Hempstead students touching history by delving into African American experiences
A Hofstra University partnership with Hempstead middle school students this school year looks at four centuries of African American history — from when slaves were brought to the United States in 1619 to present-day suburban life — with a specific focus on events close to home on Long Island.
Experts from the university's Special Collections Department and seventh- and eighth-grade students enrolled in three Advanced Integrated Humanities classes at Alverta B. Gray Shultz Middle School are participating in the "The 400 Years Project."
Since its launch in October, students have visited the Joseph Lloyd Manor in Lloyd Neck, where Jupiter Hammon, one of the first published African American authors, lived, wrote and was enslaved for most of his life. Hofstra also has shared an original document from the slave trade in Jericho in the early 1700s, and students have read letters from Long Islanders written during the Civil War and housed at the university.
"This is the first time students will really be able to touch history — not just read about it and not see it on TV, but it will actually be in their hands," said Debra Willett, Hofstra's education coordinator for Special Collections. "If you have it in your hands … it is going to resonate and it is going to stay in your mind."
As the program progresses, students are scheduled to learn from additional real-world sources such as the audio from when Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the university in 1965. And they will see copies of maps housed at Hofstra that demonstrate how suburban boundaries have changed over time. The students also have access to Hofstra professors and their students to help guide them.
The program focuses on four areas: slavery on Long Island, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the move to suburbia. The program involves about 65 students in Advanced Integrated Humanities — the first middle school state Regents-level class of its kind in the district, where students had to apply to enroll. At the end of eighth grade, they will take U.S. History Regents, which is typically taken in the 11th grade.
In addition to having access to Hofstra's collections, graduate students from the university routinely visit the classrooms to help guide the students.
Ed-myrline Colin, a student, discusses her research with Donna Melcer during class at Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School. Credit: Shelby Knowles
"I am amazed at how creative they have gotten," said Jessica Hermann, 23, a graduate student in secondary education at Hofstra who serves as a facilitator. "They can really relate to these themes."
Each student will complete a research paper on a topic of their choice and then create a two-dimensional piece of art to be posted on Hofstra's Special Collections website and featured at the university's library in May.
Seventh-grader Kimoya Brown, 12, is studying the history of the Long Island Rail Road, specifically focusing on William F. Havemeyer, a former New York City mayor who, according to historians, made much of his wealth in the Cuban sugar trade produced by enslaved African labor. Havemeyer was an early investor in the railroad.
"People need to learn a little bit about history, and I feel like people don't know anything about the origins of America and where they live," she said.
Working together to explore African American history (from left), Robert Kurtz, Kiara Mercado, Dawn McShane and Nataly Benites, at Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School. Credit: Shelby Knowles
Hempstead, with 7,600 students, is one of the most diverse school districts on Long Island — and one of the most academically challenged. Hempstead, like other districts of limited means, leans heavily on the state for funding. Lawmakers and the governor recently approved an outside monitor to oversee the district's academics and finances.
Robert Kurtz, the district's director of humanities, said Hempstead has limited resources for such research compared to Hofstra's Special Collections Department, which houses thousands of types of material. The project will extend to art classes at the district's high school later this month, he said.
Middle school social studies teacher Dawn Sumner said the project has been inspirational.
"I think they [the students] view it as an opportunity to show everyone else on Long Island that they go to Hempstead ... and we are just as smart and just as capable," Sumner said.
Hofstra's Special Collections Department has worked with Hempstead schools in past years, but never on such an extensive project, officials said. There is no cost to the district, and the program is exclusive to Hempstead.
"[The year] 2019 was the 400th anniversary of the first slave to arrive to the United States," said Geri Solomon, assistant dean of Special Collections, "and the university wanted to make sure we commemorated this historic event in a way that was both educational and sensitive."
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
