. 49. · Write the words ‘SPIRITUALS’ in the center of the Y chart and ask students to reflect and respond with what they know about the genre. Write responses in the top section of the chart. They can also name specific song titles they know. · After exhausting their responses, read the contents of the “K” section out loud. Ask if they have questions or other things they want to know and add them to the “W” section of the chart. -45-
3. Read the version of the article, “About Spirituals,” appropriate for your students. For older students, consider making it a homework assignment. Younger students can read an article in class. Tell them to look for new information, ideas, and insights to expand what they already know about spirituals. · After reading, ask students to talk to a partner about something new they noticed or learned. · Reconvene and ask for new ideas/facts/ information to add to the third section of the chart. · Ask if there are other things students want to know or new questions they now have. Add them to the chart. 4. Listen to "Wade in the Water" sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers coupled with a quick write activity using a Listening Log. Tell students that actively listening and responding to music is a good way to learn more, but they must work to process the sound as the music plays. · Review the tasks outlined in the Listening Log. Students will listen and describe in writing what they notice in the music. Urge them to search for and write down multiple details. · Tell them it is okay to speculate, use both musical and non-musical terms, and to sketch or diagram a response. · Play the recording twice as students write. Then discuss comments as a class to share information and insights. Make additions to the Y chart based on the discussion. 5. Review the entries on the Y chart and ask students to make summary statements about what they’ve learned. The summaries should be noted in the third section of the Y chart.
Negro Spirituals, Triple Middle Passage Harvey Johnson, African American poet & artist
SPIRITUALS are often referred to as Negro Spirituals amongst musicians and historical writers and researchers. It is an historically appropriate label for this time period, but not one that sits well in the 21st Century. Negro is the Spanish word for the color black. If you use the term, please provide some context. GLOSSARY Beat: The underlying pulse of music Call & Response: Musical form where a pattern is established between a musician who sings or plays a phrase (the call), is answered by another musician or group (the response) Cantata: A musical work featuring singers and instruments; usually has several movements and often features a religious subject Legacy: Something handed down from the past by an individual ancestor, a family, or a group of people; an achievement benefiting others that continues to exist even after death Oral Tradition: Handed down by word of mouth; not written down, but passed to others through doing Patterns in music: Repeating set of rhythmic sounds or melodic pitches; occur often enough to be detected
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ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS The Y chart organizer provides informal evidence for assessing the classes’ cumulative knowledge about spirituals. Individual listening logs provides evidence of a student’s ability to identify and process the musical content, elements and characteristics of spirituals as well their proficiency in using appropriate musical and non-musical vocabulary in writing about music. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES · Make copies of the Music History Tree on p. 55 and trace the musical roots beginning in Africa, to the spirituals, to today’s musical styles and genres. Initiate a project where students in small groups can investigate one of the musical styles that grew out of spirituals, work songs, shouts and hollers. · Visit the website, http://media.knowitall.org/series/gullah-net to view videos and sound files that help teachers introduce children to the evolution of African music in America through Gullah history and culture. The characters, Aunt Pearlie Sue and her sidekick stick Reverend Leroy, lead a musical listening and learning activities relating how African music influenced many styles of music in America. Especially appropriate for younger students.
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS MUSIC: Artistic Foundations Standard 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area Standard 2: Demonstrate knowledge and use of the technical skills of the art form, integrating technology when applicable Standard 3: Demonstrate understanding of the personal, social, cultural, historical contexts that influence the arts areas
MUSIC: Artistic Process: Respond or Critique
Standard 1: Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations
READING: Key Ideas and Details
Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
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RESOURCES Books for Teachers The Music of Black Americans: A History, (1997, 3rd edition) by Eileen Southern. A classic history that chronicles the development of African American music, from the arrival of the first Africans at the English colonies in 1619 to the present. College text. African American Music: An Introduction (2015, second edition) by Mellonee V. Burnim & Portia K. Maultsby. A collection of seventeen essays surveying major African American musical genres, sacred and secular, from slavery to the present day. Essays are based on ethnographic research by leading scholars in this field. Includes a CD of musical examples. No Man Can Hinder Me: The Journey from Slavery to Emancipation through Song (2001) by Velma Maia Thomas. Thomas is an author, musician, historian, and ordained minister. The book uses text, historical quotes, personal accounts, images, and songs to capture and write about the emotions felt by enslaved Africans and those newly freed. Includes a CD. Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals (1993) by Arthur Jones. Jones, a psychologist and musician, writes passionately about how spirituals embody and reveal the values and traditions of African Americans, particularly in human relationships, community, hope and consolation. It explores the roots of spirituals, their use in daily life, and their role in building African American solidarity. Includes good indices of song titles and people. Books for Students Give Me Wings: How a Choir of Former Slaves Took on the World (2015) by Kathy Lowinger. Biographical fiction about Ella Sheppard. Born as a slave, her family bought their freedom and moved to Ohio where slavery was illegal. There Ella was able to attend school. When her school, the Fisk Free Colored School, ran out of money and was on the brink of closure, Ella became a founding member of their traveling choir, the Jubilee Singers. Middle School and up. Slave Spirituals and the Jubilee Singers (2001) by Michael Cooper. An illustrated history of spirituals and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Many archival prints and photographs. The book is still available, both as a new and used volume, via the internet (ex: Amazon). Good resource for teachers and middle school students. Websites http://www.negrospirituals.com/history.htm Official site of Negro Spirituals. Includes songs, history, and related information. Retrieved 7/5/16. Past VocalEssence Teacher Resource Guides VocalEssence WITNESS African American Spirituals Teacher Resource Guide (2010-2011) VocalEssence WITNESS Let Freedom Ring Teacher Resource Guide (2014-2015)
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Y-CHART Use the Y chart to record your thoughts and knowledge of spirituals. At the top, write what you already know about spirituals. On the left side, make a list of questions you have – either before or after reading the article and listening to the music. And on the right, make a list of facts you learned from reading, listening, and class discussion.
What do we already Know?
Spirituals
What else do we want to know? What are we curious about?
What new things did we Learn?
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -49-
QUICK WRITE LISTENING LOG Listen closely to a performance of "Wade in the Water" and describe what you hear. Focus on…
What I Noticed
Voice(s): - Are they children or adults? - One or more than one? - Male or female? Music: - Is the tempo (speed) fast, slow, in between? - Does it ever change? - What dynamics do you hear? Mostly loud? Soft? - Do the dynamics change? Instruments: - Are there instruments? - If so, what are they? Words/the lyrics: - What are the key words? - What ideas and feelings are they expressing? Place: - Where do you think this song is being performed? - Make a list of places where you might hear it in a live performance. Write a two sentence description of this spiritual using the information above as well as ideas from the Y chart.
Optional or Additional Response: Turn this page over and draw or sketch your interpretation of the song title and content. What does “Wade in the Water” look like to you? Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -50-
ABOUT SPIRITUALS A READING FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS Enslaved Africans had to attend their owner’s church. They had no choice. When they went to church, they were still and quiet. But sometimes they were able to sneak away and meet in the fields or in small, hidden houses. There everything was different, including the music. They were able to carry on their own traditions of worship and praise. The songs sounded like music from their homes in Africa. Enslaved people started to connect their African heritage to Christianity. And they made up new songs. The songs were called spirituals. They were a way for people to tell about their deep sadness for lost traditions, homelands, and loved ones. Spirituals were also a powerful way to express the pain of living in slavery. People sang about escaping to freedom in the North – or to freedom through death. And they sang secret information to each other. Spirituals told the stories from the Bible and helped people worship together. They were also about everyday concerns, and about the joy people experienced even though they had lives filled with challenges. Though each spiritual is different, they have some things in common: · Created by enslaved Africans or African Americans · Passed down from one person to another · Usually sung without instruments · Often sung with body percussion · Originally sung without harmony · Call and response patterns where a group of voices ‘answers’ the ‘call’ of the lead singer · Slow tempo unless it is a jubilee song · Songs that alternate between verses and a refrain
The Fisk Jubilee Singers from Fisk University. They organized shortly after the end of the Civil War, going on tour to raise money for their struggling college.
SORROW SONGS AND JUBILEES ARE TWO TYPES OF SPIRITUALS. Sorrow songs: · Are about suffering and loss · Are often about a search for refuge, freedom, or death · Sung in a slow tempo Jubilee songs: · Have a faster tempo · Are about freedom and optimism · Often have syncopated rhythm patterns
LEGACY OF SPIRITUALS Much like the roots and trunk of a tree that grows numerous branches, spirituals are the “roots” of many other styles of music. The blues, ragtime, jazz, gospel song, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n roll, soul music, rap, and hip-hop are all connected to spirituals.
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ABOUT SPIRITUALS A READING FOR OLDER STUDENTS & TEACHERS “The music of these songs goes to the heart because it comes from the heart.” -Booker T. Washington, former slave and founder of the Tuskegee Institute
Spirituals are a unique African American music rooted deeply in African tradition. In African culture, music and dance were daily activities, woven into all facets of life. Songs expressed the people’s deep connections to their living brothers and sisters, to their ancestors, and to the divine spiritual forces. Music and dance were as essential to life as were food and water. When Africans were forcibly enslaved, they brought this rich musical heritage with them. Booker T. Washington
The spirituals contained two key elements of African music; the call and response structure, and the rhythmic complexity of the music. Call and response refers to the manner in which a single voice begins a musical phrase, and a group of voices respond together. This structure of solo voice answered by other voices has persisted through all kinds of twentieth and twenty-first century American musical forms such as the blues, jazz, gospel and hip-hop.
Frederick Douglas (? – 1895) “A keen observer might have detected in our repeated singing of ‘O Canaan, sweet Canaan, I am bound for the land of Canaan,’ something more than the hope of reaching heaven. We meant to reach the North, and the North was our Canaan.” –My Bondage, My Freedom (1855) by Frederick Douglass, escaped slave and American abolitionist
The rhythmic character of the music is marked by the complex weaving together of multiple rhythmic patterns over a basic beat. These rhythmic patterns over the beat change frequently as the players improvise new rhythms. During slavery both the beat and rhythm patterns were made by foot stomping and hand clapping because drums and other percussion instruments were banned by slave owners. But the ban never did eliminate the important rhythmic foundation of the music. The importance of the rhythmic element continued through the twentieth and twenty-first century American music and is evident today in the many genres that grew from early African American music. Overtime, these African musical elements began to join with themes and stories from Christianity, the religion of slave owners that was eventually adopted by enslaved Africans. The language of the spirituals, English, also reflected the adaptations made by enslaved Africans to African Americans. Through spirituals the people were able to express their community solidarity and vision of freedom while they protested the condition of slavery. The songs were a source of inspiration and comfort. Sometimes these songs even served the purpose of assisting others to secure freedom through the use of coded messages offering escape routes or tips, such as “Wade in the Water” to avoid capture by scent-sniffing dogs.
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When slavery was abolished (1863) and the Civil War ended (1865), the number of spirituals in existence was well into the thousands. As is typical of folk music, spirituals were passed down by oral tradition and were generally not recorded in written form. As a result, they were easily adapted to the changing situations of performers. As freedmen and women transitioned to life after slavery, spirituals continued as a way to provide solace and inspiration. Lyrics to the songs of slavery were updated to reflect struggles and hopes related to Reconstruction and new ways to make a living working, perhaps working on the railroad, or in the fields as sharecroppers. But while spirituals remained a part of the post slavery lives of African Americans, most white Americans were not familiar with this music. Those who were considered it unimportant and not fit for serious study or performance. This attitude did not change until an African American college choir looking for a way to raise money to save their school began performing spirituals for white audiences. The students were from Fisk University, established in Nashville, Tennessee, shortly after the Civil War to provide a liberal arts education to African Americans. Within a few years of opening its doors, Fisk was dealing with mounting debts. In 1871, George White, Fisk’s music professor and treasurer, assembled a choir of nine students and embarked on a tour to raise funds for the struggling school. Their repertoire included hymns, cantatas, popular ballads of the day, and most notably, spirituals. To publicly perform the sacred music of the slaves for white audiences was unheard of in those times. Initially the Jubilee Singers were met with curiosity and surprise, as well as suspicion, hostility, and dismissal. As the tour progressed, interest in the choir and its performances of spirituals began to grow. In just five months they raised $40,000 and earned a reputation as distinguished performers of their uniquely American music. Within seven years, $150,000 had been raised, which went towards the construction of a new building on campus. It was aptly named Jubilee Hall. Fisk University and its Jubilee Singers were both secure and had a future. The Fisk Jubilee Singers played a pivotal role in the preservation and popularization of spirituals. They were among the first to share the music of their ancestors with the wider world, and their performances helped secure a prominent place for spirituals in American music. Other black colleges, and later professional singing groups, began performing spirituals to eager audiences across the globe. Just a year after Fisk, Hampton Institute in Virginia and the Fairfield Normal Institute in South Carolina created choral groups that also successfully toured and raised funds for their financially struggling schools. Interest in spirituals again increased during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s, when attention was focused on the artistic, literary and intellectual creations by Harlem’s African Americans. Renowned musicians such as Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson breathed new life into spirituals during this time. Perhaps the strongest revival of this music, however, occurred during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Songs used at protests and marches were often spirituals. Activists sung them either using lyrics from the time of slavery, or updating the lyrics to reflect the battles they were waging against discriminatory Jim Crow laws. The power of spirituals to express and elicit human emotions and to help people cope with hard times allows this rich musical genre to remain relevant today. In 2015, protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement sang “Wade in the Water” at a Denver march, echoing the same sentiments sung by some of their ancestors two hundred years earlier. The style and messages of the spirituals continue to influence those living today and will likely influence artists, freedom-seekers, and everyday people for many generations to come. They are now embedded into the heart and soul of the United States. -53-
EXAMPLE OF SORROW SONG— “LORD, HOW COME ME HERE?” “Lord, how come me here? Lord, how come me here? Lord, how come me here? I wish I never was born. They treat me so mean, Lord Treat me so mean, Lord They treat me so mean, Lord I wish I never was born…”
EXAMPLE OF JUBILEE— “FARE YE WELL” “I’m gonna tell you about the coming of the Savior, Fare ye well, Fare ye well. I’m gonna tell you about the coming of the Savior, Fare ye well, Fare ye well. There’s a better day a-coming, Fare ye well, Fare ye well. When my Lord speaks to his father, Fare ye well, Fare ye well...”
