Clifton Berry, Member, Unpaid Labor LLC

Proposal Type

Working Group

Seeking
  • Seeking Additional Presenters
  • Seeking Specific Expertise
  • General Feedback and Interest
Related Topics
  • Museums/Exhibits
  • Material Culture
  • Teaching
Abstract

Our topic: 1) the indispensable contribution of the first 12 generations of Americans of African descent (1607-1865) to the U.S. becoming the most successful nation in modern history, 2) the use of that historic perspective to help heal race relations, and 3) the pursuit of new and creative ways to translate the insights of academic historians whose scholarship supports that perspective to the mass market. Our topic represents the bridge of knowledge that will move race relations between Blacks and Whites from where they have been since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to where they need to be. We will discuss how getting the history right will change everything by changing the way we think about our people, our nation, and ourselves.

Seeking

Our goals: 1) to demonstrate how the contribution perspective of Unpaid Labor (1607-1865) can change one’s view of Unpaid Laborers in American history, allowing for a right consideration of the relative contribution of Blacks and Whites to America, absent shame and guilt. 2) to demonstrate the new and creative ways employed by Unpaid Labor LLC to get the Untold Story of Unpaid Labor out to the masses. 3) to employ one or more historians in presentations designed to make the case for the contribution perspective on Unpaid Labor in specific areas of interest, i.e. politics, economy, military, geographical, etc. 4) to encourage new scholarship focused on the contribution perspective.


If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to share contact information for other people the proposer should reach out to, please get in contact directly: Clifton Berry

If you have general ideas or feedback to share please feel free to use the comments feature below.

All feedback, and offers of assistance, should be submitted by July 3, 2016.

COMMENTS HAVE CLOSED. PLEASE EMAIL THE PROPOSER DIRECTLY WITH ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR OFFERS TO COLLABORATE.

Discussion

4 comments
  1. Greg Martin says:

    Clifton, have you reached out to the Smithsonian museum staff to see if they might have an interest in collaborating in a session? Also, have you considered a roundtable format that might offer a more open discussion that can take on one or more of the topics you wish to explore? Have you worked with any community college or university public history programs that you might approach to develop a proposal that focuses on your fourth goal? Do you have an specific areas of research for new scholarship or a proposal for a class syllabus that would focus on the contribution perspective? Just some thoughts.

    1. Greg,
      We have not reached out to the people at the Smithsonian for this particular purpose but we are in touch with them about our project. Your suggestion is a good one and we will give it strong consideration. Yes, we have considered a roundtable format and we are leaning in that direction. We have not engaged with any community college or university public history program as yet but we have been involved in some global discussions to move this idea forward. We have attempted to speak to broader areas for research on our website (Economic/Military/Political/Geography) but truth be told the Unpald Labor thread that permeates the cloth of American history does so so completely that every area becomes one for research and development. Thank you for your questions and suggestions. They are very helpful.

  2. Brian Joyner says:

    Do you have concerns that “unpaid labor” as it relates to slavery, the penal system, etc., will be confused for the current discussions around unpaid internships, which is an issue, but of magnitudes less than your topic?

    1. Brian (if I may),
      Thank you for your question. We do not have any concerns about confusion of our efforts with others. We expect and accept that people interested generally in the topic of race and slavery will default to what the current thinking is about these topics-current and historic. We believe that what we are doing is new. Our challenge is to break through preconceived notions leading to false assumptions about our effort as it relates to others. Thanks for your comment.

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