Events
Poster for "Decolonizing Archaeology: Lessons from the African Burial Ground 30 years later"
Decolonizing Archaeology: Lessons from the African Burial Ground 30 years later
with Dr. Michael Blakey, College of William and Mary
Friday September 24, 2021
4-5:30 p.m.
The Flatbush African Burial Ground Coalition presents this teach-in as part of our commitment to community engagement and education. Brought by the generous support of GrowHouse NYC, the Rapid Response Program and the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities of Brooklyn College and co-sponsored by Brooklyn College Departments of American Studies, Anthropology, Art, Classics, History, and The Center for the Study of Brooklyn and Anthro Club.
Dr. Michael Blakey of the College of William and Mary will unpack the lessons of creating the National African Burial Ground monument in Lower Manhattan. Dr. Uzma Rizvi from Pratt Institute and Dr. Thomas Angotti from CUNY will be contributing to the discussion by engaging Dr. Blakey around “Community as Client” and creating a road map for future discoveries.
The Teach-In will discuss:
- the history and legacy of racism in archaeology
- standards for meaningful engagement with African Descendant communities
- the ways that white organizations and professionals think and act to undermine Descendent communities and attempt to deprive of them agency, whether consciously or unconsciously
- tactics and strategies for creating a toolkit for future discoveries of African burial grounds
- memorializing geographies of resistance and more
The teach-in will last 90 minutes which will include a Q + A period. Here are links to the texts which will be discussed:
- Archaeology under the Blinding Light of Race
- Engaging Descendant Communities in the Interpretation of Slavery at Museums and Historic Sites (pdf)