“Spirituals came from deep within. They were the moans of the oppressed, the hopes of the slave, the songs of those cruelly mistreated. There were sorrow songs and hope jubilees, religious songs and coded messages of freedom. They had no single author. No one can date them, number them, or name them all. Yet from under the oppression of slavery there arose a song, African in rhythm, scale, and pattern, English in language, Christian in belief.” –No Man Can Hinder Me: The Journey from Slavery to Freedom Through Song (2001) by Velma Maia Thomas
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MUSIC HISTORY TREE
The legacy of the spirituals is rooted in the music of enslaved people. Many Africans kidnapped and brought to North America came from the West Coast of Africa, an area where music was woven into everyday life. People sang as they worked, played, celebrated large and small events, told stories, and participated in ceremonies for healing, worship, and welcome. This illustration links traditional African music to the spirituals and many other styles of music found in the United States.
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LESSON PLAN: HIDDEN MEANINGS & CODED MESSAGES IN AFRICAN AMERICAN SONGS
LEARNING GOALS Students will summarize their knowledge and insights about hidden meanings and codes in the spirituals with a Carousel Strategy for Collaborative Information Gathering, and apply what they know to generate possible interpretations of the lyrics of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." MATERIALS · Copies or electronic images of song notation for "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", p. 60 · Resource article “Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in Spirituals,” p. 64 · Copies of the visual organizer “Hidden Meanings in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” p. 62 · Video titled Underground Railroad: Coded Spirituals on the WITNESS Companion DVD (track # 1) · Audio recording of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" on the WITNESS Companion CD (track # 3) · Copies or electronic display of the map identifying slave vs. free states from p. 44
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INTRODUCTION Spirituals often carried dual meanings. On one hand the song might express one’s faith and hope for a better life after death, but a spiritual could also carry messages and meanings for the here and now. All through the long period when slavery held sway in the South, the hidden meanings and coded messages in the spirituals provided people a means to communicate under the noses of those who enslaved them. In this lesson, students will learn about this covert form of communication and examine an example of dual messages and hidden meanings.
PROCESS 1. Ask students to read the article “Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in Spirituals” as either a homework assignment or in class. For younger students, summarize the content of the article and present it in class. Display and read these critical thinking questions out loud to guide their reading: · How did enslaved people know that messages could be communicated with a song? · Where and when did they learn to do this? · Why did it work? Why didn’t they get in trouble? · Many people heard the spirituals. Why didn’t they realize that messages were being communicated? · Name some spirituals that you think might have a hidden message? What might be the message? In class, watch the very short video “Underground Railroad: Coded Spirituals” with Velma Thomas, musician and author of No Man Can Hinder Me: The Journey from Slavery to Emancipation through Song. This video is track # 1 on the WITNESS Companion DVD, and can also be viewed online at http://www.pbs.org/video/2181639247/ 2. Ask students to summarize what they learned from the article and video using a carousel strategy and the critical thinking questions listed in the side bar. For younger students, present paraphrased versions of the same questions/ topics, and ask them to respond as a class. Gather the highlights from their comments on a chart and read responses out loud with the class.
Here is the Carousel process: · Write each question/topic and its number at the top of a large sheet of paper. Post them on the walls around the classroom. · Divide into groups, one group for each question/topic. Match each group to a specific question/topic as their starting point. Identify the groups by colors and provide markers of the specific color to groups for writing responses. · Send each group to their assigned question/topic. This is their “home” chart. Allow them a few minutes to discuss what they know about their question/topic, and write comments and information on the chart using their designated color. Less time is better than more at each chart. · Signal when it is time to move on. Groups rotate clockwise to the next chart and read the question/topic, AND the comments from the prior group. They discuss their thoughts and add new information. When they agree with a prior comment, they should add a check-mark in their color. This is an important step as it provides information and level of agreement as well as trends in the group’s thinking. They can also write any questions they have about the posted question/topic on the chart as well as questions about prior comments. · Continue the Carousel until groups are back to their home chart.
CAROUSEL QUESTIONS #1 How is it that enslaved people knew they could communicate messages through songs? How/ where did they learn to do this? #2 What kinds of messages did they communicate in the spirituals? #3 Why did it work? Why didn’t they get in trouble with their owners? Why didn’t their owners realize that information and messages were being communicated? #4 Name spirituals that you think might carry a hidden message? What are the messages saying? #5 Think about the music you listen to: can you name some songs that have hidden meanings in the lyrics? What is the song? What is it saying? #6 Do you ever communicate with others using some kind of code? How do you do it so others don’t exactly know what you are saying? #7 Do you ever communicate without words by using body language or a “look?” What did you do? What were you expressing? #8 How might you say something like this in a coded song lyric: “At 1:45 this afternoon, _____ will secretly visit our school. Keep it a secret but be ready!!!!” (Add in a name such as Beyoncé/President Obama/ Governor Dayton/Keith Ellison. Feel free to use the name of any prominent person, hero, leader that would stir interest in your kids.)
· Wrap up the brainstorming session by having each group verbally read the summary of the topic and the comments on their “home” chart.
Keep the charts posted as a resource for the next activity.
3. Display or distribute copies of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", one of the songs cited in the article. “Swing low, sweet chariot, comin’ for to carry me home.”
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot William Johnson (1944) A literal interpretation of the spiritual. -57-
· Ask students for their initial thoughts interpreting the lyrics of the song’s first phrase. (What is the chariot? Where is coming from? Where is home?) · Then ask them to shift their thinking and interpret these lyrics as a communication related to the Underground Railroad with a more hidden message. Encourage creative interpretations where students place themselves into the historic period. · Sing the complete song together (or listen to the recording) to set the stage for interpreting all of the song’s lyrics. They will look for possible messages and meanings embedded in the text, phrase by phrase. To do this task, they will: Use the organizer, “Organizer for hidden meanings in ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’”, to collect their responses. Work alone or with a partner to complete the chart drawing on prior knowledge and clues they find. · Reconvene and share insights and conclusions from each group. Notice the similarities and differences in the various interpretations. GLOSSARY Code:
Words, letters, figures, or other symbols that substitute for other words, letters, etc., especially for the purposes of secrecy
Map songs: Songs containing words giving directions on escape routes and information about geographical landmarks ‘Possum:
Version of opossum, a North American marsupial with a white face and grayish-white body, sharp teeth, and a bare, rat-like tail. To “play possum” is to pretend to be dead, ignorant, asleep, etc., in order to deceive others.
Pharaoh:
The ruler of ancient Egypt. Songs used Biblical references and analogies of Biblical people, places and stories, comparing them to their own history of slavery
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS · Informally assess responses on the Carousel charts for evidence of student thinking and understanding of the main ideas about hidden meanings and coded messages in African American songs. · Ask students to write a three to five sentence paragraph on the topic of Hidden Meanings and Coded Messages in African American Songs and Spirituals.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES For many years, the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” has long been introduced to students as an example of a ‘map song’ bearing coded messages about an escape route on the Underground Railroad. The Jeanette Winter book by the same name popularized the song and its role in the Underground Railroad in school curricula. But in recent years, other research and information surrounding the song has emerged. Consider having students read about this controversy and debate or write about these opposing points of view. Detailed information about this more recent point of view and the debate about its authenticity can be found at http://www. followthedrinkinggourd.org/. A site that supports the view that it was a coded map song is
http://www.spiritualsproject.org/ sweetchariot/Freedom/coded.php.
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RESOURCES Websites http://www.spiritualsproject.org/sweetchariot/History/ recent.php “Sweet Chariot: The Story of the Spirituals,” Website for the Spirituals Project. This 20 year old nonprofit founded by Arthur Jones (author of “Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals”) became part of the University of Denver program, Lamont School of Music in 2016. http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/shows/list/underground-railroad/classroom/hidden-messages-spirituals/ “Hidden Messages in the Spirituals,” lesson plans and resources for teachers to connect with the 2012 PBS presentation “Underground Railroad: The William Still Story”
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS MUSIC: Artistic Foundations Standard 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area Standard 3: Demonstrate understanding of the personal, social, cultural, historical contexts that influence the arts areas MUSIC: Artistic Process: Perform
http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/ An extensive collection of essays about the origins of the song and recent research calling into question the prior belief that this is an African American song with hidden messages related to escape on the Underground Railroad.
Standard 1: Perform or present in a variety of contexts in the arts area using the artistic foundations
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/ february03/worksongs.cfm E-Newsletter for teachers published by the Colonial Williamsburg Education Department
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS: Reading (Key Ideas and Details)
Books for Teachers African American Music: An Introduction (2015, second edition) by Mellonee V. Burnim & Portia K. Maultsby
Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it…
Wade in the Water: The Wisdom of the Spirituals (1993) by Arthur Jones No Man Can Hinder Me: The Journey from Slavery to Emancipation through Song (2001) by Velma Maia Thomas
Verse 2 -59-
Verse 2 If you get there before I do, Comin’ for to carry me home. Tell all my friends that I’m comin’ too, Comin’ for to carry me home. Verse 3 Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down, Comin’ for to carry me home. But still my soul is heaven’ bound, Comin’ for to carry me home.
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HIDDEN MESSAGES IN THE 20TH CENTURY CIVIL RIGHTS ERA Baylor University professor and researcher, Robert Darden, founder of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, made an interesting discovery about the role played by gospel music during the struggle for civil rights. While cataloging vintage 45 RPM recordings from the 1950s and 60s, he began to notice something about the recordings, usually sold in local furniture and grocery stores in Southern black neighborhoods and played on local radio stations. The “A” side of the records contained the “hit” songs. But the “B” sides of these recordings had songs that were quite different, often songs with politically charged messages.
THESE SPIRITUALS ARE MOST OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD: · Go Down Moses · Let Us Break Bread Together · Swing Low, Sweet Chariot · Steal Away (To Jesus) · Wade in the Water · Oh, Freedom
According to Darden, the “B” side were the place where people “…could really indulge in what was passionate to them. Every day I’m surprised how straightforward and frank some of the messages are.” Songs such as “Give me Liberty or Give me Death”, by the Salem Travelers, and “Stand Up and Be Counted” by the Meditation Singers gave messages of support and hope to people during the Movement. In this way performers were able avoid the danger of calling for equal rights, but were still able to get out the message to the people carrying on the struggle.
LISTEN TO SOME OF THE MUSIC AT: Gospel Music “Flip Side:” Research Uncovers Secret Civil Rights Messages http://www.publicnewsservice.org/2011-02-07/civil-rights/gospel-music-flip-side-research-uncovers-secret-civil-rights-messages/a18275-1 Rediscovering the Hidden Music of the Civil Rights Movement http://www.wnyc.org/story/rediscovering-the-hidden-music-of-the-civil-rights-movement/
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ORGANIZER FOR HIDDEN MEANINGS IN SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT Use your knowledge about “Hidden Meanings” and “Coded Lyrics” to interpret these song lyrics. Write the obvious meaning in the middle column and a possible hidden meaning in the third column.
Song Lyrics
Possible Religious Meaning
Speculative Hidden Meaning
Refrain Swing low, Sweet chariot, Comin’ for to carry me home.
Verse 1 I looked over Jordan and what did I see? A band of angels, comin’ after me,
Verse 2 If you get there before I do, Tell all my friends that I’m comin’ too.
Verse 3 Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down. But still my soul feels heaven bound.
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -62-
POSSIBLE RESPONSES FOR HIDDEN MEANINGS IN SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT Song Lyrics
Obvious Meaning
Speculative Hidden Meaning
Refrain Swing low,
A chariot sways/swings when pulled by horses. Could be a request to swing in my direction; come close to me
Come to the slave states; come down south
Sweet chariot,
Heavenly vehicle; ancient cart pulled by spirit horses
Underground Railroad
Comin’ for to carry me home.
Take me up to heaven
Take me to freedom in a northern state or Canada
When I looked across the River Jordan in Israel what was I seeing?
When I looked over the Ohio (or Mississippi) River, what did I sudden behold?
A group of angels!
Conductors from the Underground Railroad were on their way to help.
Verse 2 If you get there before I do,
If you make it to heaven before me…
If you are able to escape to Canada or to a northern free state first…
Tell all my friends that I’m comin’ too.
Let everyone know that I’ll be there too.
If you see my family or friends, let them know that I have an escape plan too. I’ll try to get there soon.
Verse 3 Sometimes I’m up, sometimes I’m down.
I have happy days, and sad days.
Sometimes I just know that I will make it to freedom; sometimes I am scared and not certain I’ll ever be free.
But still my soul feels heaven bound.
And eventually I will reach my heavenly home.
I know that sometime I will escape on the Underground Railroad and find freedom up north.
Verse 1 I looked over Jordan and what did I see? A band of angels, comin’ after me,
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HIDDEN MEANINGS & CODED MESSAGES IN SPIRITUALS Article for Teachers and Older Students
Sometimes a song can have dual meanings. The surface meaning is clear, but there are also ideas, opinions, or information in more subtle ways, just below the surface. In African society, social songs with obvious intentions and meanings are sung and played as entertainment, to tell a story, mark an event or express feelings. But songs also exist that make subtle but pointed comments about the behavior of others or as commentary about a community situation. On the surface, the songs appear humorous, but hidden within the words are messages of disrespect, mocking those who hold power (or think they do). Such songs are sung in public, often right in the presence of the powerful people. Only a portion of the audience understand the hidden meaning. This practice of improvising songs with a hidden purpose was another aspect of culture brought from Africa to North America. Enslaved Africans sang songs to deal with the situations they encountered. The messages were dangerous, so the singers hid their thoughts and feelings deep within the lyrics and melodies of songs such as the spirituals.
