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PBS SoCal hosts educator development workshop at CAAM

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Educators break to share ideas for classroom curriculum. /OW photo by Mel Williams (48107)
Educators break to share ideas for classroom curriculum. /OW photo by Mel Williams

PBS and Thirteen/WNET have launched an ambitious national educational outreach initiative to extend the impact of the six-part series “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.”

The initiative includes digital educational resources as well as includes partnerships with 15 PBS stations across the country, which will produce local broadcasts and host live teacher professional development workshops.

The outreach made its way to the Southland this week with an educator workshop at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park. The well attended workshop provided educators with valuable resources, lesson plans and access to classroom materials.

The event opened with a powerful keynote from Charmaine Jefferson, executive director of CAAM, who drove home the importance of encouraging youth to get interested in their individual histories.

“Tell your students to go home, go to their families, and ask somebody something. Get these students to ask questions and tell their stories,” she stressed.

The evening followed with special presentations by Christopher Czajka, senior director for LAB@Thirteen, the Educational and Community Outreach for WNET television. Czajka led the room of educators in an icebreaking game of “Who Said That?” featuring famous Black quotes, followed by a brief synopsis of the series, excerpts from episodes, and open discussion.

The activities encouraged teachers to communicate and think outside of the box to create ideas for how they could incorporate the series into their lesson plans.

“We are really depending on teachers to spread the word about this dynamic series and these educational resources because we can’t go to every city,” said Czajka. “We hope that teachers will share this information with other educators, add links to the website on their Facebook and Twitter because the information is so valuable.”

Teachers at the event were provided with a folder and a flash drive preloaded with educational material and demo lesson plans. In addition, “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” website, www.pbs.org/manyrivers, will feature video from the series, including all six full episodes, as well scenes not included in the films. The website will also explore the rich history covered in the series with text, timelines, images, and other multimedia. Additionally, the site will include a collection of graphics featuring quotations from well-known African Americans for individuals to share on a number of social media platforms as well as a blog by Henry Louis Gates Jr. highlighting 100 interesting and unexpected facts from African American history.  The website will offer visitors the chance to personalize their experience and share series content on social platforms and invite viewers to submit and browse stories about and reactions to significant moments in history.

Professor Gates will share content and behind-the-scenes photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans on social media will be offered early-access to particular content and opportunities to connect with Gates and scholars from the program via live online social viewing events.

“There is no American culture, there is no American History without the presence of African Americans,” said Gates, in an exclusive interview with sponsor Bank of America that is featured on the show’s website. “Our story has been censored; it’s been lost, it’s been repressed, and our generation of scholars and filmmakers now have the opportunity to restore that story to its proper place in the American saga.

“I think the reason I was put on this planet, at least one of the one of the reasons, was to communicate with a large audience about the history and culture of people of African descent,” said Gates. “We need to integrate the content we teach our kids. We have to make normal the contribution of people of color and make it part of the story, because it is part of the story.”

Mirroring those sentiments, Vera Stewart, senior vice president and consumer market executive at Bank of America said, “We have a very powerful history and by connecting with the past, we can better understand our future … not just African American history but our collective history.

“Bank of America is very involved in the community,” added Stewart. “Diversity is core to who we are; it’s part of our DNA,” she said. “It was a very easy decision for us to get involved after learning about Many Rivers because we are always looking for opportunities to connect with the communities we serve. Whether it is working with the Taste of Soul, the Brotherhood Crusade, or the Salvation Army, Bank of America is involved, and this partnership with PBS was a very logical step in extending our reach to the community.”

“The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” with Henry Louis Gates airs every Tuesday through Nov. 26; visit www.pbs.org/manyrivers for local listings and to watch the series online. A book, by the same name, and a DVD of the series are also available on the website.

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