Underground Railroad in Western New York Workshops

Letters from the Underground -- Writing Workshop #1
Annette Daniels-Taylor  $184 per back to back
In this workshop students will work with authentic photographs of former American slaves and slave children. Using the portraits as inspiration, students will listen to excerpts from actual letters written by escaped slaves, owners, and conductors who were involved in U.S. slave trade and the Underground Railroad effort.  Many of these letters were written in code and provide an interesting starting point for examining the practice of slavery and the “criminal literacy” of enslaved people.  Students will be challenged to assume the identity of the person in the photograph they receive and will write a letter that responds to the content of the original correspondence.

Poetry Word Train -- Writing Workshop #2
Annette Daniels-Taylor  $184 per back to back
After looking at slave imagery including print images from the 1800’s periodicals, paintings from Jacob Lawrence’s “Migration” series and the historical painting, “The Underground Railroad” by Charles T. Weber, students will share words that the imagery brings to mind.  These words will be compiled on a visual word wall and students will be asked to use these words too create a group or individual poem from their collection.

Mapping the Road to Canaan -- Writing Workshop #3
Annette Daniels-Taylor  $184 per back to back
Students will study the “Generalized Routes to Freedom” map c. 1860. By studying the physical features, topography, state boarders, major cities and waterways of the Eastern U.S. students will gain a better understanding of the reality freedom seeking slaves faced as they set out on their journey to Canada. A discussion of the risks and common dangers that escaping slaves faced will be explored through the telling of true accounts from actual slave narratives.  Students will learn about documented stops on the Underground Railroad in the Western New York region and will be asked to compose a plan in the form of a creative narrative.  Students will be asked consider the following questions: Which state would your journey begin in? What route will you take? What places will you be sure to avoid? Who and what will you take with you?

The State I Was In -- Finding Your Ancestral Links -- Writing Workshop #4
Ntare Ali Gault  $184 per back to back
In this workshop, Ntare Ali Gault emphasizes how exploring one’s own family story can be a powerful tool for understanding the history of slavery in the United States. Ntare shares his personal experience of receiving a school assignment to “find his roots” ended up helping him take ownership of a part of history that would later become a major point of inspiration for his own poetry.  After performing his poetry, inspired by his family members who were formerly enslaved, Ntare will ask students to imagine what the lives of their ancestors may have been like in the 1800’s.  Students will consider what role their ancestors may have played in the Underground Railroad effort and will organize their thoughts in an expressive free-verse poem.

Perspectives: On Your Feet Writing -- Writing Workshop #5
Rodney Appleby  $184 per workshop
Rodney Appleby leads this interactive workshop where students will use role-play, music, and dramatic performance to explore and relate themselves to the circumstances and elements of choice involved in the Underground Railroad. Rodney will use several archetypal African American spirituals as a base to help students explore the distinctions between contrasting perspectives of the escaped slave, the Abolitionist, the Slave Hunter, and the Slave Owner.  Students will journal their reactions and create an on the spot performance expressing the thoughts and feelings they encountered while assuming each role.  This is a double workshop - 1.5 hours.

“The Highest Joy and Deepest Sadness” A Study of Slave Songs -- Writing Workshop #6
Reynold Scott  $184 per back to back
Students will study how music was an integral tool for communication during the Underground Railroad era by studying the origins of “work songs” and “field hollers” written by slaves.  Work songs were a way to organize field work but also served as a covert way of preserving African culture under extreme oppression.  The songs expressed the hardships slaves faced during and after enslavement and sometimes carried instructions for slaves who sought freedom. Students will collaborate with Rey to compose their own “call and response” style work song and discover how these early forms of rhythm-based songs may have been the origin of blues music.

Click through here to learn about the performances.