Harriet Tubman, the famous Underground Railroad conductor, is said to have used the spiritual, Go Down, Moses to signal that an escape was imminent. Here are some of the code words in that song.
Moses: A name they called Harriet Tubman
Israelites: Old Testament Jews Spirituals could effectively carry double meanings. On one hand enslaved by the Egyptians: the a song might tell of one’s faith and hopes for a life after death. But enslaved African Americans on the other, it might have a message for the ‘here and now’ delivered through code words. Through the long period of Southern Egypt-land: the slave slavery, the hidden meanings and coded messages provided people holding states a means to communicate under the noses of those who enslaved them. Singing songs with dual meanings succeeded because overPharaoh: the slave holding seers’ and owners’ were thinking only about how hard their slaves plantation owners worked. Beyond that, enslaved people were invisible. They were actually encouraged to sing while working because it increased productivity. Imagine how many messages could be passed through songs while working in the fields! Some typical words used to talk about the master or the overseer were animal names such as ‘possum, or Old Testament characters such as the Egyptian Pharaohs who enslaved the Israelites for generations. A song might signal a midnight prayer service in the bush, or call people to attend covert meetings about escapes, revolts, and insurrections. The autobiography of former slave, Frederick Douglass reveals that songs were used to send secret communications to others ready to act for freedom. Songs communicated coded messages that helped people escape via the Underground Railroad, north to Free States and Canada, or south to Mexico or Florida. A signal song such as Steal Away might indicate that someone was going to run that night, or that a conductor had arrived. Map songs included lyrics that directed escapees towards a specific route or landmark along the Underground Railroad routes. In this way, the spirituals became a means for communicating information about forbidden activities and fueled the desire and struggle for freedom.
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LESSON PLAN: SONGS OF HOPE, SANCTUARY, AND HOME LEARNING GOALS After exploring multiple meanings and concepts about home, refuge, sanctuary, and anchor through multiple lenses, students will respond through a creative project of their choice. MATERIALS · Video clip of Saida Hassan on the WITNESS Companion DVD, (track # 2) · “We Can Mend the Sky” audio recording on the WITNESS Companion CD, (track # 7) · Electronic image or paper copies of the Background for Listening to “We Can Mend the Sky”, p. 69 · Electronic image or paper copies of the Listening Map for “We Can Mend the Sky”, p. 70 · Writing, visual art, and other creative materials to use for creative responses
INTRODUCTION When we think about home, our first thought might be the physical places in which we live. Our tangible homes are important to us; they are where we find shelter, safety, familiarity, and sometimes, others who care for us. If we dig deeper, the word “home” takes on more layers of meaning. “Home” can be a metaphor for the town in which we grew up, the people we love and who love us (friends and relatives), a special place, and things that anchor us and makes us feel safe and sheltered. HOME CAN ALSO BE A SONG. In this lesson, students will explore how songs can feel like home, anchoring us to a time, person, place, or feeling. They shelter our emotional lives and impart a sense of refuge and safety. Students will also hear a newly written work, “We Can Mend the Sky”, which will be performed at the WITNESS Young People’s Concert. It is a song whose text expresses a young refugee’s dream of finding such a safe, sheltering place. PROCESS (Note to Teachers: Though there may be students in your classes who have their own immigrant stories, do not expect students to volunteer to share these personal experiences. Welcome them if and when they do come up from your students.) 1. Write these words on the board or a chart:
home – refuge – sanctuary – anchor
· Direct students to talk with a partner about what each means to them, how they are related, and what images and ideas they spark. Remind them to take notes during this short conversation. · Reconvene and ask students to summarize their insights, ideas, and images. Write key words and phrases on the board as they talk. Ask them how these words might be related and listen to responses from the students. · Finally ask students to draw some conclusion about the terms. For example; home is not just the place where you live and sleep. Home can also be something intangible thing such as a state of mind, a feeling of safety and refuge when things get tough, or even something or someone that holds you in place like an anchor.
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THINKING ABOUT HOME IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WITNESS YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONCERT
2. Ask this question and encourage a class discussion: “Can music – a specific song or piece for instruments, a particular genre or style, or the sound of an artist – generate feelings of being “at home,” or anchored, or sheltered?”
Enslaved Africans were taken from their homes and forcibly removed from familiar surroundings to a continent across the ocean. The people, culture, traditions, worldly goods, and familiar surroundings that comprised “home” were left behind as memories.
3. Expand the input by viewing and responding to the video clip of the interview with Saida Hassan from the WITNESS Companion DVD. Write these questions on the board for students to use as prompts while watching and jotting down notes. • How does the video clip connect to the class conversations about music as a refuge or home? • What musical memories did Saida talk about? • Why was the song she shared important to her? • What was it that she liked about it? • How did it affect her feelings?
As captives, they lost all sense of security, safe harbor, and refuge. Those who survived the Middle Passage landed in North America as bound slaves with no hope of ever again seeing the places they called home. As generations passed, enslaved people could not even count on even feeling anchored to any familiar place because of the constant fear of being sold and moved to another place. Some chose death over remaining enslaved. And some escaped, running away to seek freedom and sanctuary in a new home; one that could be a true home with people, places, and institutions that could shelter them. This is part of the story that the 2017 WITNESS Program will highlight. But WITNESS also wants to help students notice the parallels to 21st century immigrant stories. Watching the news and reading current publications and blogs, provides evidence of how many people in the world today are still seeking refuge and sanctuary. Thousands leave “home” each year, searching for something better.
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4. After responding with their thoughts and insights, ask students for their thoughts about the idea that a song can anchor you and connect you to your true self – to your history, people, a place, an event, a feeling of home. · Move the conversation closer to their own lives. Ask them to reflect on and identify songs that might be anchors for them; music that connects them to their true self and is at the core of who they are and where they come from. · As they process this idea, ask them to reflect and write a few sentences about an anchor song, or sketch an image related to that song. Ask those who are willing to share to do so. 5. Complete the lesson by listening to “We Can Mend the Sky” by Jake Runestad, one of the songs that will be performed at the WITNESS Young People’s Concert. Try to listen more than once. The music reflects many of the ideas embedded in this year’s WITNESS program and is an uplifting, hopeful song. The lyrics are based on a poem by a young Somali refugee. Begin with this thought: Maps help travelers know where they are and where they are going. A musical map does the same thing for listeners as they move through a piece of music. · Display or distribute copies of the listening map. Direct students to focus on and describe what they see. · Using the “Background Information about “We Can Mend the Sky,” read the story about the words that inspired the music, a poem by 15 year old Warda Mohamed. Her poetry is a reflection on a time in her life in her old home, when she thinks about how she will feel in a new home, free from violence and suffering. Also notice the two Somali proverbs woven into the music.
· Challenge students to stay on track as they follow the map; play the audio recording from the WITNESS Companion CD. Listen more than once to allow time to notice details. Help them find their way. · Listen without the map. · Provide time to hear students’ insights about the music and the message. 6. Challenge students to find a creative and interesting way to respond to the song. Here are some ideas, but feel free to create other response activities: · Draw illustrations inspired by the music and the lyrics. · Imagine yourself “inside” the events Warda experienced. Write a poem about what the song means to you. · Create movement for one or more sections of the song. · Write a descriptive paragraph about the music that could be posted on a blog. These response projects can be assigned as homework, then shared in class. Consider integrating them to other grade level subjects, perhaps working with Language Arts and Visual Arts teachers. The work students produce could then be assessed by using rubrics already in place. RESOURCES http://jakerunestad.com The composer’s website with more information on Jake and other resources related to the song http://jakerunestad.com/store/we-can-mend-the-sky/ A video of an interview with Warda Mohamed and Jake Runestad for SPNN The choral score for “We Can Mend the Sky” by Jake Runestad, published by JR Music and available at http://jakerunestad.com/ store/we-can-mend-the-sky/ or https://app.box.com/s/ v2196qdzl4qt6xevr1jyine4un9gm2p4 ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS When students discuss their ideas about home, songs that convey a feeling of home, and the video clip, informally assess their ability to make connections to the big ideas in the lesson. As students listen to the recording, observe and informally assess their ability to follow the map in real time as the music unfolds. If you assign the creative response activity, the products students create can be formally assessed applying discipline specific rubrics already in place.
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS MUSIC: Artistic Process: Respond or Critique Standard 1: Respond to or critique a variety of creations and performances using the artistic foundations
LANGUAGE ARTS: Speaking, Listening and Viewing
Students will demonstrate understanding and communicate effectively though listening and speaking, including conversation and formal discussions in large and small groups.
READING: Key Ideas and Details
Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES · Watch a YouTube video of the premier performance of “We Can Mend the Sky” at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=rprX5tbtNXQ · Write songs using the words generated in step one of the lesson: home, anchor, sanctuary, refuge.
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GLOSSARY Accent:
an emphasis or stress on certain beats in the music
Anchor:
a heavy device attached to a boat or ship by a rope or chain that is thrown into the water to hold the boat or ship in place
Bass drum:
large drum with two heads that produces a low booming sound when struck
Chord:
three or more pitches that are played or sung simultaneously (at the same time)
Chorus:
a musical organization of singing voices
Commission:
to hire and pay a composer to create a new piece of music
Crescendo:
gradually growing louder
Decrescendo:
gradually growing softer
Djembe:
a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa
Legato:
smooth, connected music
Refuge:
a place that provides shelter or protection
Sanctuary:
a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter
Unison:
simultaneously singing or playing the same notes all together
WHAT DOES HOME MEAN TO YOU? The International Organization, Habitat for Humanity, asked people to answer that question. Read some of the ways people answered the question at this site: http://www.habitat.org/blog/what-does-home-mean-to-you
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BACKGROUND FOR LISTENING TO We Can Mend the Sky
Jake and Warda
Composer Jake Runestad was born in Rockford, IL in 1986. He graduated with a music degree from Winona State University in Winona, MN, and went on to study music composition in graduate school at Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD. He composes in many different genres including opera, orchestral works, and choral music. He regularly receives commissions from leading choruses, orchestras and other music organizations. Jake is one of the youngest full-time composers in the world. Critics have call his music “highly imaginative” (Baltimore Sun) and “stirring and uplifting” (Miami Herald). He now lives in Minneapolis, MN.
Poet Warda Mohamed was born in Somalia, but immigrated to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a young child. When she was in middle school, she wrote a poem about her experiences of leaving her home in Somalia for the United States. That poem, “Let My Dreams Come True” became the lyrics for a new choral work by composer Jake Runestad, “We Can Mend the Sky”. HOW DID THE MUSIC COME TO BE CREATED? Jake tells the story this way: “My sister was an English teacher at the Minnesota International Middle School in Minneapolis which provides a safe and inclusive environment for East African immigrant students to learn (many of whom are Somali). Most of these students came to the USA to escape the violent civil war that has plagued Somalia since 1991. Seeking a better life for their children, these students’ parents risked their lives to come to the USA – a valiant act of love. I wanted to tell their story through music and so I asked my sister to have her students write poems about their experiences leaving their home and coming to the USA. I received over 100 poems that contain passion, pride, emotion, and vivid stories of the sights and sounds that these young people have experienced. I…found the powerful words of 14-year-old Warda Mohamed that became the backbone of the composition.” “We Can Mend the Sky” for mixed chorus was commissioned by the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, James Bass, conductor. It was premiered in 2014.
Let My Dream Come True
TWO SOMALI PROVERBS
In my dream I saw a world free of violence hunger suffering a world filled with love
Naftu orod bay kugu aamintaa. (Translation: To save your life, run with all your might.)
Now awake in this world I beg, let my dream come true.
If we come together, we can mend a crack in the sky.
–Warda Mohamed
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We Can Mend the Sky by Jake Runestad A Listening Map The chorus begins by boldly singing the word naftu over and over with loud, Introduction insistent voices over strong accents in the bass drum. Naftu means life/soul in Somali. It is the opening word in the first Somali proverb. A solo soprano sings Warda Mohamed’s words about her dream.
Part One: The Dream (CD 0:56)
In my dream I saw a world free of violence…hunger…suffering…a world filled with love. The melody is a slow, legato song, wandering in the world of dreams. The chorus supports the singer with long, soft chords. The section ends as the singer’s voice rises to its highest notes on the words “with love.” Transition: A quiet moment then…..
Part Two (CD 2:20)
Voices cry out “soo boxa!” – “let’s go!” The mood changes as the chorus voices sweep upwards. The music rises, higher and higher, and louder and louder. Their song is frantic as they sing the first Somali proverb. Naftu orod bay kugu aamintaa. (To save your life, run with all you might.)
(CD 3:30)
Part Three (CD 3:59)
As the panic subsides and the music slows down, voices repeat “naftu/run” over and over. Solo singer returns with the last part of the poem. The poet is now living in the present. Now awake in this world I beg, let my dream come true. Chorus sings quiet chords along with the solo voice.
Part Four (CD 4:45)
The solo singer’s voice changes as she leaves the dream behind. With confidence and strength she slowly sings the second Somali proverb: If we come together, we can mend the crack in the sky. The chorus’ sopranos join her. A crescendo expands in the music. They sing with confidence and belief. This could surely happen! The drummer plays a djembe to accent the hopeful feelings. Other voice join the song. The music declares the words of the proverb over and over. Then the men’s voices sing in unison and quietly and calmly bring the mood back to a quiet place with a decrescendo.
