The Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College has been awarded a $339,000 Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives grant by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The funding will advance the Chesapeake Heartland project, a groundbreaking digital humanities initiative that documents and shares the history of African American life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The Chesapeake Heartland project collects, preserves, and disseminates a wide array of primary sources, including oral histories, photographs, and archival documents. These resources aim to tell the rich and complex stories of African American individuals, families, and communities in the Chesapeake region, providing valuable insights into their enduring impact on the region’s history and culture.
Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the Starr Center, Adam Goodheart, underscored the significance of the Chesapeake region in African American history. “The Chesapeake watershed is a heartland, if not the heartland, of African American history in this country,” Goodheart told Shore Magazine. “From the first Africans who arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake through the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements of today, Kent County is a microcosm of that history. This is the history that people carry in their hearts.”
The grant will enable the project to expand its digital archive, introduce new educational initiatives, and deepen its engagement with the local community. As the project continues to grow, it will serve as an essential resource for educators, students, and historians.
The Starr Center also announced the appointment of Darius Johnson as project director for Chesapeake Heartland. Johnson, who has been with the project since its inception in 2019, will oversee its strategic planning and development while fostering student and faculty involvement. His leadership aims to create meaningful learning opportunities that connect participants to the region’s history.
“I want Chesapeake Heartland to be seen, and leveraged, as a key platform for experiential learning,” Johnson said. “With our strong community emphasis, we’re able to help students develop a stronger sense of place while developing their careers, allowing them to be impactful, civically engaged citizens in their college community as well as the communities they live in after they graduate.”
Johnson also emphasized the importance of preserving African American heritage for future generations. “This is especially important for our youth, whose sense of pride would benefit from knowing the roots they come from,” Johnson said. “Thanks to Chesapeake Heartland, I have a deeper appreciation of who I am and where I come from.”
The Chesapeake Heartland project invites the public to explore its digital archive, which features an expanding collection of primary sources and educational tools. This archive highlights the connections between local African American history and broader national narratives, making it an invaluable resource for understanding the region’s cultural legacy.
To learn more about the project or explore the collections, visit the official Chesapeake Heartland website at https://chesapeakeheartland.org.
The Starr Center continues its mission of fostering historical understanding and civic engagement by creating projects like Chesapeake Heartland, which link the past to the present and ensure these stories are preserved for generations to come.
