WE THE PEOPLE
Montpelier staff and Summit participants brainstorm criteria for best practices in descendant engagement .
NATIONAL SUMMIT ON TEACHING SLAVERY
Nearly 50 of the nation ’ s leading academics , public historians , and descendant community advocates convened at Montpelier February 9-11 to develop new guidelines for how cultural institutions and historic sites teach and interpret slavery by successfully engaging descendant communities .
The National Summit on Teaching Slavery , a partnership between Montpelier and the National Trust for Historic Preservation ’ s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund , is the first national , interdisciplinary effort to formulate a recognized model for best practices in descendant engagement . The conference builds on the successful model of descendant engagement implemented during the creation of Montpelier ’ s slavery exhibition The Mere Distinction of Colour .
“ Including descendants in discussions of slavery interpretation doesn ’ t make them less scientific . In fact , it offers new perspectives , more accountability , and a path forward for assuring that African American history is not a sidebar of American history .”
— Michael Blakey
National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Anthropology at The College of William & Mary , member of Montpelier ’ s descendant community
Leading scholars like Harvard University ’ s Evelyn Higginbotham , Ohio State University ’ s Hasan Kwame Jeffries , and William & Mary ’ s Michael Blakey interacted with leaders from important public institutions that included the Southern Poverty Law Center , Mount Vernon , Monticello , Whitney Plantation , and the National Civil Rights Museum , Memphis , in addition to descendant community representatives from sites across the South . The workshop sought to create best practices for engaging descendant communities in crucial aspects of slavery interpretation , including : definitions and rights of descendant communities ; understanding the lasting legacies of slavery ; creating community engagement and outreach models ; new approaches to genealogical research ; and portraying the emotional realities facing enslaved people .
The outcome of the Summit will be released during Montpelier ’ s annual Juneteenth celebration .
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