(CD 8:12)
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Solo singer sums it up as she slowly sings one last phrase: If we come together…
LESSON PLAN: ROBERT HICKMAN’S LEGACY LEARNING GOALS After connecting their knowledge about the Underground Railroad to Minnesota and the legacy of Robert T. Hickman, and exploring personal experiences of legacies bequeathed within their families and communities, students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding through creating contributions to a Legacy Wall.
MATERIALS · PowerPoint: “Robert Hickman and the Pilgrim Baptist Church” from the WITNESS Companion CD · Video clip of Sharon Harper’s interview with Melanie DeMore, from the WITNESS Companion DVD, (track # 3) · Questions from step two (below) posted on the board · Materials for creating a Legacy Wall; writing supplies, art materials, cardstock, paint/markers/crayons, scissors, large sheets of paper, masking tape, etc.
Robert Hickman, portrayed in stained glass at Pilgrim Baptist Church
INTRODUCTION In 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law. Inspired in part by this event, Reverend Robert T. Hickman, a slave and a preacher, led a group of 50 slaves (the numbers differ in various accounts) out of Boone Country, MO, north to Minnesota. Traveling in a handmade raft, Hickman and his group reached the Union Army lines at Jefferson City, MO, then turned eastward. Travelling first on the Missouri River, then north on the Mississippi, they made their way to Minnesota. Hickman and his “pilgrims” (as Hickman called them) established themselves in Minnesota, leaving a legacy for future generations of the state’s African American population. In this lesson, students will think about the meaning of a legacy, hear the story of how the pilgrims journeyed out of slavery to freedom, and learn how Hickman’s legacy continues. PROCESS 1. Write the word “legacy” on the board and, with student input, create a working definition. Encourage the use of book or web-based dictionaries after they have exhausted their prior knowledge. · Generate examples of legacies from the students. The possibilities of what can be handed down are endless and might include objects, ideas, organizations, a world view, a life philosophy, financial resources, etc. · Ask if they think someone has to die in order to leave a legacy? (no) Are there living legacies? (no) Ask students to give examples. (For example: a monetary gift to build a hospital; an older artist mentoring a young artist at the beginning of a career; the Clean Air and Water Legacy Amendment in the state of Minnesota). · Are legacies always something good and positive? Are there bad legacies? What’s an example of a negative legacy? (Family traditions for leading a life of crime; the treatment of Native Americans throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.)
2. Before viewing the PowerPoint and the video, prepare students by asking them to keep the word “legacy,” and its definition in mind as they learn about Robert Hickman. In the PowerPoint “Robert Hickman and the Pilgrim Baptist Church” from the WITNESS Companion CD, students will be introduced to details about Hickman’s life and accomplishments, including the journey from Missouri to Minnesota during the Civil War, and the founding of the Pilgrim Baptist Church. In Melanie DeMore’s interview, which takes place in the current Pilgrim Baptist Church sanctuary on Central -71-
Avenue, St. Paul, students will hear the reflections of one of Hickman’s descendants, great-great granddaughter Sharon Harper. After viewing, ask students to discuss these questions with a partner: o What legacy or legacies did Robert Hickman leave for future generations? Were there more than one? o Who were the first recipients of this legacy? o Does his legacy still exist today? If so, who are the recipients? o How would you describe his legacy 150 years later? Share key comments, ideas, and stories together as a class. Focus on developing this big idea that people frequently leave a wide variety of legacies both large and small. 3. Challenge students to connect their understanding of legacies to their own lives. As they think about the stories, events, and people in their families, are there examples of legacies either left by earlier generations or by those still alive? What stories have they heard at family gatherings? What ideas, events, and treasures are valued? · Encourage them to think beyond their families and recall stories about an important contribution or legacy left to a school, church, neighborhood, an organization, or their community. Focus on the people who are remembered for what they did and what it was they gave to future generations. · Who were they? · What was it they did that caused future generations to remember them? · What was/is their legacy? · Can you name someone still living (parents, grandparents, sibling, teacher, etc.) who is creating a legacy right now? What might their legacy be? · What would you wish to leave to future generations? WHAT WILL BE YOUR LEGACY? Direct students to talk in small groups about one of the people they’ve identified. Tell each other who it is, what their legacy was or is, and who received or is receiving it. 4. Student will apply what they’ve learned by contributing to a Legacy Wall. Select the project that is appropriate for the time you have and the age level of your students. Or create your own idea for a project. Choose one activity for all students from the list and arrange completed work on the identified Legacy Wall space. Write a poem or short essay about Robert Hickman and the legacy he left for future generations. Younger students can write single sentences about Hickman to illuminate and mount. Draw a picture of some aspect of Robert Hickman’s life. Write a caption for your picture and mount it on the Legacy Wall. Write short essays about someone you talked about in the legacy discussion; a friend, family member, community person. After editing and re-writing, post the essays on the Legacy Wall. Add a photo or picture from the web if one is available, or illustrate with original drawings.
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LEGACY WALL EXAMPLES
A simple example of a legacy wall
RESOURCES WEBSITES · http://www.mprnews.org/story/2013/06/13/pilgrim-baptistchurch-founded-by-former-slaves-celebrates-150-years. MPR posted story on the 150th anniversary celebration of Pilgrim Baptist Church. An audio story is also available at this site. · http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-s-oldest-blackchurch-marks-150-years-of-praise/211702161/ Minneapolis Star and Tribune article, highlights the history of PBC. The article also includes a link to a short video. · http://www.blackpast.org/aah/hickman-robert-t-1831-1900 Black Past.Org: A Reference Guide to African American History is a 13,000-page reference center dedicated to providing information to the general public on African American history and on the history of the more than one billion people of African ancestry around the world. · http://pilgrimbaptistchurch.org/ The Pilgrim Baptist Church site contains useful history, images, and stories.
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTION Formal-looking Legacy Wall
The Legacy Wall project provides individualized student written work which can be assessed for student understanding and knowledge about Robert Hickman and the concept of legacies.
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Pilgrim Baptist Church Legacy Tree
· Another way to memorialize the legacy of an historical figure is to write a “talking song” (i.e. Rap) or rhythm poem filled with historical information and phrases about his or her significant accomplishments. There is a repository of such information about Robert Hickman and his legacy in the WITNESS curriculum materials. Here are two website thats provide sound guidance about how to scaffold such an activity: o https://www.flocabulary.com/warp/hip-hop-songwriting/: Hip-hop songs or Writing Academic Rhymes. Clear directions for basic and more complex writing. Best feature: 50 pre-recorded rhythmic tracks (ostinato) for underlying beats, each 2½ to 4 minutes long. o http://chasemarch. com/2013/03/a-lesson-plan-on-structure-of-rapsongs.html: Writing a Rap Song provides specifics on rap form, rhyme structure, rhythm and beat patterns. · Ask students to consider what they might want to be remembered for? What do they hope future generations will consider their legacy? After reflecting on these questions, instruct them to choose a way to communicate their hopes in a poem, essay or story, song, dance or drawing.
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MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS
WHO ARE THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE?
WRITING: Text Types and Purposes
LOOK THEM UP IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION.
Standard 2: Write informative/ explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
WHAT IS OR MIGHT BE THEIR LEGACY?
· · · ·
Martin Luther King Prince Barack Obama Malala Yousafzai
SPEAKING, VIEWING, LISTENING AND MEDIA LITERACY: Comprehension and Collaboration Standard 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. Pilgrim Baptist Church, St. Paul, MN
Should you choose to do the Extension Activity of song creating, the following standards would apply:
MUSIC: Artistic Foundations Standard 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of the arts area
MUSIC: Create or Make Standard 1: Create or make in a variety of contexts in the arts area using the artistic foundations
Pilgrim Baptist Church
Picture and Map for Pilgrim Baptist Church 732 Central Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104
HICKMAN’S LEGACY PERFORMED AS A DRAMA
GLOSSARY Legacy: Something handed down from the past by an ancestor, a family, a group of people. It might also be something that someone has achieved in their life that continues to exist even after they have died.
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Gavin Lawrence, left, plays the Rev. Robert Hickman in the play Adrift on the Mississippi at Concordia University. Behind Lawrence are cast members Yolanda Bruce and Adam Western.
St. Paul playwright Brian Grandison spend a decade researching and writing a play about Robert Hickman. The play, titled Adrift on the Mississippi, is a dramatized account of Hickman’s story. It was given its first full performance by the Minnesota History Theater and Concordia University in St. Paul in 2011.
LESSON PLAN: “BIRD IN THE AIR!” THE SCIENCE OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY LEARNING GOALS Students will consider the strategy of coded messages that enslaved people used to instruct, warn, and encourage one another in the pursuit of freedom and sanctuary. They will then analyze the ideas in four statements from the folksong “Follow the Drinking Gourd” The objective, however, is that students explore and understand the science behind those ideas. MATERIALS · PowerPoint: “Bird in the Air!” The Science of Freedom and Sanctuary from the WITNESS Companion CD · 4 Secret Code Stations o Primary Sources o Photographs o Scientific Articles o Graphs & Charts
· Underground Railroad Science Worksheets
INTRODUCTION Think of this lesson as a history-science lesson . . . or a sciencehistory lesson. First, your students will be introduced to the use of coded messages by enslaved people before the Civil War regarding their escape to the North. Next, students will consider the folksong “Follow the Drinking Gourd”, learning that, though the song itself was most likely written after the Civil War, some of the escape strategies mentioned in it were certainly used by freedom-seekers. Then, using earth, life, and space science, the bulk of the lesson is devoted to a hands-on investigation of four phrases from this song, as students discover what the phrases mean and the scientific principles supporting those escape strategies. PROCESS 1. Have the first slide in the PowerPoint displayed as students enter. Then begin the lesson using SLIDE 2, which just shows the phrase “Bird in the Air!”. · Tell your students that this phrase was uttered by an old black man in the southern United States in the mid-1800s. o Ask students for their thoughts as to who they think he was and what he meant. o [SLIDE 3] Explain that, in an oral history interview, ex-slave Walter Rimm recounted a story from his childhood in which a fellow slave, who had been a run-away for four years, had yet again cleverly outwitted his would-be captors. And as he ran off, he tauntingly called out this phrase. o That man was referring to himself as a free bird. · Tell students that today they will be learning about literal birds and other aspects of the natural world, even about outer space, in their study of how enslaved people sought freedom and sanctuary. 2. Discuss or review the idea of coded messages among enslaved people. · Songs were a daily part of life for enslaved people before and during the American Civil War – for work, play, love, joy, sadness, anger, hope, and worship. · Songs and phrases were also used as strategy. · [SLIDE 4] Discuss the quotation from Frederick Douglass’ autobiography. o “At the beginning of this year 1836, I took upon me a solemn vow, that the year which had now dawned upon
Woodblock print of a runaway enslaved man -75-
me should not close, without witnessing an earnest attempt, on my part, to gain my liberty…. As I now look back, I can see that we did many silly things…, singing hymns and making joyous exclamations…. A keen observer might have detected in our repeated singing of O Canaan, sweet Canaan, I am bound for the land of Canaan, something more than a hope of reaching heaven. We meant to reach the north—and the north was our Canaan. I thought I heard them say, There were lions in the way, I don’t expect to Stay Much longer here.
Frederick Douglass
Run to Jesus—shun the danger— I don’t expect to stay Much longer here. was a favorite [song], and had a double meaning. In the lips of some, it meant the expectation of a speedy summons to [heaven]; but, in [our] lips…, it simply meant a speedy pilgrimage toward a free state, and deliverance from all the evils and dangers of slavery.” – Frederick Douglass (from My Bondage My Freedom) o Have students point out the codes (“Canaan” = north; “Don’t expect to stay” = escape; “lions” = dangers). o Mention another example of a word that seemed to be literal, but was really used as a symbol: the name “Moses”, which slaveholder would think only referred to the Biblical character but in reality, also referred to Harriet Tubman). 3. [SLIDE 5] Tell students that Harriet Tubman was the most famous “conductor” [a person who directly led slaves to freedom] of the Underground Railroad [the secretive systems used to help freedom-seekers escape slavery]. · She communicated through coded songs and phrases. · After her own successful escape from slavery, she returned to the South 19 times and helped more than 300 enslaved men, women, and children to find freedom and sanctuary.
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Harriet Tubman
4. Then ask, “But were all these songs and phrases simply poetic language? Or was there more to them than that? · Tell students that they are going to investigate four coded statements. · Their first job will be to become detectives and figure out what each code means. · Their second job will be to become scientists and figure out how each coded phrase was used. 5. [SLIDE 6] Display the lyrics from “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. · When the sun comes back And the first quail calls Follow the Drinking Gourd. For the old man is waiting for to carry you to freedom, If you follow the Drinking Gourd The river bank makes a mighty good road, The dead trees show you the way. Left foot, peg foot, traveling on Follow the Drinking Gourd · Tell students that, unlike the songs that Frederick Douglass mentioned in his autobiography, there is no clear evidence that the actual words of this song were sung by enslaved people back in the 1800s. They were written long after the Civil War. [For more information, read Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History – web address is in Resources] · [SLIDE 7] Mention that even though the song itself may not have been sung, the ideas behind some of these lyrics were likely known by enslaved people who were attempting to escape. And it is four of those ideas that they will be investigating. 6. [SLIDE 8] Explain to your students they will now become scientists. Their task is to examine four phrases from the song and make a report about the science behind those phrases. · NOTE: SLIDE 8 can remain displayed throughout the investigation and conclusion. 7. Have four stations set up at different corners of the room with a large sign hanging above each one. · Have students work individually, in pairs, or small groups. · Students will use their Underground Railroad Science Worksheets at each station to do their investigations. 8. STATION ONE: “When the sun comes back and the first quail calls…” · At this station, students will find graphs, charts, and images, that show seasonal changes, the sun’s changing positions in the sky, quail behavior, etc. · They will use this information to learn such facts as: o The song probably refers to the Bobwhite Quail, a ground-dwelling bird native to North America. o In early spring, coveys (groups) break up, and the males begin their “Bob-White” call to attract females. · Students should conclude that the lengthening daylight and the call of the Bobwhite signal the beginning of spring; this is a good time to escape and head north.
