Title

Black Heritage

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2020

Description

This team worked with their community partner, the Hartford History Center, to raise awareness about the Talcott Street Congregational Church, the first black Congregational church in Hartford and the third in the nation. Students conducted archival research at Hartford History Center, Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, and the Old State House. The team met with staff at the Old State House and with members from Faith Congregational Church, the contemporary location of the Talcott Street Church. Students studied works by Ann Plato, a Hartford native and 19th-century educator and author, and accounts from the life of Reverend James Pennington, among other primary source documents. The project team created an online exhibit on their website to highlight the church’s timeline and important leaders. They also drafted a proposal for the Chief Executive Officer of Capital Community College to memorialize the historical site. The proposal included both short-term ideas, such as workshops for faculty members to learn more about the church’s significance, and longer-term initiatives, such as a dedicated research course focusing on the church. The team also provided ideas for the city to help highlight the church, such as creating a permanent exhibit and memorializing the site on the Freedom Trail.

Comments

Community partner: Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library; Aliyah Freeman-Johnson, Julian Hogan, Armani Parnther, and Mercy Unoh ’23

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