In 2020, the Center for Brooklyn History, in conjunction with Dr. Brian Purnell, curated Brooklyn Resists exhibition, a Public History Project that explores the history of Black Brooklynites and their stories of resistance and perseverance.
Introduction
This curriculum is an adaptation of the Brooklyn Resists (2020) exhibition. The featured case studies and contextual videos are derived from the exhibition and the Brooklyn Public Library's collections, incorporating materials that range in origin from the 1600s to the 2020s. The curriculum is divided into six separate sections, which correspond to the sections of the exhibition. This curriculum expounds the history of Black Brooklynites with the objective of tailoring the exhibition content to a social studies Scope & Sequence framework.
About this curriculum
We suggest using this curriculum with students in grades six and up. It is categorically grouped by theme and can be taught chronologically or out of order.
This curriculum is divided into the following sections:
- Prologue Lessons
- Section 1: Covenant with Color
- Section 2: Bodies on the Line
- Section 3: Education as Activism
- Section 4: Celebration as Political Demonstration
- Section 5: Alliances and Allyship
- Section 6: Too Many Names
- Epilogue Lesson
Each section includes:
- Primary sources such as newspapers, diary entries, oral histories, and photographs.
- Worksheets with questions worded to illicit an examination of sources.
- Contextual videos with related information.
Suggested Teaching Tools for Online Learning
We suggest using Padlet and Jamboard as interactive online learning tools with this curriculum. You can add the links to Padlet and have students write comments about each of the sources. With Jamboard, placing one of the primary sources on the board and/or having students listen to an oral history or watch one of the contextual videos enables them to write their thoughts on virtual post-it notes.
A special thank you to Dr. Brian Purnell, Akane Okoshi, and Jules David Bartkowski, for all of their hardwork on this curriculum. We also wish to thank Dr. Aja Lans and Nona Faustine for their time and wonderful insights. Thank you.
Upcoming Events
Map Your Brooklyn Summer: A Collaging Workshop
Celebrate the season with a creative collage workshop inspired by the parks, people, playgrounds, and beaches that make Brooklyn a summertime oasis!
Using Brooklyn maps past and present as your canvas, pull from a fun selection of vintage photographs, archival images, and ephemera…
CBH Talk | Country of Lords: Kim Phillips-Fein in Conversation with Steven Hahn
As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, debates about equality, democracy, and power remain as urgent as ever. Join Pulitzer Prize finalist and Columbia University historian Kim Phillips-Fein for a discussion of her new book, Country of Lords:…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join the Center for Brooklyn History and special guest Assemblymember Robert Carroll for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of…
Exhibition Tour- People Making Power: Politics in Brooklyn
People Making Power: Politics in Brooklyn explores the history of politics in the borough of Brooklyn. By highlighting three levels of political action: block level politics, political clubs, and Brooklyn politicians passing legislation in Congress, the exhibition allows visitors to see how…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
CBH Talk | An Unfinished Revolution: Dialogues on Freedom and Democracy with Elizabeth Hinton
Marking the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, join us to reflect, reckon, and reimagine the ideals at the heart of the American experiment.
Across three evenings, CBH invites distinguished historians to select short readings as starting points for guided public…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
Exhibition Tour, The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
Join us at the Center for Brooklyn History for a free tour of The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered.
In August of 1776, the first and largest battle of the American Revolution took place in what is now Brooklyn, NY. The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered uses primary…