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9. STATION TWO: “The river bank makes a mighty good road” · At this station, students will find slave narratives, images, and articles that describe the use of dogs for tracking, the science of scents and smell, and the reaction that water has on scents. · They will use this information to learn such facts as: o Water can make tracking difficult for dogs. o Along with running though water, there are also other strategies that people claim to be effective in evading dogs that were on their trail. · Students should conclude that going through a body of water can be an effective way to mask one’s scent. 10. STATION THREE: “The dead trees will show you the way.” · At this station, students will find articles, images, diagrams, and charts that describe why, where, and under what conditions moss grows on trees. · They will use this information to learn such facts as: o Moss will grow on trees and shrubs that are dying. o Moss also grows in cooler, wetter, darker conditions. In the northern hemisphere, the sun shines from the south; so, moss will tend to grow on the north side. · Students should conclude that under the right conditions, the mossy side of trees will point the way north. 11. STATION FOUR: “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” · At this station, students will find star charts, images, diagrams, and narratives that identify the stars in the night sky that can orient a person in a certain direction. · They will use this information to learn such facts as: o There is a group of stars that look like a large, long-handled cup, and is known as the Big Dipper. o The two stars on the Dipper’s edge always align with the North Star. ·
Students should conclude that if they were to keep walking in the direction of the North Star, they will be heading in a northerly direction.
Polaris (Big Dipper)
12. Conclusion · First, have students report on what they discovered. · Lead a discussion about the pros and cons of each strategy, challenging them with such questions as: o Isn’t spring (as planting begins) a time when a person would be particularly missed? o Won’t water and muddy banks slow a person down? What if you don’t know how to swim? o What if the forest is generally dark, cool, and wet, and moss is growing on different sides of trees? o What if it’s a cloudy night and you can’t see stars? · Have students rank the strategies in order of effectiveness. -78-
RESOURCES
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS
Harriet Tubman Historical Society Home Page http://www.harriet-tubman.org
SCIENCE: Nature of Science and Engineering [Substrand 1: The Practice of Science] Standard 1: Understanding About Science Standard 2: Scientific Inquiry and Investigation
Sterling, Dorothy, Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman. Scholastic, Inc., New York, New York. 1954
Follow the Drinking Gourd: A Cultural History http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/index.htm Ecology and Management of the Northern Bobwhite https://msucares.com/sites/default/files/publications/publications/ p2179.pdf BioKids: Kids’ Inquiry of Diverse Species, Northern Bobwhite http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Colinus_virginianus/ Pearson, Chris. Slavery and Dogs. Sniffing the Past: Dogs and History https://sniffingthepast.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/slavery-and-dogs-inthe-antebellum-south/ Beat Bloodhound. discovery.com http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/beat-bloodhound/ Algae, Lichens and moss on trees and shrubs. Royal Horticultural Society https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=411 Where Can Moss Grow? Wonderopolis http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/all-about-moss/ Rao, Joe. North Star: Polaris. Space.com. May 7, 2012. http://www.space.com/15567-north-star-polaris.html McClure, Bruce. Polaris is the North Star. EarthSky.org http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/polaris-the-present-day-north-star
SCIENCE: Earth and Space Science [Substrand 3: The Universe] Standard 3: Age, Scale and O rigin of the Universe SCIENCE: Life Science [Substrand 1: Structure and Function in Living Systems] Standard 1: Levels and Organization SCIENCE: Life Science [Substrand 2: Interdependence Among Living Systems] Standard 1: Ecosystems
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTION Students will complete and turn in the Underground Railroad Science Worksheet. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES · Students can do more extensive research on the scientific basis for these escape strategies and create a poster. · Students can do research to discover other scientific methods to find “true north” [the direction towards the North Pole] without a compass. · Students can develop a presentation that includes stories of escape, code songs, movement, and scientific explanations (e.g.: creating a tableau, or scene, in which enslaved people are seeking freedom).
If you do not teach social studies or science, consider collaborating with your colleagues who do!
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UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCIENCE WORKSHEET STATION ONE: “When the sun comes back and the first quail calls…” 1) When do days begin to get longer? What times of year are days and nights of equal length?
2) Name the bird referred to in this phrase. What time of year does it begin its distinctive call (or whistle)?
3) Is it the male or female that calls? And what does that call sound like?
4) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
STATION TWO: “The river bank makes a might good road.” 1) As freedom-seekers escaped and made their way north, what scared many of them the most?
2) Why is it extremely difficult to throw certain dogs, like bloodhounds, off your trail?
3) What have some people done to successfully throw dogs off their scent?
4) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -80-
UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCIENCE WORKSHEET STATION THREE: “The dead trees will show you the way.” 1) What might start to grow on certain trees, and under what kind of conditions does it grow?
2) How does the sun affect the growth of these plants? On what side of trees do they tend to grow?
3) Where in the world will this plant tend to grow on a different side of trees? Which side?
4) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
STATION FOUR: “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” 1) The term “Drinking Gourd” is might have been used by freedom seekers to refer to what? 2) Draw this grouping of seven stars in the space to the right. (Be sure to leave room for step 4.) 3) To what do the two stars that form the edge of the “Drinking Gourd’s” cup part point?
4) Add that star to your drawing. Then draw an arrow through the two pointer stars to the new star, and label it. 5) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
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UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCIENCE WORKSHEET
KEY
STATION ONE: “When the sun comes back and the first quail calls…” 1) When do days begin to get longer? 3)
Winter
What times of year are days and nights of equal length?
Beginning of spring and fall
2) Name the bird referred to in this phrase. What time of year does it begin its distinctive call (or whistle)?
Northern Bobwhite (Quail)
Spring
3) Is it the male or female that calls? And what does that call sound like?
Male
“Bob-white”
4) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
The first calls of the Bobwhite in spring could signal that it is a good time to escape. STATION TWO: “The river bank makes a might good road.” 1) As freedom-seekers escaped and made their way north, what scared many of them the most?
Dogs / Bloodhounds 2) Why is it extremely difficult to throw certain dogs, like bloodhounds, off your trail?
A dog’s nose is up to 10,000 times more sensitive than a human’s. A bloodhound has about 300 million scent receptors compared to a human’s 5 million. 3) What have some people done to successfully throw dogs off their scent?
They found a body of water to cross or hide in. 4) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
They would head for the river.
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UNDERGROUND RAILROAD SCIENCE WORKSHEET
KEY
STATION THREE: “The dead trees will show you the way.”
1) What might start to grow on certain trees, and under what kind of conditions does it grow?
Moss grows where it is cool, wet, and shady 2) On what side of trees do these plants tend to grow? Why?
The north side because the sun shines from the south 3) Where in the world will this plant tend to grow on a different side of trees? Which side?
Southern hemisphere
The south side of trees
4) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
They would head in the direction of the side where the moss is growing. STATION FOUR: “Follow the Drinking Gourd.”
1) The term “Drinking Gourd” is might have been used by freedom seekers to refer to what?
The Big Dipper
North Star / Polaris
2) Draw this grouping of seven stars in the space to the right. (Be sure to leave room for step 4.) 3) To what do the two stars that form the edge of the “Drinking Gourd’s” cup part point?
North Star / Polaris 4) Add that star to your drawing. Then draw an arrow through the two pointer stars to the new star, and label it. 5) What decision might freedom seeking slaves have made, based on this idea?
They would wait until nighttime to escape. They would look for the Big Dipper and the North Star. -83-
LESSON PLAN: TELLING THEIR STORIES: THE LANGUAGE OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY LEARNING GOALS Students will learn about the important role that oral histories play in illuminating the past; they will listen to and watch interviews that highlight the slave and refugee experience; and they will practice the skills needed to conduct effective interviews. MATERIALS · PowerPoint: “Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary” on the WITNESS Companion CD · Excerpt from Interview with Uncle Bob Ledbetter (Library of Congress: Voices from the Days of Slavery) on WITNESS Companion CD (track # 13) · Video Clip: Magnolia Yang Sao Yia and Saida Hassan on the WITNESS Companion DVD (track # 4) · Oral History Worksheets
INTRODUCTION In this lesson, students learn that the study of history must include more than the stories of the wealthy, famous and powerful, and that the stories of ordinary people complete the picture of past events. In this regard, students will consider how oral histories enhance our understanding of history. They will experience oral histories through written words, voices, and videos, which will make history come alive in ways that dry, Uncle Billy McCrea (right),with objective, textbook descriptions John A. Lomax (center), and friends, cannot. Students will be able to at Billy’s home in Jasper, Texas compare and contrast the experiences of enslaved people and those of refugees. Then, equipped with an understanding of the basics of effective interviewing practices, students will conduct brief oral history sessions with each other. PROCESS NOTE: After introducing oral histories as an important tool for investigating the past (steps 1-4), this lesson is divided into three main parts: Listening to and discussing an excerpt from a slave narrative (step 6); Discussing the topic of refugees, then watching and discussing videos of interviews (steps 7-8); and students conducting oral history interviews with each other (steps 9-11). If you feel that it would more effective to divide this lesson over two or three class periods, feel free to do so. 1. Have SLIDE 1 in the PowerPoint displayed as students enter. Ask students to describe different ways that they can learn about an event that they did not personally experience. [As a list is generated, students may or may not say “oral histories”, or may describe it but using other words.] 2. [SLIDE 2] Display the words “Oral Histories” and discuss the importance of oral histories as tools for better understanding the past. · Ask students what types of people are typically the presenters for the historical information that we use to learn about the past? [scholars, researchers, authors, teachers] · Next, ask what types of people are typically the subjects for the historical information that we learn about? o Wealthy, famous, powerful individuals o Those who are generally recognized as playing a significant role in a particular event
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· Then, say: “It can be easy for what types of people to be left out of the story?” [Regular, everyday folks] 3. [SLIDE 3] Have students examine the difference between the following two statements: · “For most slave children, the separation from their parents and the siblings was the hardest aspect of being sold.” · “When I was six years old, all of us children were taken from my parents, because my master died and his estate had to be settled. We slaves were divided by this method. Three … persons were chosen to come to the plantation and together they wrote the names of different heirs on a few slips of paper. These slips were put in a hat and passed among us slaves. Each one took a slip and the name on the slip was the new owner…. I can’t describe the heartbreak and horror of that separation.” – John W. Fields (from Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938) · How did the oral history excerpt add to our understanding of the first statement? 4. Ask students to think of challenges faced in creating oral histories · Oral histories depend on memory and the spoken word. · We can only ask about events within a person’s lifetime. · As generations of people die, their stories die with them. · The interviewer might influence what the narrator says. 5. Explain that now they are going to listen to and watch some oral history interviews. First they will listen to a slave narrative, like the excerpt they analyzed earlier. 6. [SLIDE 4] Slave Narrative · Ask if students know (or remember) when slavery in this country officially ended. (1865) · Describe two slave narrative collections: o In the 1930s, the Federal Progress Administration (a United States government agency) sponsored the Federal Writers’ Project, which included photographs and transcripts of interviews of former slaves. o The result is a collection entitled Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938. o Another collection is Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories, containing audio recordings conducted between 1932 and 1975. o Both collections can be accessed through the Library of Congress’ American Memory website
Drawing of enslaved family being separated
LISTENING RESPECTFULLY Before listening to the interview excerpt with Bob Ledbetter, it would be wise to prepare your students for what they are about to hear. Let them know that they will be listening to the actual voice of a very elderly gentleman who had been enslaved as a child during the time of the Civil War. Explain that his way of speaking might be very different from what they are used to hearing, but that you expect them to be respectful as they listen. Challenge them to listen to WHAT is being said more than HOW it is being said.
Hmong people gathering at plane to evacuate from Laos
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· Do the Math: How old were these narrators when the interviews were conducted? o Remember John Field’s story: he was six years old when he was separated from his family. That was in 1854. o What year was he born? (1848) o He was interviewed in 1937; how old was he then? (89) o How long was he … a slave? (17 years) free? (72 years) · Tell students that they will be listening to an excerpt from the audio collection and will be taking notes on what they hear (only a few points that are most interesting to them). · Play recording of interview with Uncle Bob Ledbetter (track # 13 on the WITNESS Companion CD); have students take notes in Section One of the Oral History Worksheet; afterward, lead a discussion about the points that they gathered from the recording. 7. Tell students that they will next watch a video recording of interviews made this year with two young women – Magnolia Yang Sao Yia and Saida Hassan, who will talk about being a refugee or a child of refugees. 8. Refugee Narratives · [SLIDE 5] Have students define the word “Refugee” o Highlight that the word “refugee” is derived from the word “refuge”. Ask for definitions of this word. o Ask how a refugee’s move to another country is different from an immigrant’s move. o [SLIDE 6] Display (in the PowerPoint slide show) the official U.N. definition: “A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” · [SLIDES 7-17] Briefly discuss the Hmong and Somali journeys to America (using PowerPoint). · [SLIDE 18] Ask students to pay particular attention to word “displacement” and to the ideas of “freedom”, and “sanctuary” (safety), even though those actual words may not be said. · Watch the video clip of Magnolia and Saida. Students will again take notes in Section Two of the Oral History Worksheet. · Discuss key points from the videos o Ask for volunteers to share (from their notes) what they found to be interesting o Highlight the concept of “displacement” Define the word: The act of forcing people (or the experience of being forced) to leave the area where they live Ask students if they noted examples from the interviews o Highlight the concepts of “freedom” and “sanctuary” What different aspects of freedom did you make note of? What different aspects of sanctuary did you make note of? 9. [SLIDE 19] Explain that your students will now be conducting brief oral history interviews with each other, but to conduct a good oral history, they must do more than just sit down with someone and talk.
