DISSEMINATING AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
ACROSS THE CURRICULUM THROUGH…
Power of Place
Pieces of the Past
Prize Winning Programs
People of the Past
Performing History
Primary Sources
This is a fugitive or "runaway" slave newspaper ad written by a slave master desiring to retrieve his "enslaved property." It is a "primary source" because a person living in another period of history created it. We offer teachers ready-made lessons that teach with primary sources, like this ad.
This is a photo of students from the Sally B. Howard School of Education and the Performing Arts in Wilson, NC in a play CFI created with the students and their teacher. We believe in teaching with dramatic performances that use the words and deeds of formerly enslaved people.
This is Lunsford Lane (1803 - ? ), an enslaved entrepreneur. He owned a business selling a flavored tobacco product, although it was illegal for an enslaved person to own a business. Studying the lived experiences of black people of the past reveals the diversity of the African American experience.
CFI's materials, media and teacher workshops consistently receive excellent evaluations from teachers around the country. We prize their feedback greatly. Yet we also are proud of the national and international awards we have received. See: Awards and Praise
This is a thumbprint in a chimney at Stagville Plantation in Durham, NC. It was left by an unknown enslaved brick mason. Visitors to Stagville often touch the thumbprint and feel a connection with the person who made it. We believe in teaching about slavery with artifacts or "pieces of the past."
This is the Burwell School in Hillsborough, NC where Elizabeth Keckly (1813-1897) was enslaved as a young woman. Later she purchased her freedom and became a famous fashion designer. We believe in using the "power of place" to teach about slavery. To learn more about Elizabeth Keckly's life, see: http:www.craftingfreedom.org/keckly
MISSION
To disseminate knowledge about the era of slavery, especially at the elementary and middle grade levels, by offering educators superior professional development and excellent, ready-to-use instructional materials.* CFI’s original approach to teaching slavery focuses on the lives of ten enslaved and free African American craftspeople, entrepreneurs and activists. Each “crafted a path to freedom” for themselves and others by taking action and using their work activities and their spoken or written words as weapons of resistance.
*The Crafting Freedom Materials website (www.craftingfreedom.org) is a free, extensive digital collection of printable materials, media and embedded teacher training made possible by a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). It was researched and developed over three years (2007-2010). The lessons and instructional activities it contains were created by teachers, historians and instructional designers.
FUTURE PLANS
Our major goal for the future is to ensure the mission of “Crafting Freedom Institute” ( formerly the Apprend Foundation ) lives on. We will continue pursuing our commitment to disseminating African American history and culture across the curriculum by offering superior professional development and excellent instructional materials that are both teacher-friendly and based on the best scholarship available.
It is critical that we continue to find new and improved ways to teach the era of slavery that are engaging and accessible both by teachers and their students. Our people-focused pedagogy featuring 19th century “freedom crafters” who improved their own and others circumstances by resisting slavery and “crafting a path to freedom” has been well received by teachers around the country. We intend to continue to offer and add to this pedagogy, yet we are always searching for best practices for teaching African American history. We also will continue to seek new teacher audiences for our work.
SOME FREEDOM CRAFTERS
YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT
Thomas Day
1801 – (ca.) 1861
Elizabeth Keckly
1818-1907
David Walker
(ca.) 1796 -1830
Sally Thomas
1787-1850