Hands on History Museum 101

After school I was joined in the school library for a "Museum talk."  Several teachers from each grade level attended and listened, looked and observed all the information I shared about how to use the museum with students.  Many were overwhelmed....where to start?  Many were delighted with the amount and variety of resources available.  Some teachers were planning multiple visits so their students could take it all in.  There seemed to be an overall appreciation for the time and effort put into the display.  Some teachers, anxious to get started right away were planning a walk through first in anticipation of opening day, February 1st.  SO much to learn.  One teacher remarked, "I'm glad this is here all month, I want my kids to experience it all!"

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I share the museum with my new school community.  I am both anxious and excited.  After school teachers and staff are invited to an overview of the museum and how to use it with their students.  I found these  wise words  from Malcolm X.
"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today."
I'm prepared for tomorrow. 

The stage is set...

     Today we set up the 2012 Hands on Black History museum.  Loading both van and jeep took almost an hour.  Helping hands included my husband, sister, and both nieces.  The school librarian cleared shelves and shelf tops for displays, a huge help.  The doors opened and we carried in all the tubs, bags,  and boxes  that held inside the precious museum displays and artifacts.  Items were carefully placed around the library to tell the story to students, staff and parents that will enter next week.  We tried out the record player and set up to the tunes of Stevie Wonder and Motown.  A record 4 hours later the job was complete.  Beautiful new posters designed by my sister tell the story of the Freedom riders, might I add the love and passion that went into these displays is outstanding,  along with a bus that will act as a conversation piece. Special thanks to Kindergarten parent Mr. Leon for the bus design poster. Thank you for the helping hands of family.
Some new artifacts have been added along with the return of the "Box" that educates students about the journey of Henry Box Brown. Each year as the museum grows it is exciting to revisit the previous year's displays and remember fondly the speakers that shared their journeys, stories and lives.  History lives!  This year's museum will be brought to life by all its visitors that learn and discover the history of all of us. 

Black History Month Tribute Video

Black History Month Tribute Video

Carter G. Woodson

 Carter G. Woodson was born in 1875. Convinced that the history of African-Americans was being ignored and misrepresented, Woodson took steps to put things right. In 1915 he founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The association was created to promote and preserve African-American history and culture. He founded the Journal of Negro History in 1916.

Originally named  Negro History Week in 1926, the week chosen  was celebrated   the second week of February between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, the week long celebration evolved into Black History Month in 1976.

"Real education means to inspire people to live more abundantly, to learn to begin with life as they find it and make it better..."   Carter G. Woodson

Freedom Rider Matthew Walker to speak at Hands on Black History museum

The Hands on Black History Museum, now in its fifth year,  is pleased to announce that the Museum will be housed in the Long Elementary School library  during the month of February.  Long Elementary is part of the Lindbergh School District, and is located at 9021 Sappington Road.  The Museum highlights the many accomplishments of African Americans in our country’s history and provides students and staff with a stimulating experience that includes hands on activities. 

The Museum debuts on Wednesday, February 1^st and closes on Friday, February, 24^th.  The courageous acts of the Freedom Riders that helped shape our country will be an area of concentration during this year's museum display.  This year's keynote speaker is Matthew Walker, Jr. Freedom rider and sit-in participant in the Civil rights movement.   Mr. Walker will address students and staff on Wednesday February 9th.  Matthew Walker, Jr. was a passenger on the first Freedom Bus traveling into Jackson, Mississippi in 1961.  He will be traveling from Nashville, Tennessee where he is currently president of the Nashville Civil Rights Veterans Association.  

And so it begins...