Demolished cathedral in Mogadishu -86-
10. Facilitate the oral history activity: PART ONE: Pre-Interview • Decide what your purpose is for the interview. Why are you talking to this person? o Have students decide (or you decide) on the one general theme for all the interviews. o Remind them that oral histories are about just that – history, the past; so the interviews will not be about their current opinions, likes, or dislikes on a topic. o Examples could be: their first memory, first time going to school, first pet, favorite family trip, etc. y Students will write two or three questions in Section Three of the Oral History Worksheet; they can write down additional questions as the conversation develops. o Discuss the difference between closed (yes-or-no; factual, simple answer) questions and open-ended questions. Good interviewers use both. 11. PART TWO: Interview • First discuss how to conduct an effective interview: i. Make your narrator relaxed: be kind, respectful, not judgmental; be interested in what the narrator is saying ii. Really listen; if you don’t understand something that the narrator said, politely ask for an explanation. (Remind students to make their answers brief and to the point when it is their turn to be the narrator.) iii. Make notes during the course of the interview: key points that were mentioned, points you need explained, and additional questions you want to ask iv. Thank your narrator for taking the time to talk to you. yy Have students interview each other. 12. PART THREE: Post-Interview y Label your notes: names, date, location y Write a brief summary (a few sentences) of the main points that your narrator made. 13. Have students discuss the oral interviews they conducted: some students can read their summaries; what conclusions can they draw regarding common themes, contrasts, etc.? 14. [SLIDE 20] Conclusion: · Ask students if, from their exploration of oral histories today, they would say that oral histories help us to better understand the past. How? · Ask what key points they will take away from the oral history excerpts that they read, listened to, and watched. · Ask who they would like to interview and why. o They may initially mention famous people (the President of the United States, a sports, music, or film star, etc.) o Mention that it would be wonderful if they could interview such people, but that it would probably not be possible. o So, who could they realistically interview, and why?
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RESOURCES Shopes, Linda. What Is Oral History? http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/oral/oral.pdf Minnesota Historical Society Oral History Home Page http://sites.mnhs.org/library/content/oral-history Oral History Association Home Page http://www.oralhistory.org Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938. Library of Congress https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories. Library of Congress https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/title.html Minnesota Historical Society Voices of Minnesota (Oral History Collection) http://collections.mnhs.org/voicesofmn/ Immigration History Research Center [University of Minnesota] http://cla.umn.edu/ihrc International Institute of Minnesota http://www.iimn.org/ Minnesota Humanities Center: Absent Narratives Resource Collection http://www.humanitieslearning.org/resource/ Global Minnesota https://www.globalminnesota.org/ Hoover, Joe. Using your iPhone/iPad to Record Oral History. Minnesota Historical Society. Local History Community Board http://discussions.mnhs.org/mnlocalhistory/blog/2012/03/12/using-your-iphoneipad-to-record-oral-history/
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ASSESSMENT SUGGESTION Students will complete and turn in the Oral History Worksheets. EXTENSION ACTIVITY Have your students do a formal oral history project o Have the class decide on the theme of the project (the history of their school; stories about a significant event that occurred in their school, town, or state, etc.) o Prepare questions for their interview (with the idea that the interview will last about an hour or two) o Discuss and practice use of audio and/or video equipment o Have students analyze all the interviews and discuss common themes, contrasting views, conclusions o Possibly transcribe the interviews and collect them in a booklet (with an introduction that the students write, based on their analysis); have a copy preserved in the school library o Have students create a presentation of their work for the school (including both the written, audio, and visual aspects) o This project can connect with the Legacy Wall activity in the lesson Robert Hickman’s Legacy.
If you do not teach English Language Arts, consider collaborating with your colleagues who do!
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS READING: Key Ideas and Details Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. READING: Craft and Structure Standard 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. WRITING: Text Types and Purposes Standard 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. WRITING: Production and Distribution of Writing Standard 4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WRITING: Research to Build and Present Knowledge Standard 7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. SPEAKING, VIEWING, LISTENING AND MEDIA LITERACY: Comprehension and Collaboration Standard 2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
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ORAL HISTORY WORKSHEET SECTION ONE [Notes from Slave Narrative] BOB LEDBETTER
SECTION TWO [Notes from Refugee Narratives] MAGNOLIA YANG SAO YIA
SAIDA HASSAN
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________
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ORAL HISTORY WORKSHEET SECTION THREE [Interview a Classmate] Name of Narrator: Name of Interviewer: Location:
Date
QUESTIONS
ANSWERS
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
ANSWERS
SUMMARY:
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -91-
LESSON PLAN: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: THE CIVICS OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY LEARNING GOALS Students will consider what it means to have rights and responsibilities as world citizens. And they will come to more fully appreciate the refugee experience. MATERIALS · PowerPoint: “Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary” on the WITNESS Companion CD · Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Rights and Responsibilities Worksheet · Seeking Refugee Status Role-Play Cards, pp. 100 and 101
INTRODUCTION Almost everywhere we turn, there are rules and expectations regarding our conduct, whether in the family, school, community, or country. What about rules of conduct for citizens of the world? In this lesson, students will be introduced to and analyze portions of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights – an attempt to codify rules for the global community. Students will also engage in a role-play activity to better understand what is involved in becoming a refugee in this country. The aim of this lesson is to help students cultivate empathy and think seriously about how they can personally play a part in providing sanctuary for others. PROCESS 1. Have SLIDE 1 of the PowerPoint displayed as students enter. To begin, show SLIDE 2 which displays the words “Rights” and “Responsibilities”. · Ask for definitions · Elicit from the students any examples of each term that applies to them personally 2. [SLIDE 3] Introduce the idea that the rights that individuals within a group enjoy and the responsibilities that they assume can often be found in written form. y Ask if students can come up with examples of documents that outline rights and responsibilities for a particular group. y Help students see that there is a wide range of examples: o Family: house rules put on a refrigerator door o School: honor code, gym, hallway, and lunchroom rules, bullying rules o City: traffic and other laws o Country: The Declaration of Independence; The United States Constitution 3. Ask why it is important for a group (a family, a school, a city, a country) to specifically describe its members’ rights and responsibilities.
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4. Ask if students think that there has ever been an effort to identify rights and responsibilities for everyone on the planet. y [SLIDE 4] Explain that this is a document that was created in an attempt to do just that. y [SLIDES 5-13] Display selected illustrations from the Illustrated edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. y First ask students to interpret the particular right that artist Yacine Ait Kaci (YAK) illustrated. Then display the stated right. 5. Explain that the UDHR was adopted by the newly created United Nations’ General Assembly members on December 10, 1948. y Ask students why the organization and document came into existence at this time in history. y [SLIDE 14] After World War II, millions of people in Europe were displaced – living outside their countries of origin either because they had fled or because their country had changed its borders. y Soon after the end of World War II, the United Nations was created in an effort to avoid the kind of conflict from which the world had just emerged. y [SLIDE 15] The United Nations’ General Assembly members adopted the UDHR on December 10, 1948. y The first U.S. laws regarding refugees was also passed in 1948. 6. Explain that the U.N. later held a Refugee Convention in 1951. It was at this conference that an official definition of what a “refugee” was adopted. y [SLIDE 16] Ask students to give their definitions of the word “refugee”. y Highlight that the word “refugee” is derived from the word “refuge”. Ask for definitions of this word. y Ask how a refugee’s move to another country is different from an immigrant’s move. y [SLIDE 17] Display the official U.N. definition: “A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” y Point out that the United States can trace its origin to the refugee experience. (Pilgrims fled religious persecution in the 1600s, sailed across the ocean, and landed on the shores of what became America.) 7. Discuss the topic of refugees in Minnesota y From the time that Minnesota became a state in 1858, families and individuals have left terrible conditions in their home countries and eventually made Minnesota their new home. y [SLIDES 18-19] Discuss the chart and mention the following: o Since 1970, Minnesota has resettled more than 95,000 refugees. o Historically, the largest groups have been Hmong, Somalis, Vietnamese, Ethiopians, Liberians, Cambodians, Bosnians, and people from the Former Soviet Union. o Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the United States, as well as the second largest United States Hmong population. o The Hmong people began arriving in Minnesota in the mid-1970s, when the country of Laos was taken over by communist powers. -93-
o The Somali refugees began coming to Minnesota in the early 1990s after the collapse of the government resulted in extreme violence. o Most recent refugee groups include Karen and other refugees from Burma, Nepali-speaking refugees from Bhutan and Iraqis. o About 3,000 refugees arrive in Minnesota every year y Why Minnesota? o Strong economy o Thriving cultural life o History of active volunteerism regarding immigration and refugee resettlement, most often led by faith-based organizations NOTE: If you teach younger students, you might decide to skip steps 8-11 and go to the Conclusion. 8. Divide the class into small groups. Give each group six illustrations from the Illustrated Universal Declaration of Human Rights (These can be printed from the WITNESS Companion CD.) and a Rights and Responsibilities Worksheet. y In the first column, students are to describe the “right” that each Article outlines. In the second column, they are to describe the “responsibility” they feel that others have to ensure that the corresponding “right” is honored. y Allow about 10 minutes for this activity; then facilitate a general discussion about what they have written, and how that relates to them personally and to what they see happening in the world today. 9. Mention that Article 14 (1) of the UDHR speaks of the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. y Define the word asylum. (The protection granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political refugee.) y Ask if students are aware of current news about refugees. (Show newspaper, magazine, and/or internet articles.) y Highlight the difference between immigrants, who choose to move to another country for such reasons as economics or education, and refugees, who have to move to preserve their freedom or save their lives. 10. [SLIDES 20-31] Refugee Resettlement Role-Play y Explain that every year, thousands of people, who flee their homeland, seek refugee status in countries such as the United States and that they are going to get a sense of what it takes to obtain that status in this country. y Have 10 students represent people seeking refugee status; give each one an Applicant Card. Designate 8 pairs (or larger groupings depending on class size) of students to represent governmental agencies; give each group a Screening Card. y Place the “government agencies” at desks around the room. y Display the “Screening Process” slides, and as the “Applicants” come to each desk, use these slides to describe the step in the process that the desk represents. Or you can discuss the entire process and then have students do the role-play.
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y The “Applicants” give the “agencies” their cards. The “agencies” match each card with the information on their sheet and either reject the “Applicant” or move them forward to the next desk. 6 of the 10 will be granted refugee status. y [SLIDE 32] Explain that it is estimated that last year, about 944,000 refugees were in need of resettlement. The UNHCR submitted over 134,000 a pplications; 81,000 were accepted. yy Do the Math: What percentage of applicants were accepted? (60%) What percentage of refugees in need of resettlement were resettled? (14%) yy And that process takes at least 18-24 months! y Have students discuss their conclusions from the activity. 11. Digging deeper into “Freedom” and “Sanctuary” y Mention that the statement at the end of the steps outlined by the U.S. government for asylum-seekers who are granted refugee status, is: “Refugees are woven into the rich fabric of American Society!” y Ask: Is it as easy as that statement sounds? y Ask students if they think that “sanctuary” only mean a safe physical location. Help them consider less concrete concepts of sanctuary, such as writing in a journal, music, and having a good friend. 12. [SLIDE 33] Conclusion y Bring back the idea of rights and responsibilities o As you think about the refugee population in Minnesota, what are different ways that you can provide sanctuary for a schoolmate, neighbor, etc.? o How has considering the reasons that refugees seek a new home and (if sections 8-11 were considered) the process involved in finding it, added to your perspective about refugees? y In considering the International Declaration of Human Rights, how might viewing yourself as a citizen of the world rather than just a citizen of a particular country change the way that you think about your responsibilities toward others?
“The ordeals refugees survive and the aspirations they hold resonate with us as Americans. This country was built by people who fled oppression and war, leapt at opportunity, and worked day and night to remake themselves in this new land.” - President Barack Obama
SLAVES WERE NOT IMMIGRANTS
The theme for this year’s WITNESS program links the slave experience with the refugee experience in terms of seeking and finding sanctuary. A parallel can be drawn between the efforts of enslaved people to flee from the South and seek safety in the North with the efforts of refugees to flee from the life-threatening situations in their homeland and seeking sanctuary in other countries. However, it will be important to emphasize to your students that there is a distinct difference between the way that Africans were first brought to what became the United States and the way that people from other continents initially arrived. Remind students that whereas immigrants choose to move to another country, Africans were forced to migrate here or were tricked into doing so.
SLAVES AND RIGHTS
This lesson centers on universal rights for all the world’s citizens, regardless of their circumstances. At some point in your discussion, you might want to remind your students that in the early history of this country, Africans (who were forced to come here) and their descendants (who were born here) officially had no rights and that it was only with great struggle, over some three hundred and fifty years, that they fought for and obtained them.
