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Video Debrief (10min)

 

​Jelly and Yoshi shared strong reflections as they walked through the cemetery. They shared a range of emotions about how they felt burial plots were placed and maintained and shared feelings on how they feel the site should be honoured.

 

• What are some emotions that stood out for you? Was there anything you observed in this clip that really caught your attention?

• How might the treatment of the burial grounds highlight the way people were treated during those times? What about the treatment of their descendants today?

• If you were responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the burial grounds, what might you add or remove to honour this history and the people that lived during that time?

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Activity: Letter Legacy (45 - 60min)

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Living memorials are a way to honour the lives of people we love that are no longer with us. Living memorials can be used to celebrate someone's life and the legacy they left behind.

 

The Slave Burials are a living memorial of a time period and the people that lived within it. The enslaved people buried at this burial site survived and lived through one of the worst time periods in history, but their perseverance and their "thirst to survive" created a world with more freedoms, more rights and more opportunities. 

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Their thirst to survive to make the world better is the legacy they left behind. 

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What's the legacy you want to leave behind? What would you want to be remembered for?

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In this activity, students will be given the opportunity to reflect on the legacies they want to leave behind and the accomplishments they'd like to be remembered for.

 

Ask students to write a letter that will be read 100 years from now by their descendants.

 

In the letter, ask them to describe:

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• the person they want people to remember

• the people in their lives that have influenced or inspired them the most

• their accomplishments and some things they have done (or would do) to make the world a better place. 

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This activity can also be done as a self-recorded video or podcast / audio recording over a digitally aged photo of themselves. Encourage them to be creative!

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Legacy letters help us reconnect to our values and dreams and remind us of the life we want to live and the goals we hope to accomplish. 

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Reflect and Share (45 - 60min)

​Have students share letters and/or video/audio presentations.