African Burial Ground & Its Discovery
Wednesday, March 4th, 12:45 p.m.
Does Historic Preservation Matter – Manhattan to Houston?
Speaker and short film with Christopher Moore, the journalist who, despite the effort to suppress it, broke the story and later produced a film for the History Channel that tells about the 1991 discovery – under what is today some of the most expensive real estate in the world – of the vast (more than 20,000 remains) burial ground used by the Africans – most of them slaves – in the 1600’s through the 18th century in downtown Manhattan – New York City.
A host of questions, both logistical and ethical, followed this discovery during the excavations for construction of a federal office building. How does one properly handle heritage and who ‘owns’ history? Could a burial ground containing more than 20,000 remains be simply forgotten? Does knowledge that can be gained justify the excavation of a burial site?
This dramatic discovery set off a major political firestorm pitting citizens concerned with the history and heritage represented in burial ground against the U.S. Government which initially planned to destroy the cemetery. Excavation of the vast slave burial ground allowed scholars a chance to learn from the large number of remains – both about the Africans and the society in which they lived. Ultimately, the process led to the creation of the first, and only, National Monument honoring the contributions of slaves to the building of America.
Thanks to the Houston Society of Archaeological Institute of America, Northwest College has the opportunity to host Mr. Christopher Moore. He will tell the story of the African Burial Ground discovery, reflect on what became a “cause celebre” in the African American Community and in American anthropology
Dr. Michael Botson, professor of history at Northwest College, will introduce our speaker and reflect on sites of historical significance for the African American presence in Texas.
Watch John Pilger & Students Video
The video for the November 4th John Pilger event is now available online. Coming soon, there will be a resource page for this particular event, but for now read the previous blog entries and then enjoy the video below.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3380693972506979770John Pilger at Town & Country
WHY DON’T YOU KNOW THIS AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST? Learn more about the history he has documented, the stories behind the headlines of corporate media, the political and economic mechanisms that construct today’s world, his journalism, and his 40 years of film-making and television programming in Britain.
Don’t miss the chance to hear perspectives of a journalist who goes for the story and not a public relations gloss. John Pilger, whose career in journalism began as a copy-boy at the Sydney Sun in his native Australia, and today has columns in the Guardian and The New Statesman, says it is a “myth that the readers didn’t want a serious approach to journalism in a popular newspaper.”
Pilger states the Internet has “changed so much” and today, his columns reach broad audiences, even in the United States. He encourages journalism students to “keep your principles as you navigate the system”.
“If journalists can look behind the press-release version of events, or push back the screen of what is often propaganda but rarely recognized as such,” he says, “then we will produce true journalism, not a form of PR. We ought to be the agents of people, not power.” http://www.johnpilger.com/
This event was originally held at the Town & Country Performing Arts Center, November 4th, 2008.