We Insist: An Africana Journey Through History, Music, and Culture

Gather with a small group of teachers from around the country for three days immersed in discussion and exploration of a single topic in American history. Multi-Day Seminars are a free opportunity for teachers hosted near an important historical site. Teachers will prepare ahead of time for seminars by reading selected historical documents in the provided course packet. Once the seminar begins, the discussion leader guides a peer-to-peer, text-based conversation among all participants. Meals, materials, single-occupancy rooms, and historical site visits are 100% covered by Teaching American History. At the end of each course, every teacher receives a letter of participation for fifteen contact hours of continuing education and a stipend of $600 to help defray travel costs.

Inspired by Max Roach’s groundbreaking 1960 album “We Insist! Freedom Now Suite,” this seminar explores the powerful intersections of music, history, and culture across the African diaspora. Using the album as a point of departure, teachers will trace the struggles and triumphs of Black communities from the civil rights and anti-colonial movements of the mid-20th century to contemporary global movements for liberation. Through close listening, critical readings, and interdisciplinary analysis, we will examine how music functions as both a historical document and a tool for resistance, healing, and collective identity. Students will engage with jazz, freedom songs, and other forms of Black musical expression to understand how sound embodies protest and possibility. This journey will serve as a soundtrack as we navigate through the collections at the International African American Museum.