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RESOURCES
Universal Declaration of Human Rights: History of the Document http://www.un.org/en/sections/universal-declaration/history-document/index.html Illustrated edition of the UDHR http://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/mobile.shtml Foundation of International Human Rights Law http://www.un.org/en/sections/universal-declaration/foundation-international-human-rights-law/index.html 2016 Twin Cities World Refugee Day: About Refugees http://tcworldrefugeeday.org/aboutrefugees-2/ Migration Policy Institute: Ten Facts about U.S. Refugee Resettlement http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/ten-facts-about-us-refugee-resettlement Pope, Amy. Screening Process for Refugee Entry into the United States (Infographic). Whitehouse.gov https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/11/20/infographic-screening-process-refugee-entry-united-states United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Refugee Resettlement Trends 2015 http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/protection/resettlement/559ce97f9/unhcr-refugee-resettlement-trends-2015.html United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2016 http://www.unhcr.org/protection/resettlement/558019729/unhcr-projected-global-resettlement-needs-2016.html United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2017 http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/protection/resettlement/575836267/unhcr-projected-global-resettlement-needs-2017.html
Minnesota Organizations
The Center for Victims of Torture http://www.cvt.org/ International Institute of Minnesota http://www.iimn.org/ Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota http://hfh-mn-sso.huterra.com/ Feed My Starving Children https://www.fmsc.org/ Amherst H. Wilder Foundation https://www.wilder.org/ Sojourner http://www.sojournerproject.org/ Tubman http://www.tubman.org/
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If you do not teach social studies, consider collaborating with your colleagues who do!
ASSESSMENT SUGGESTION Students will complete and turn in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Rights & Responsibilities worksheet. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES · Hand out copies of the entire Illustrated edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. o Have students analyze the document and, as a class, list the rights in order of importance · Challenge students to come up with additions to the UDHR o Have students illustrate (in the style of Yacine Ait Kaci) the human rights that they have added. · Use current news stories to facilitate a discussion about the political debate regarding immigration and refugees. · Have small groups research different Minnesota agencies that provide sanctuary for others. Each group will give a presentation on its findings and propose a class project in support of the agency they researched. The class can vote on which project to do. o Center for Victims of Torture o International Institute of Minnesota o Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota o Feed My Starving Children o Amherst H. Wilder Foundation o Sojourner [Shelter, legal advocacy, and support to victims of domestic violence] o Tubman [Family Crisis and Support Services]
MINNESOTA STATE STANDARDS CONNECTIONS SOCIAL STUDIES: Citizenship and Government (Civic Values and Principles of Democracy) Standard 3: The United States is based on democratic values and principles that include liberty, individual rights, justice, equality, the rule of law, limited government, common good, popular sovereignty, majority rule and minority rights. SOCIAL STUDIES: Citizenship and Government (Rights and Responsibilities) Standard 4: Individuals in a republic have rights, duties, and responsibilities SOCIAL STUDIES: Citizenship and Government (Governmental Institutions and Political Processes) Standard 8: Public policy is shaped by governmental and non-governmental institutions and political processes SOCIAL STUDIES: Citizenship and Government (Relationships of the United States to Other Nations and Organizations) Standard 12: Governments are based on different political philosophies and purposes; governments establish and maintain relationships with varied types of other governments.
SOCIAL STUDIES: History Standard 4: The differences and similarities of cultures around the world are attributable to their diverse origins and histories, and interactions with other cultures throughout time. SOCIAL STUDIES: United States History Standard 23: The end of the Cold War, shifting geopolitical dynamics, the intensification of the global economy, and rapidly changing technologies have given renewed urgency to debates about the United States’ identity, values and role in the world. (The United States in a New Global Age: 1980— present)
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Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Rights & Responsibilities
Describe in your own words what these rights mean to you personally; and also think about what part you can play in helping others enjoy these rights. Try to think of specific ways that you can personally help.
Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. RIGHTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. RIGHTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum [safety] from persecution. RIGHTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media… RIGHTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
Article 28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. RIGHTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. RIGHTS
RESPONSIBILITIES
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ________________ -98-
Universal Declaration of Human Rights — Rights & Responsibilities
KEY
(Answers will vary)
Describe in your own words what these rights mean to you personally; and also think about what part you can play in helping others enjoy these rights. Try to think of specific ways that you can personally help.
Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. RIGHTS To be treated equally and with dignity. To have the freedom to make choices for my life.
RESPONSIBILITIES To dignify others (even when they are very different from me) by the way I speak to, speak about, act toward, and work with them.
Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. RIGHTS To have my rights legally protected regardless of my race, nationality, gender, mental or physical challenges, etc.
RESPONSIBILITIES To wait until I know as many facts about an issue as possible before I form an opinion about what someone is accused of doing.
Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum [safety] from persecution. RIGHTS To be feel welcomed in another country [or, in principle, state, school, family] that I must go to because of not feeling safe where I was.
RESPONSIBILITIES To realize that others might have experienced, and may be experiencing, a lot of suffering; so I should do what I can not to add to it.
Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media… RIGHTS To feel that I can speak up in a group of friends or in class or in my family, especially when I know that others don’t agree with me, and feel that what I say will be respected.
RESPONSIBILITIES To not insult others when they have a viewpoint that is different than mine. To use social media responsibly.
Article 28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. RIGHTS RESPONSIBILITIES To feel a sense of security, in my immediate surround- To think about positive and responsible ways ings and in the world. To not feel that, at any moment, to deal with a problem. someone could do something crazy.
Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. RIGHTS RESPONSIBILITIES To feel that I can be myself and not be pressured to fit To work at being a force for good in my family, into someone else’s idea of who I should be. school, neighborhood, city, etc. To not just stand by when I see another being bullied.
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REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT ROLE-PLAY: SCREENING CARDS 1. UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
2. REFUGEE SUPPORT CENTER
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3. U.S. SECURITY AGENCY
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4. U.S. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
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7. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION
8. INTERNATIONAL ORG. FOR MIGRATION
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PART 4: WITNESS TEACHING ARTISTS: THEIR WORKSHOPS AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR THEM
Timothy Berry: Vocalist, Composer, Percussionist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Patricia Brown: Dance Instructor, Choreographer, Performer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Brandon Commodore: Drummer, Musician, Producer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Ginger Commodore: Singer, Songwriter, Actress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Karla Nweje: Arts Educator, Dancer, Choreographer, Literary Artist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 T. Mychael Rambo: Actor, Vocalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Anita Ruth: Musician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Marciano Silva Dos Santos: Dancer, Choreographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Roxane Wallace: Performer, Dancer, Choreographer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
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TIMOTHY BERRY Timothy Berry began singing in his father’s church at age 5 and has played hand drums since age 12. His eclectic performance venues include, Soul Drums; Leigh Morris Chorale; Contempo Dance Physical; Minnesota State University Repertory Dance Theater; Robert Robinson Music; Traveled Ground; and a series of diverse Master Classes and school presentations that emphasize African American Music and History. Timothy has received several awards as a composer including: Live Music for Dance award from the American Composer’s Forum, the Cultural Community Partnership grant, and winner in the Essentially Choral Competition for emerging American composers sponsored by VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum. He has composed commissioned works for dance, choral, and church groups. A former college football player, Timothy is on the Vocal Essence Witness Artist Roster, and as a clinician he has conducted workshops for drumming, choral music, and presentations in schools and universities on issues surrounding race, black culture, and race relations. Timothy has performed nationally as a singer, actor, and percussionist; including August Wilson’s Fences, and Black Nativity with Penumbra Theater, and La Boheme with the Minnesota Opera. He has also performed with Grammy Award winner, Larnelle Harris. Timothy has recorded music on a variety of CDs, from Gospel to Caribbean including his Soul Drums series, which stems from West African, Caribbean and African American music traditions. Timothy has a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU, M). He holds a B.S. degree in Music Education from Mankato State University and a Master’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis in multicultural music from The University of Minnesota. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at MSU, M.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION This year’s theme centers on the legacy of the Underground Railroad. Through the years, we have learned how singing played a vital role in sending messages and codes to help enslaved Africans escape to freedom. In this workshop, students will learn about how these songs were constructed in both rhythmic and melodic terms. In addition, students will draw comparisons to contemporary music; and, use classroom instruments or Garage Band to make an arrangement for “Follow the Drinking Gourd”. TO PREPARE STUDENTS: Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: · Lesson Plan: Introduction to Spirituals on p. 45 · Lesson Plan: Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American on p. 56 MATERIALS: Requested materials include iPad or laptop computer with Garage Band installed, head phones, Orff instruments, percussion instruments, audio sound system, projector and screen or smart board.
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PATRICIA BROWN For 22 years, Patricia Brown has been an active member of the Twin Cities arts community as a dancer, instructor, choreographer, and performer. She is an African-based movement instructor whose fusion style is rooted in dance of West Africa, other African regions, the Caribbean, and Americas. Incorporating various forms of artistic expression, her classes are a dynamic representation connecting the mind, creative energy, and body in motion. In addition to being a teaching artist with the VocalEssence WITNESS School Program, she teaches students of all ages in various settings, including primary and secondary schools, juvenile detention facilities, summer arts programs, and creates choreography for dance groups, and choirs. Patricia is an adjunct faculty member in the Theatre Arts and Dance departments at both Macalester College, and the University of Minnesota, where she received the College of Continuing Education Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Century Council Diverse Community Award. In 2013 Penumbra Summer Institute created the Patricia A. Brown scholarship in her honor. She was also nominated for a Sage Award for “Outstanding Dance Educator.” In 2015, Arts-Us presented her with the Legacy Arts Recognition Award. Her choreography, and performances have been seen on area stages, including the Walker Arts Center, O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, Minnesota Historical Society, Patrick’s Cabaret, Macalester College, and Penumbra, Southern, Pillsbury House, Children’s, SteppingStone, History, and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theaters. National credits include Jazz at Lincoln Center, Guthrie Theater, Lied Center for Performing Arts, University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club, Lincoln Memorial, St. John the Divine, and Center for Puppetry Arts.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Utilizing dance, music, and various forms of artistic expression, students will have an interdisciplinary experience in connection to the Underground Railroad. TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: • Lesson Plan: Meet WITNESS Guest Artist Melanie DeMore, p. 28 • Lesson Plan: The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35 • Listen to as many selections as possible from the WITNESS Companion CD • Feel free to explore any additional activities in the Teacher Resource Guide • Other specifics will be discussed at the planning meeting prior to the workshops IMPORTANT NOTE: Although Patricia usually works with a live drummer, schools should plan to provide an audio sound system or a CD player if possible. Also, if available, a wooden floor is preferred, but not mandatory. Students should wear comfortable clothes and shoes to move in on workshop days.
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BRANDON COMMODORE Brandon Commodore is a talented musician, producer and businessman. Brandon’s passion for music started at a very young age, when he picked up drumsticks and followed very close in his father’s footsteps; playing in school bands and continuing his music studies into college. Shortly after graduating high school, Brandon joined the Grammy Award winning Sounds of Blackness and shortly thereafter became full-time drummer for Mint Condition, his current main focus. Brandon’s love for music in gospel, jazz, funk, R&B, pop, hip-hop, rap, classical and much more sparked his interest to team up with other musician friends to create band The BoomBox, now known as #MPLS. This partnership has allowed Brandon the opportunity to work with many other organizations, musicians and promoters to create music, headline events and offer educational opportunities for youth in the Twin Cities. Brandon continues to take his passion to the next level, as he works to ensure the creativity and perfect sound for music he produces. His overall goal is create sound that “feels good.” When Brandon is away from the studio or business meetings, he takes the time to educate himself, whether it’s through webcast, reading, mentorships or actively pursuing his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Brandon is excited to share a workshop that will explore the use of hidden meanings and coded messages, and the integral role that both drums and song played in the development of unique communication styles during the abolitionist movement. Students will learn about the intricate dynamics of these communications, hidden meanings therein, and will be afforded the opportunity to create their own instruments and develop their own system of communication based on influential movements that have arisen during their lifetime. TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: · Lesson Plan: Meet WITNESS Guest Artist Melanie DeMore, p. 28 · Lesson Plan: The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35 · Lesson Plan: Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs, p. 56 · Lesson Plan: Robert Hickman’s Legacy, p. 71
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GINGER COMMODORE Ginger Commodore is a singer, songwriter and actress who enjoys an illustrious career in the Twin Cities area. She is an original member of the Grammy Award-winning singing ensemble The Sounds of Blackness and several local Gospel groups. She is also an original member of the vocal jazz ensemble Moore by Four. She’s shared the stage with such notables as Doc Severenson, Patrice Rushen, Kenny Loggins and Rachelle Ferrell. Ginger’s theatrical credits include productions with the Minnesota Opera Company, the Mixed Blood Theatre, the Children’s Theatre Company, Hey City Theatre, the Penumbra Theatre Company and Chanhassen Dinner Theater. Her career has led her to travel the world performing across the United States, in Italy, England, Finland, Portugal, and Japan. Ginger has expanded into producing and performing in tribute shows in the Twin Cities. Performances have been in tribute to Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole. Ginger is also an instructor with Penumbra Theatre’s Summer Institute.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Students will spend time exploring the idea of what ‘home’ is and how songs can send us through an array of feelings and emotions, and how certain songs can feel like home. We will discuss the multiple meanings and concepts about home, then put the words we discover into a song. We’ll build a ‘home’ with our words then write a song with our words! TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans, activities and student readings: · Lesson Plan: Songs of Hope, Sanctuary, and Home (steps 1 through 3), pp. 65-66 · Watch the video clip of Saida Hassan on the WITNESS Companion DVD (track # 2) and answer the questions associated with question #3 of the lesson process NOTES & MATERIALS: · Please allow space for us to work on the floor in a large circle · Please provide poster paper and markers
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KARLA NWEJE Karla Nweje is an arts educator, choreographer, performer, and literary artist. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Brooklyn College/ CUNY. As a literary artist, Karla is a published author and contributing writer to literary publications and writes and presents interactive workshops for youth. After obtaining teaching credentials, she worked as a NYC high school language arts teacher by day and a performer by night. During this time, she used movement and theater arts techniques to enhance the learning process in her classroom. The positive results she witnessed affirmed her conviction that the arts are vital to the comprehensive development of youth. Karla has performed and toured with dance and theater companies in NYC, Atlanta, and the Twin Cities. She continues to create and share work through The Samimejon Movement, her group performance initiative. A 2013 recipient of Ordway’s Excellence in Educational Service Award, Karla is a teaching artist and a design team member for its Dance to Learn Program. She is on several teaching artist rosters throughout the state of Minnesota, including COMPAS, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature, East Side Arts Council, and The Cowles Center for Dance. She is a regular presenter and speaker at arts and education conferences and was the keynote presenter for NWC’s 2014 Creativity Festival. Through arts residencies, workshops, professional development and more, Ms. Nweje continues to cultivate partnerships across organizations, programs, and school districts to make quality arts experiences accessible to all learners.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION This season, students will learn about Minnesota as a place of sanctuary during the time of the Underground Railroad and for refugees today. The workshops during my visits to WITNESS schools this year will continue to explore music and movement as complementary modes of expression. As we address the hidden meanings and coded messages in select African American songs, we will examine the idea of symbolism as utilized by lyricists and musical composers and will identify some examples of these creative choices. After going through basic exercises that illustrate how symbolism is sometimes used in the art of dance composition, students will then have an opportunity to explore their ‘inner choreographer’ by selecting their own visual symbols that will be added to our group movement phrases. These fun dance sequences will be simple interpretations of songs from Teacher Resource Guide lesson plans and selected by the teacher(s) and/or teaching artist. TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: · Lesson Plan: The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35 · Lesson Plan: Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home, p. 65 · Lesson Plan: Hidden Meanings & Coded Messages in African American Songs, p. 56 IMPORTANT NOTE: If available, a wooden floor is preferred, but not mandatory. Students should wear comfortable clothing to move in on workshop days.
