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
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…
Public Address: A Reading
This event is offsite at Columbus Park (across from Brooklyn Borough Hall and near 2/3/4/5 Borough Hall Subway) on Johnson Street
Join artist Alex Strada, Public Artist in Residence with the New York City Department of Homeless Services and the Department of…
CBH Talk | Confronting Climate Change Part 3: Solutions
Confronting Climate Change is a three-part series that explores one of the most urgent issues of our times. Join leading thinkers, scientists, journalists, and advocates for these vitally important conversations.
Part Three: Solutions—From Innovation to Action
Part Three of…
CBH Talk | The Battle of Brooklyn Revisited: A Screening & Conversation
The Battle of Brooklyn, the largest battle of the American Revolution, unfolded across landscapes many of us pass every day without realizing the history beneath our feet. This screening of The Brave Man, directed by filmmaker Joseph M. McCarthy brings that pivotal moment vividly to life…
CBH Talk | Puerto Rico at a Crossroads
As Puerto Rico confronts mounting economic pressures, climate vulnerability, migration, and renewed debates over sovereignty and self-determination, questions about the island’s political future have taken on new urgency. In the wake of the most recent election cycle, what paths lie ahead for…
CBH Talk | Queer Modernism and “The Little Review” - How Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap Reshaped Literature and Each Other
This Pride Month, the Center for Brooklyn History turns to the story of Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap, the visionary editors behind "The Little Review," whose partnership, both personal and professional, helped shape the course of modern literature.
At a time when both queerness…
CBH Talk | Black Brooklyn’s Fight for Community Control: From Ocean Hill-Brownsville to "Livonia Chow Mein"
As Black residents of Brooklyn neighborhoods like Brownsville and East New York continue to confront displacement, inequality, and questions of who has the power to shape community life, what can earlier movements for self-determination teach us about the present moment? And how can literature…
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 Khalil Gibran Muhammad
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…
CBH Talk | Building Access: The History and Future of Disability Rights
The disability rights movement has transformed American life and expanded access, opportunity, and civil rights for millions of people. These hard-won gains are the result of decades of organizing, advocacy, and political struggle. And the fight for equality continues.
As we celebrate July…
