All resources in Virgin Islands History Buffs

Denmark and the US Virgin Islands

(View Complete Item Description)

The website ‘The West Indian Heritage’ tells its story using the buildings as a framework for understanding the structure, function, and people of the colony who were either forced to risk their lives producing the coveted goods or benefited from the profits on the goods throughout the first 150 years of the colony’s history.

Material Type: Lecture Notes

Author: West Indian Heritage

OUR-STORIES-A teaching material about Danish colonialism in the West Indies.pdf

(View Complete Item Description)

OUR STORIES is a teaching resource about Danish colonialism in the West Indies written with support from the Ministry of Culture Denmark. The Preface to this teaching resource states as follows: "On March 31st, 2017, the large atrium inside Copenhagen City Hall was resonating with voices. Around the atrium were numerous different exhibits with text, photos and other forms of creative expression, all made by high school students. They had all participated in a contest to create the best presentation of Danish-Caribbean colonial history with the theme of “Pictures from the Past for the Future”. Around the city hall itself, debates, workshops, film screenings and concerts dealing with the U.S. Virgin Islands and Danish colonial history were taking place. The event was happening because on that day, March 31st, 2017, it had been 100 years since the sale of the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John to the United States by the Danish government. The event was attended by high school students from the U.S. Virgin Islands and by the Danish high school students who had created the exhibits in the atrium. All of them having explored the same stories, their discussions and exhibits became part of a conversation about the way history is experienced and remembered, how it is used and told. These questions will also be our point of departure when working with the present teaching material."

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Ministry of Culture Denmark, Museum Vestsjælland: Kasper Nygaard Jensen and Ida Maria R. Skielboe

Title: "Creating a Progressive Virgin Islands: Pan-Africanism, Health Equity, and Imagining a Just Future"

(View Complete Item Description)

This lesson plan aims to educate students about the significance of Pan-Africanism, focusing on its relevance in the Virgin Islands and Liberia. Students will delve into the contributions of key figures like Reverend Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden and Dr. Melvin Evans, particularly in the realms of Pan-Africanism, politics, and health administration. The curriculum will address the historical context of healthcare in the Virgin Islands, emphasizing the disparities during Dr. Melvin Evans' tenure as the first Black governor. Through various activities, students will engage in discussions, research, and creative tasks to understand health disparities and propose solutions for a more equitable society. The lesson also integrates standards related to democracy, societal change, and local Virgin Islands pride. Materials for the lesson include biographies, information on Liberia, internet resources, art supplies, and potential guest speakers.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UeAFha9L5Y&t=590s  

Material Type: Lecture

Author: Stephanie Chalana Brown

International Day of Monuments and Sites

(View Complete Item Description)

International Day for Monuments discussion with Former Senator Myron Jackson about the bust of King Christian the IX being removed from the Emancipation Gardens public space as a result of public outcry. The measure appropriates $20,000 from the St. Thomas Capital Improvement Fund to cover the cost of removing and replacing the sculpture. Additionally, the program promotes new discourses, alternative and nuanced approaches to established historical narratives, and promotes inclusive and diverse points of view.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Lecture, Unit of Study

Author: Division of Virgin Islands Cultural Education

The Charlotte Amalie Saladoid Excavation Documentary

(View Complete Item Description)

More than 2,000 years ago there was likely a thriving Taino community in the heart of Charlotte Amalie. In 2013 contractors began turning up shards of pottery and other artifacts during otherwise routine roadwork on Main Street near Market Square. Work was temporarily halted and archeologists were called in to help dig up what was described as a “major” find. Thousands of artifacts were eventually discovered in a relatively small area. A short documentary was later produced about the dig and the many interesting objects found on site. - - US Virgin Islands DPNR and the State Office of Historic Preservation

Material Type: Lecture, Lesson

Author: Government House Virgin Islands

Rewriting History | Jeannette Ehlers

(View Complete Item Description)

Jeannette Ehlers is a Danish-Trinidadian multi disciplinary visual artist who aims to disrupt the dominating narratives and replace them with ones that acknowledge the aspects of history that have thus far been ignored. Ehlers engages themes of visibility, identity, and collective memory, such as her work I am Queen Mary, which represents one of four queens who led the 1878 labor revolt in Saint Croix, a former Danish colony. Presenting her works at the sixth MAD Symposium, Ehlers discusses how it is possible to reframe history so that it is inclusive to all and provides examples how to do so through her works. Ehlers engages us, urging us to see how art, and other mediums like food, can provoke, lead and guide, people to better self-understanding. Michael Miller is the co-founder of the London and New York Meditation Center. Miller regularly teaches all across the globe, introducing the ancient technique of Vedic Meditation in a way that is accessible and relevant to people living in today's world. Interweaving practical techniques with vocal advice, Miller compels us to see how meditation can make us more available, responsive, and active in our lives. By tuning in to, and ridding ourselves of stress we can create better kitchen environments, he argues. About MAD: MAD is a non-profit transforming our food system by giving chefs and restaurateurs the skills, community, time, and space to create real and sustainable change in their restaurants, their communities, and across the world.

Material Type: Lecture, Primary Source

Author: MAD