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T. MYCHAEL RAMBO Regional Emmy Award-winning actor, vocalist, arts educator and community organizer; T. Mychael Rambo has made an indelible mark here in the Twin Cities performing principle roles at such theaters as Penumbra, the Guthrie, Ordway, Illusion Theatre, Mixed Blood, Park Square Theatre, Children’s Theatre and Minnesota Opera, to name but a few. Nationally and internationally his stage credits include Carnegie Hall and performances abroad in Africa, Europe and South America. He has appeared in local and national television commercials, feature films, HBO mini-series, and other television programming. T. Mychael is an accomplished residency artist and an affiliate professor in the College of Liberal Arts, Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota. As a recording artist, T. Mychael has released two popular CD’s: Simply - a collection of jazz standards; and The Gift- A Christmas With Love - a selection of original and holiday classics. T. Mychael had the great honor of singing the National Anthem for both President Barak Obama and former President Jimmy Carter. Mr. Rambo is also the proud recipient of the 2009 Sally Award in Education presented by the Ordway and the 2010 Minnesota Black Music Award. His other honors and awards include Young Audience Artist of the Year with his dear friend and teaching partner Anita Ruth, McKnight Theatre Artist Fellowship, Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Fellowship, Bush Finalist and both the University of Minnesota Century Council Community Award and Outstanding Community Service Award among others.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION See opposite page (T. Mychael will present along with Anita Ruth.)
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ANITA RUTH Anita Ruth has been active in the Twin Cities theatrical and musical circles for over 36 years. After serving as musical director for over eighty shows at the Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, she has led a varied and exciting life as a freelance musician and educator. She spent eight years with the Children’s Theater Company in both theatrical and educational capacities. Continuing her work with young people, Anita has partnered with T. Mychael Rambo on the COMPAS Artist’s Roster, being named Artists of the Year in 2006 by Young Audiences of Minnesota. Anita has worked for fourteen years with Project Success, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to helping inner city students thrive and fulfill their dreams. She is the musical director for three theater projects each year, involving over 300 students. Her work as a teacher also extends to music directing four shows every year with Bloomington Civic Theater. But, it is with the WITNESS School Program that she finds her greatest educational experiences. A roster member for thirteen years, Anita is committed to bringing the true story of African American history, song, and culture to all students and educators.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION T. Mychael and Anita are pleased to focus this year’s workshop on how Negro Spirituals contributed to the functioning of the Underground Railroad. Spirituals such as Swing Low Sweet Chariot and Wade in the Water provide a means of communication, in the form of hidden messages, known as “code songs.” These code songs were filled with vital information as to how to escape via the Underground Railroad. These songs were anchors to enslaved Africans in their search for home, sanctuary, refuge... and ultimately freedom. With the students, T. Mychael and Anita will explore the significance of these concepts in their lives today. Together we will give voice to their ideas in a newly created song based on a spiritual melody. We will video the song upon completion and give the teachers a copy that can be up loaded to a school website. TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: · Lesson Plan: The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History & Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 35 · Lesson Plan: Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home, p. 65 · Lesson Plan: Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary, p. 84
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MARCIANO SILVA DOS SANTOS Marciano Silva Dos Santos is a native of Brazil, Founder, Dancer, Choreographer and Artistic Director of Contempo Physical Dance based in Minnesota. He studied theater and dance at FAFI, a professional performing arts school in Vitória, Brazil. After his dramatic performance of the moon character in Lorca's Blood Wedding, he began to observe and study the body in order to develop his own dance vocabulary, a precise handling, authentic and technically defined movement style based on his own personal research. In 2006 he was recognized by the American Folkloric Society as a Brazilian folk artist of unique and exceptional ability, and since that time he has been sharing his expertise with the Minnesota dance community. Through an invitation by Patrick Scully of Patrick’s Cabaret and Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands, he joined TU Dance, led by Toni and Uri, where he was a company member for five years. He also danced for Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater and in Penumbra Theatre’s Black Nativity. Marciano quickly gained recognition for the high quality of his professional work. He was named “Best Dancer” by City Pages in 2009 and “one of the most graceful movers on any Twin Cities stage” by the Star Tribune in 2010. Marciano has been featured in Dance Mogul Magazine, Minnesota Monthly Magazine, Revista da Cultura – ES - Brazil, Jornal da Dança and Revista Dança Brasil.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION I love to dance and teach, and strongly believe that dance and movement can create a safe place where we can see ourselves as human beings. Dance can connect us to ourselves, to each other, and to the world in which we live. In connecting with this year’s WITNESS theme, students will explore dance and movement to create community by practicing their RIGHT to feel safe and welcome, while engaging their RESPONSIBILITY to dignify others with the way the speak to, act toward and work with each other. TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: · Lesson Plan: Rights and Responsibilities: The Civics of Freedom and Sanctuary on p. 92. · Lesson Plan: Telling Their Stories: The Language of Freedom and Sanctuary on p. 84.
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ROXANE WALLACE Roxane Wallace is active in the arts as a performer, teacher, dancer, and choreographer. Originally from California, she holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of California at Berkeley. Constantly engaged in her field, she has worked with choreographers and directors of both regional and international acclaim earning her the “Best Dancer” title in the 2004 City Pages “Best of the Twin Cities”, a 2007 MN Sage Award for Outstanding Performer, and the honor of being named a McKnight Artist Fellow in Dance. Mrs. Wallace was seen nationally and internationally as a principal artist with Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater Company for 15 years. As a creator of original, socially conscious work Mrs. Wallace wrote, choreographed, directed and produced “Evolution of a Soul Sista” and her “REvolutionary Soul Sistas” was presented by The Red Eye Theater where she served as a member of their Critical Core group. She continues to conduct workshops, serve as a guest instructor and/or choreographer and provides inspiration through dance to all ages in schools, universities, community groups and organizations around the Twin Cities and beyond. Currently, in addition to the Vocal Essence WITNESS program, she is a company member of Time Track Productions, a teaching artist for the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts, and an instructor at Zenon Dance Studio and School.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION In working with Roxane students will develop a stronger understanding of our common history and ongoing struggle from slavery to freedom and the importance of the Underground Railroad in that journey. With engaged discussion and creative process, students will work individually and collectively to create and share original choreography inspired by their own ideas around the WITNESS 20162017 themes of Freedom and Sanctuary. We will use selected tracks included on the Companion CD to accompany our choreography. TO PREPARE STUDENTS Complete the following lesson plans and student readings: · Lesson Plan: Meet WITNESS Guest Artist, Melanie DeMore on p. 28 · Complete the agreed upon sections of the Lesson Plan: The Underground Railroad in Minnesota: The History and Geography of Freedom and Sanctuary with your students, on p. 35 · Lesson Plan: Songs of Hope, Sanctuary and Home on p. 65
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please reserve and prepare a large, open space to accommodate movement and sound. If possible, allow time in the planning meeting for Roxane to view the space and look at the sound system that will be used for the workshops. Inform your students that we will be moving in the workshops, and remind them to wear clothes and shoes that they can move in safely with freedom and comfort.
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IMAGE CREDITS/SOURCES COVER: Cover Photos: © Bruce Silcox
PART 1: Robert Graham: Stephen Maturen VocalEssence Chorus: Krivit Photography & Bruce Silcox Philip Brunelle: Krivit Photography WITNESS Artist Workshops: Stephen Maturen
PART 3: MEET WITNESS GUEST ARTIST MELANIE DEMORE Melanie DeMore
http://www.melaniedemore.com/ With Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
http://www.dakotacooks.com/artist/linda-tillery/ With Pounding Sticks
http://www.melaniedemore.com/ With the Oakland Children’s Choir
http://www.melaniedemore.com/
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN MINNESOTA: THE HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY A Ride for Liberty – The Fugitive Slaves
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Eastman_Johnson_-_A_Ride_for_Liberty_--_The_Fugitive_ Slaves_-_ejb_-_fig_74_-_pg_137.jpg Photograph of Dred Scott
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Dred_Scott_photograph_(circa_1857).jpg http://moodleshare.org/pluginfile.php/17433/mod_page/content/27/Fort%20Snelling%20.jpg Drawing of Joseph Farr
http://saintpaulalmanac.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/MNHS-steamboats-st-paul-levee-1880.jpg African American nanny
http://imagecache5d.allposters.com/watermarker/46-4608-WOAFG00Z.jpg?ch=894&cw=670 Robert Hickman
http://saintpaulhistorical.com/files/show/894
INTRODUCTION TO SPIRITUALS
Negro Spirituals, Triple Middle Passage, Harvey Johnson, African American poet & artist
http://www.thegregoryschool.org/current-exhibit.html
The Fisk Jubilee Singers
http://gospelconnoisseur.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/fisk-jubilee-singers-gospelconnoisseur.jpg Frederick Douglas (? – 1895)
http://www.greatblackheroes.com/civil-rights/frederick-douglass/ Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Booker_T_Washington_retouched_flattened-crop.jpg
Wade in the Water musical score excerpt
http://op-it-solution.blogspot.com/2013/05/wade-in-water.html#.V3vrkzX1rwY -112-
HIDDEN MEANINGS & CODED MESSAGES IN AFRICAN AMERICAN SONGS
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, William Johnson (1944)
http://www.wikiart.org/en/william-h-johnson/swing-low-sweet-chariot-1944
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot musical score excerpt
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gld-RUjofVg/UYi6_pAyMXI/AAAAAAAAcNs/kFf2xFJ1YMY/s1600/Swing+Low+DEGABD’.png Vinyl Record Images
http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/fa-gospel Harriet Tubman 1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman
SONGS OF HOPE, SANCTUARY AND HOME Habitat for Humanity Logo
http://seeklogo.com/images/H/habitat-for-humanity-logo-C302E37C91-seeklogo.com.gif Jake and Warda
http://jakerunestad.com/store/we-can-mend-the-sky/
ROBERT HICKMAN’S LEGACY Robert Hickman stained glass window
http://www.twincities.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/20130619__130620-Pilgrim.jpg Legacy Wall 1
http://montini.k12.il.us/pictures/2016/2/Legacy%20wall%202.jpg Legacy Wall 2
http://www.donorwall.com/images/windows/what_we_offer/full_images/planned_giving_societies_full_01.jpgl Pilgrim Baptist Legacy Tree
http://pilgrimbaptistchurch.org/ Pilgrim Baptist Church, St. Paul, MN
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/wp-content/uploads/files/13/28/church.jpg Google Map Image, Pilgrim Baptist Church
https://goo.gl/maps/qw7FCcQ2oQS2 Scene from Adrift on the Mississippi
http://www.twincities.com/2011/02/09/play-explores-slaves-journey-to-st-paul-to-found-black-church/
BIRD IN THE AIR! THE SCIENCE OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY
Woodblock print of a runaway enslaved man
http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/ximages/authors/Stowe/RunawaySlave.jpg Frederick Douglass
http://www.rysec.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Frederick_Douglass_as_a_younger_man.jpg Harriet Tubman
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Harriet_Tubman_by_Squyer%2C_NPG%2C_c1885.jpg Big Dipper
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/wp-content/uploads/Big_Dipper_l.jpg
TELLING THEIR STORIES: THE LANGUAGE OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY Uncle Billy McCrea
http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/ppmsc/00300/00316v.jpg Drawing of enslaved family being separated
http://atlantablackstar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/mgs180351-600x495.jpg Hmong people gathering at plane to evacuate from Laos
http://i19.servimg.com/u/f19/16/82/10/93/lttoda13.jpg Demolished cathedral in Mogadishu http://viiphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/17-PAG20081112D0378-1072x714.jpg
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RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: THE CIVICS OF FREEDOM AND SANCTUARY Eleanor Roosevelt with copy of Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/44/94944-050-7A333F9A.jpg
Article 4 Illustration by Yacine Ait Kaci (YAK) from the Illustrated UDHR http://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf Chart of Minnesota Regugee Population (2008 – 2012) http://americanredcross.github.io/WorldRefugeeDay/Minnesota/ Screening Process for Refugee Entry into the U.S. https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/wh_blog_refugee_workflow_1120b.jpg
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Image Courtesy of Ta-coumba Aiken
Minnesota Humanities Center
This work is funded in part with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Charles M. Denny, Jr. & Carol E. Denny* Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Walt McCarthy and Clara Ueland Alfred P. & Ann M. Moore Lois Quam -116-