Yale University Summary, By: A.S

 Group Presentation.

Legacy Theme: Commemoration and Memory, Rae, Place, and Migration.

As a participant of the Legacies of American Slavery Public History Institute, held at Yale University from July 31 - August 5, 2022, I was a part of a group presentation with Professor Woody Register, of The University of the South. The presentation highlighted the projects that the University of the  South/TheRobeson Project are conducting as a part of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). Included in their projects is the Asia School Restoration Project which is being spearheaded by the Melungeon Heritage Research Group. As a community partner, I was able to speak about the Asia School Restoration Project, its beginnings and hopes for future use of the Asia School space as a museum highlighting black education in Franklin County Tennessee from the end of slavery to school integration. Also, we discussed the challenges that we face with obtaining the funds needed to complete the project.

The public history institute, brought by the Gilder Lehrman Center of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition was comprised of university professors, archivists, authors, politicians, public history professionals, and Yale University staff. It was truly a meeting of the minds from all walks of life, giving their perspectives on the legacy of slavery and how communities today are still affected. The preservation of history was one of the key topics of conversation, and how educational institutes and partnership with communities have shown to be beneficial in accurately preserving African American history. 

The field trip to New York City, walking through Manhattan and seeing historical places such as the African Burial Ground, Seneca Village, Central park, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, really clears up the perception of the degree of slavery in the Northeast United States and how prevalent it was to the development of this area before slavery was discontinued in this area. One of the most eye opening experiences was on the Yale Campus and how this prestigious, historical institution also had a past that included slavery. Yale University has massive archives and the participants in the institute were able to view different documentation from New Haven history that showed the existence of slavery in that area.