Reimagining New England Histories: Professional Learning Opportunity

Did you know that towards the bottom and on the left of all recently printed U.S. currency you will see the name Lynn Malerba? Malerba is the current U.S. Treasurer and a lifetime Chief of the Mohegan Tribe (nation). She is also the first female and the first Indigenous person to hold this position. Like Chief Malerba’s signature, examples of Indigenous history and futurity are all around us. Sometimes, we just need a reminder of where to look.  

In 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. The law acknowledged that “American Indians were the original inhabitants of the lands that now constitute the United States,” and that “Native American Indians have made an essential and unique contribution to our nation.” However, as is true in many parts of the United States, the experiences and contributions of Indigenous peoples are not included in the curriculum provided by the Rhode Island Department of Education to K-12 schools. This means that—more than thirty years after the signing of the law—teachers who wish to discuss the “essential and unique” contributions of Native peoples must conduct their own research and write their own curriculum.

This professional learning opportunity (PLO) will provide educators with selected resources that contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the essential and unique contributions of Native peoples. Participants will also have the opportunity to review, evaluate, and create lessons that foreground the experiences of Indigenous peoples.

This PLO is one-day and will be held from 9 am – 5 pm on Tuesday July 25th, 2023. The program is sponsored by the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University, Tomaquag Museum, and the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities. The PLO will be held at the Simmons Center (94 Waterman Street, Providence, RI).

Participants will receive a $100 honorarium, 8 Professional Learning Units (PLUs), and educational resources including the course texts. Breakfast and lunch are also provided.

Course Texts: The syllabus will be shared with participants in early July.

• Why You Can’t Teach United States History without American Indians.
• A Key into the Language of America: The Tomaquag Museum Edition.

Register

Space is limited. Register now using this link: https://forms.gle/HrgiTmrX3LwrWCGi8    

Submit questions to: mack_scott@brown.edu

Illustration: Benjamin West, Penn’s Treaty with the Indians (1771-72). Cover art for: Why You Can’t Teach United States History without American Indians.