“Hands-on History” at the John Brown Farm: Collaborating on Behalf of Racial Justice in an Era of Teacher Censorship

Hundreds of state and local laws and resolutions have been adopted recently to restrict how teachers teach the history of race in America. As a result, American teachers face undue scrutiny, critique, and punishment for how they approach Black history. In this volatile climate, John Brown Lives!, a human rights organization centered on the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in North Elba, New York, sought to expand outreach to teachers and students through its innovative Hands-on History project. In this paper, we introduce this initiative, which brings together educators, historians, artists, and archaeologists to develop and implement curriculum illuminating the region’s freedom history. In addition to describing its goals and the steps taken to support and listen to teachers and other stakeholders during this precarious political moment, we situate the collaboration in the history of archaeology and activism, and we offer lessons learned during its implementation.