Dear Educators,

We invite you to attend two professional development workshops, one virtual and one in-person, on Seneca Village, the predominantly African American community that the city displaced in 1857 during the construction of Central Park. Educators of all disciplines and grades are welcome! Explore how object and place-based learning can engage young people to see deeply, think critically, and build freely. These workshops are especially useful for educators teaching African American history, New York City history, sociology, biology, and archaeology.

Workshop 1
Saturday, October 2
10 am–3 pm

Spend the morning learning about the ongoing archaeological investigation of Seneca Village—what artifacts reveal about residents’ foodways and the environment of the Village. Alice Baldwin Jones, adjunct assistant professor of anthropology at LaGuardia Community College and William Paterson University of New Jersey, will lead this session.

Later that afternoon, attend a social justice pedagogy workshop that presents principles you can apply to teaching about New York’s African American communities, led by Ama Codjoe, consulting director of equity and inclusion at Bard Graduate Center. Learn where to locate educational resources and book class trips through the Central Park Conservancy; and to close the day, enjoy a poetry writing session facilitated by Bard Graduate Center’s Lab for Teen Thinkers alumni.

This workshop will be held virtually on Zoom using strict security precautions and procedures. A Zoom meeting link and a basic materials list will be emailed at least 24 hours in advance of the workshop.

Workshop 2
Saturday, October 9
1–3 pm

See place-based learning in practice with a historian-led walking tour of Central Park’s Seneca Village site and take away a clearer understanding of what life was like for those that called it home. Enter the Park at the northwest corner of the intersection at West 85th Street and Central Park West. Follow the path up the hill and keep an eye out for the Seneca Village kiosk, on the south side of the Spector Playground. In case of inclement weather, this session will be rescheduled.

Saturday, October 2, on Zoom
Morning session 10 am–12 pm
Afternoon session 1–3 pm
Fee: $5

This professional development workshop series is held in conjunction with the Lab for Teen Thinkers public humanities program, the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History, and the Central Park Conservancy. Over the past thirty years, many scholars, students, and interested New Yorkers have worked to unearth the history of Seneca Village and the experiences of its residents from archives and artifacts. The Lab for Teen Thinkers builds upon that research and shares insights with community audiences through digital exhibitions and walking tours. See Seneca Village for yourself through the Central Park Conservancy’s virtual and guided walking tours, educational resources, field trips, oral histories and exhibitions. Visit our Seneca Village Site to learn more.

The professional development workshops on Seneca Village were made possible through the generous support of The Pinkerton Foundation.

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