Zoom webinar registration: https://bit.ly/4czlHR1

A discussion of how to raise awareness in the present of an essential story from history related to something that did not come to pass: the proposal to establish, in New Haven, the nation’s first college for Black men – and to think about what could have been and what should be.

This talk will touch on ways the archives have been activated in print, documentary film, and an exhibition installation. This talk is in conjunction with the exhibition “Shining Light on Truth: New Haven, Yale, and Slavery” on view at the New Haven Museum through summer 2024 and the publication of the new book “Yale and Slavery: A History” from the Yale and Slavery Research Project.

Morand is Director of Community Engagement at the Beinecke Library, author of the chapter on the 1831 college in the new book, and lead organizer of the museum exhibition. Cropper is Community Engagement Program Manager at Beinecke and the director and producer of the documentary film. Walker is artist-in-resident at Jonathan Edwards College and designer of the museum exhibition.

Webinar participants are encouraged to view the short documentary film, “What Could Have Been” on Youtube (https://youtu.be/gmXF3N62Olo) released two years ago in April 2022, or the Mondays at Beinecke talk that preceded it (https://youtu.be/j6DEu42RLi4) from September 2021.

Mondays at Beinecke online talks focus on materials from the collections and include an opening presentation at 4pm followed by conversation and question and answer beginning about 4:30pm until 5pm.