First-person interpretation can help the past come alive, but it can be a heavy responsibility—especially when sharing difficult history. Portraying an enslaved person can be especially challenging, both professionally and personally. Richard M. Josey discusses his years as a first-person interpreter, the lessons he learned, and how he now shares those lessons as a consultant […]

In June 2020, members of The Yale Historical Review (YHR) founded The 1701 Project, an initiative on racial injustice and social change. Although unrelated, we draw inspiration from Nikole Hannah-Jones and her colleagues’ examination of slavery’s legacies in The 1619 Project. The 1701 Project (a nod to the year of Yale’s founding) analyzes our university’s […]

Monticello's Director of African American History Niya Bates discusses the descendants of Monticello's enslaved community and their struggle over generations to make real the promises of the Declaration of Independence.