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Have you visited the Vita-Learn web site? With a mission to promote and support the use of information technology to transform Vermont education through the provision of professional development, training and networking opportunities, Vita-Learn offers conferences, a professional development calendar, and “Tools for Teachers” links.

http://www.vita-learn.org

New Book!

Francis Brooks grew up in Alexandria, Virginia during the years of “Jim Crow.” He graduated from Norwich University in 1967 and remained in Vermont to teach school and raise his family. He taught and coached at Montpelier High School for thirty years influencing the lives of generations of Vermonters. In 1983, he became the third African American elected to the Vermont House of Representatives. For the next twenty-five years he held a variety of important positions and played a key role in passing historic legislation that guaranteed no Vermonter would be denied his or her rights because they were different. He served as Majority Leader, Chairman of the General and Military Committee and as member of the Appropriations Committee. Today, as the Sergeant-at-Arms he is responsible for the operation and security of the Vermont State House.

Author

Robert L. Walsh was raised in Swampscott, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University in 1955 and his masters degree in education from the University of Vermont in 1979. He taught African American history at South Burlington High School, South Burlington, Vermont from1980-1995. Prior to entering the teaching profession, Mr. Walsh completed a career in the United States Marine Corps, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1983-1989. He was member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Vermont from 2001-2007 and resides in South Burlington, Vermont. He is the author of Through White Eyes: Color and Racism in Vermont and the co-author of The Other America: The African American Experience

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18081629

UN General Assembly President Pays Tribute
to Those Who Rebelled Against Slavery

UN News Center, May 15, 2012

The President of the General Assembly Nassir, Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, today paid tribute to the courage of the men and women who rebelled against the cruelty of slavery, adding that the world must continue to reaffirm its commitment to preventing servitude.

“We salute the courage of the brave men and women, who rebelled against the cruel and brutal practice of slavery, and who, in doing so, regained their spirit and their independence, both during slavery and in its aftermath,” Mr. Al-Nasser said on Tuesday evening at a concert in support of the building of a permanent memorial to honour the victims of slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade at UN Headquarters.

“We collectively reaffirm the commitment of the international community to preventing such suffering from occurring again,” he said.

The concert is linked to the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which took place on 25 March, and for which the theme was “Honouring the Heroes, Resisters and Survivors.”

Artists taking part in the concert include Haitian-American singer Rachelle Jeanty, Senegalese musician Mbaya Dieye Faye, hip-hop performers Chen Lo and the Lo Frequency Band, and Jamaican reggae artists The Third World Band.

In his remarks, Mr. Al-Nasser pointed out that from the evils of slavery, music evolved, along with other rich cultural practices such as dance, cooking, poetry and story-telling.

“This music is a powerful reminder that the spirit and culture of the slaves could not be diminished,” he told the audience. “This music is a powerful reminder of the miracle of the endurance of the human spirit.”

Plans are under way to erect a permanent memorial at UN Headquarters to remind the world that millions of Africans were violently removed from their homelands, abused and robbed of their dignity over the course of four centuries during the transatlantic slave trade.

The transatlantic slave trade, often known as the triangular trade, connected the economies of three continents. It is estimated that between 15 and 20 million people, men, women and children, were deported from their homes and sold as slaves in the different slave trading systems.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42008&Cr=slavery&Cr1=

Follow the link to a new educational resource, The Civil War in Art!  Designed with educators in mind, this site makes nearly 130 works of art from seven Chicago cultural organizations accessible to teachers, parents, and students around the world. Developed by a team of museum and library professionals, historians, and teachers, this unique website connects elementary and high school students to the issues, events, and people of the era through:

• A high-resolution, zoomable gallery of objects
• Illustrated essays examining the causes and impact of the war and role that art played
• Lesson plans developed by teachers for teachers
• An extensive glossary of close to 200 art and historical terms and biographies

http://civilwarinart.org