Using the WPA Slave Narratives – w/ Cynthia Lynn Lyerly

Teaching Hard History

English - February 14, 2020 18:19 - 1 hour - 45.2 MB - ★★★★★ - 258 ratings
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Previous Episode: Groundwork for Teaching Indigenous Enslavement – w/ the Turtle Island Social Studies Collective

Next Episode: Slave Codes, Liberty Suits and the Charter Generation – w/ Margaret Newell

From 1936 to 1938, the Federal Writers’ Project collected stories from people who had been enslaved. The WPA Slave Narrative Collection at the Library of Congress is a valuable resource; these oral histories are also problematic. Interpreting these narratives within literary and historical context, students can develop primary source literacy. Historian Cynthia Lynn Lyerly outlines unique insights these texts can add to your curriculum.

You can find a complete transcript in the show notes for this episode, along with a list of resources to help you teach the hard history explored in this episode.

And educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.