Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Preserving African American History in a Predominantly White Appalachian Community
Session Abstract or Summary
Like many institutions of higher education in the Appalachian region, Frostburg State University in western Maryland is a vehicle for attracting a racially diverse student body to an otherwise predominantly white community. At best, these dynamics can lead to “strange bedfellows” and at worst tensions between “town and gown.” The diversification fostered by universities like FSU can be used as an asset, however, in furthering the preservation of African American history, which may have been relegated to a position of secondary importance. This presentation describes two project that have involved FSU students in celebrating African American history in western Maryland.
The Jane Gates Heritage House is a newly established community center which derives its name from Jane Gates, a former slave, who purchased the property in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1871. Working with the overriding question, “How do we build community capacity to shape a positive future for Appalachia?,” FSU student participants in the Appalachian Teaching Project are exploring how a fuller understanding of Appalachian culture and history, which recognizes the deep legacy of African American heritage, can help create a more inclusive community and forge a renewed sense of community cohesiveness in western Maryland.
The Brownsville Project honors the history of a historic African American neighborhood that was twice displaced by the expansion of the university’s campus. Students at Frostburg State University, in conjunction with the descendants of Brownsville, have been engaged in work that addresses these power dynamics and seeks to build positive race relations in Frostburg today.
Presentation #1 Title
Documenting and Promoting the Jane Gates Heritage House
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
The Jane Gates Heritage House is in its infancy as a non-profit and community center. Frostburg State University students are increasing the center’s visibility in the region while providing its board feedback to assist them in future strategic planning and program development and in building a strong volunteer base. This project is intended to solidify a relationship between Frostburg State University students and the Jane Gates Heritage House that could lead to future partnerships in the form of internships, particularly for students interested in contributing to the center’s development of after-school programs, directed studies, workshops, and community gardening, and experiential learning opportunities.including lectures and seminars hosted by the Jane Gates Heritage House. The project is a participant of the Appalachian Teaching Project administered by the Appalachian Regional Commission in partnership with East Tennessee State University. This presentation provides an overview of the project from the organizing professor’s perspective, including a discussion of goals and objectives and a candid assessment of the project’s challenges and successes.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Kara Rogers Thomas is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Frostburg State University. She directs Folklore and Folklife Programming at FSU in partnership with the Maryland Traditions Program of the State Arts Council, producing an annual FSU Appalachian Festival and managing Mountain City Traditional Arts, a shop and venue. For several years she's been a Faculty Fellow with the Appalachian Teaching Project.
Presentation #2 Title
Remembering Brownsville
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Institutions of higher education are seeking ways to be more engaged with their host communities by providing learning opportunities for students that reach beyond the campus boundaries. National initiatives such as the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities have promoted the “engaged campus” movement. Scholars such as Harry Boyte, however, have been skeptical of this movement since civic engagement can be structured in a way that ignores power relationships between the university and the community, ignores politics, and fails to acknowledge the strengths inherent in persons and communities that are being served.
Like many institutions of higher education in the Appalachian region, Frostburg State University in western Maryland is a vehicle for attracting a racially diverse student body to an otherwise predominantly white community. The diversification fostered by universities like FSU can be used as an asset in furthering the preservation of African American history, which may have been relegated to a position of secondary importance. This paper focuses on The Brownsville Project honoring the history of a historic African American neighborhood that was twice displaced by the expansion of the university’s campus. Students at Frostburg State University, in conjunction with the descendants of Brownsville, have been engaged in work that addresses these power dynamics and seeks to build positive race relations in Frostburg today.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Kathleen Powell is professor of social work at Frostburg State University where she teaches courses in community organizing and social change. She has been a long-standing activist on a variety of social justice issues.
Presentation #3 Title
Engaging Community, Student Perspectives
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Frostburg State University students involved in the Brownsville Project and the Jane Gates Heritage House Project will discuss their engagement with community members. Focusing on their own experiences, students will highlight some of the challenges and rewards of such experiential learning projects. Moreover, students will describe how these projects provided them with a more racially inclusive understanding of the Appalachian region and its history.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Two of the participating students were student participants in the Appalachian Teaching Project. Others are students seeking a degree in Social Work.
Documenting and Promoting the Jane Gates Heritage House
The Jane Gates Heritage House is in its infancy as a non-profit and community center. Frostburg State University students are increasing the center’s visibility in the region while providing its board feedback to assist them in future strategic planning and program development and in building a strong volunteer base. This project is intended to solidify a relationship between Frostburg State University students and the Jane Gates Heritage House that could lead to future partnerships in the form of internships, particularly for students interested in contributing to the center’s development of after-school programs, directed studies, workshops, and community gardening, and experiential learning opportunities.including lectures and seminars hosted by the Jane Gates Heritage House. The project is a participant of the Appalachian Teaching Project administered by the Appalachian Regional Commission in partnership with East Tennessee State University. This presentation provides an overview of the project from the organizing professor’s perspective, including a discussion of goals and objectives and a candid assessment of the project’s challenges and successes.
