Tennessee Geographic Alliance

NEH Summer Teacher Institute at UTK!

A three-week summer institute for K-12 educators that will provide opportunities to study geographic mobility as it relates to the African American freedom struggle. The goal of the institute is to contribute to the intellectual growth of participating educators and prepare them to create and disseminate important synergies between the teaching of history and the teaching of geography. The institute offers a model of critical thought, instruction, and pedagogical application that supports ongoing calls for greater numbers of social studies educators to address power and inequity. Participants will attend lectures, fieldtrips, and lab exercises, learn methodologies and classroom activities from curriculum specialists, and participate in discussions. They will develop standards-based lesson plans that they will take back to their classrooms.

Dates: July 3rd - July 22nd, 2022

Location: Knoxville, Tennessee

Application Deadline: March 1st, 2022

Stipend: $2,850

For more information, click HERE!

Then and Now: A Black Craft Symposium

“Then & Now: A Black Craft Symposium” will be a day-long event at the Tennessee State Museum devoted to honoring the legacy of Black craftspeople in Tennessee and examining the state of Black Craft in Tennessee today. Through a variety of programming, the event will highlight the voices of Black craftspeople from the past and present. This event encourages visitors to learn the history and heritage of Black Tennessee craftspeople and interact with contemporary Black crafts artists. The event is presented in partnership with Tennessee Craft to commemorate the Best of Tennessee Craft 2021 Biennial exhibition.

This will take place on February 12, 2022, @ 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Celebrate Black History Across Tennessee

Knoxville: from the Beck Cultural Center
Memphis: from Memphis Travel
Nashville: from Music City
Chattanooga: from UTC

Let us know if you know of other offerings we should advertise!

Black History Month Resources

To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week (then called “Negro History Week”) nearly a century ago. The event was first celebrated during the second week of February 1926, selected because it coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and abolitionist/writer Frederick Douglass (February 14). That week would continue to be set aside for the event until 1976 when, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, it was expanded to a month. Since then, U.S. presidents have proclaimed February as National African American History Month.

Stories from the Tennessee State Museum

This best-of list often sums up trends and themes for both writers and readers that are indicative of the year regarding Black History.

The History of Emancipation Day in Tennessee
Nikki Giovanni: A Poet’s Upbringing in Tennessee
Rosenwald Schools and the Importance of Preserving History
Breaking the Color Barrier on the Mound: The Story of Dan Bankhead
This Promise of Change
Grant Shockley Fought and Died for America; A Decade Later, His Mother Fought for Civil Rights
Tennesseans, and their Families, Made the Ultimate Sacrifice During World War I

Check them out HERE!

National Geographic Kids!

Every February, people in the United States celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans as part of Black History Month. Check out National Geographic for Kids! resources by clicking HERE!