It's always a little exciting to begin carefully choosing the items for each museum display.  What makes the cut and what doesn't?  My museum collaborator/sister and I try to make each display tell a story; the challenge is picking specific items that will tell each year's story.  
A theme is chosen and a guest speaker is invited to share their story with our young Elementary audience. Displays are then designed to help support the theme and guest speaker's address as well as educate those visiting the museum.  It all culminates in an exciting experience shared by the entire school community.  This year's theme is "Next stop Equality...A Freedom Rider's journey."  Our guest speaker on February 9th  will be Matthew Walker from Nashville, Tennessee.  Mr. Walker participated in the sit-ins as well as the Freedom rides. 
Yesterday we opened box after box of museum artifacts, posters and hands-on items.  We carefully chose the ones that would work for this year's museum.  The remainder were returned to their yearly resting place.  
We talked about the things we'd come across in our research about the Freedom riders.  We discussed what we were each working on.  We repaired some items and stacked those items in boxes floor to ceiling ready to be transported for next week's museum set up.  Eight hours later, we sat and stared, ready to once again begin telling the story, and sharing history in a new year. 

Famous Black quotes by Janet Cheatham Bell

"Life is a short walk.  There is so little time and so much living to achieve."

                                                        John Oliver Killens

Parchman Parodies

Many Freedom Riders were jailed and taken to Parchman Prison in Jackson, Mississippi.  The harsh conditions of the jail did not end their journey.  Here is a passage from "Sing for Freedom," The story of the Civil Rights Movement through its songs.  Edited and compiled by Guy and Candie Carawan. 

     Several parodies to familiar tunes came out of the Freedom Rides.  The following was sent by Marilyn Eisenberg, a Freedom Rider from California.
 Tune:  Yankee Doodle


Freedom Riders came to town 
Riding on the railway, 
Mississippi locked  them up 
Said you can't even use Trailways.
     Mississippi, you are wrong, 
     You've gone against the nation
     We'll keep coming big and strong
     And we'll end segregation. 

Freedom Rider to speak in St. Louis

Freedom Rider “Rip” Patton at Christ Cathedral 

February  11–12

Dr. Ernest “Rip” Patton will be joining us for two events on Feb. 11 and 12 to share stories of the past and help us look at the future of dismantling racism. Fifty years ago last May, Rip Patton boarded a Greyhound bus in Montgomery, Ala., on a ride that would change his life and the course of American history. He was one of the Freedom Riders—a courageous group of civil rights pioneers who effected one of the most catalytic events for racial justice in the 1960s in desegregating transportation in the Deep South. For his efforts, he spent time in Mississippi’s notorious Parchman State Prison Farm and was expelled from Tennessee State University.

    On Saturday, Feb. 11, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, Dr. Patton will keynote “Seeking Our Past, Creating Our Future,” an event planned by the Commission on Dismantling Racism that will equip congregational teams to examine their own history with racial injustice and to chart a productive course to address current inequities of race. On Sunday, Feb. 12, Dr. Patton will lead the 9 AM Adult Forum, guest preach at the 10 AM service, and participate in a “chew and chat” lunchtime conversation in Schuyler Hall following the service.

Christ Church Cathedral is located at 1210 Locust, St. Louis Missouri.

The Freedom Riders...did you know?

The oldest Freedom rider was 61, the youngest was 13.  The riders came from 39 states and 11 countries. 

Here is a wonderful interview  with Ruby Bridges.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SKyQV0-z6HE

Reflecting on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King.....
     We can all hope that after our passing our lives will continue to have a profound effect on those whose lives we have touched.  I recently read an excerpt from Dr. King's speech at the March on Washington, it speaks of the" urgency of now,"  I share this now:
     "We have also come to this hallowed spot (Washington D.C.) to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.  Now is the time to make real the promise of Democracy.  Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.  Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all God's children.  Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood."
Martin Luther King was one of many speakers at the March on Washington.  His "I have a dream" speech has been framed by history because his words, for many summed up the mood of the march and helped many Americans understand Dr. King's vision.  RIP Dr. King. 

Welcome to the Hands on Black History Museum blog! Here, I will provide updates on the physical museum as well as the website, conveniently located here. Check back periodically for new information regarding this year's museum. The 2012 theme for the Black History Museum is "Next Stop... Equality: A Freedom Rider's Journey." Stay tuned for upcoming news and events.