Cultural & Historical Study to Uncover Gems from the Past

National Park Service Funds Bowie State's Investigation of African-American Communities

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) – A team of Bowie State University researchers is looking to piece together hidden gems about the history of African American communities that have lived and worked near the National Park Service's more than 180-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, including areas like the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC.

The group – faculty and students with backgrounds in history and the arts – will conduct a cultural investigation by capturing oral histories from descendants of people from those areas and searching original documents to unearth lost stories and physical landmarks of those communities. The researchers will document the findings with photos, videos and other creative expression, as well as in a report to the National Park Service, which awarded the university's a $160,282 grant to support this endeavor.

“It involves cultural anthropology, ethnography, history, political science, the arts, so it’s a multidisciplinary endeavor,” said Dr. David Reed, an assistant history professor and lead faculty on the team. “You go on site and allow people to teach you about their area. We’re coming from the outside and have background knowledge about these areas, but we’re interested in the community having a voice and for the community to interpret their own history, their own past. That’s a big part of it.”

The geographic scope of the study encompasses communities surrounding the historical park from Georgetown in Washington, DC to Great Falls, Virginia. Some historic landmarks include historic churches, cemeteries and possible slave auction sites. The narratives and experiences of individuals from these communities may have been overlooked and buried over time, but this project seeks to give them new life.

“Black culture is not just history. Black life touches on more than just history. It’s about what everyday people did every day just to make ends meet. Those are important aspects that I hope comes out of this project as well,” Dr. Reed said. The group plans to produce a way to introduce their work for the public, whether through a historic marker or a creative work.

“Everyone’s not going to go downtown to the museum, so sometimes, we have to bring the museum to the people in the form of plaques and monuments,” said Dr. Reed.

Professor Gina Lewis, chairperson of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, is working with Dr. Reed to coordinate the research. She believes that this project is well suited to Bowie State because of its legacy as Maryland’s first historically black university.

“Where there’s research to be done on African American history, it makes sense for HBCUs to participate,” said Lewis. “Bowie State University does have an exceptional group of scholars who have excellent research skills – this is an opportunity for us to share our work with our students.”

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.