Maps Tell a Story

We get a lot of questions about what our social justice education program looks like at PCS. And the truth is that it looks a little different everyday. Some of our social justice and DEIJ work is explicit, intentional and scheduled into our academic day just like math and literacy blocks are. Other times, opportunities to discuss inequity, systemic racism and individual bias present themselves authentically, whether we’re considering recent news stories, recounting personal experiences, or, like today, uncovering themes in the course of our Integrated Studies Unit.

🗺️ This week, fifth graders are investigating the intersection of maps and storytelling, both fictional and historic. As it turns out, maps can tell powerful stories, whether the fantasies of buried treasure and desert islands, or the reality of a village destroyed in the so-called name of progress. While studying surveying and the planning of Manhattan, fifth graders learned about Seneca Village, a Black village that was destroyed to pave the way for Central Park. Seneca Village comprised 40 acres of land between 82nd and 89th Streets and 7th and 8th Avenues. In 1857, before its destruction through the law of eminent domain, it housed 230 residents with three churches and a school.

Yesterday, students looked over maps of the area from surveys done in 1838, 1856 and 1994. The maps, which were created to determine the amount of compensation due to property owners, tell the clear story of Seneca Village’s rise and fall. Looking at primary sources like maps helps students make their own connections in their learning rather than relying on second-hand accounts or interpretations. Students can see for themselves the absence of a once thriving village and the effect of human decisions on the physical landscape. Students are now seeking more primary sources to dive deeper into the Seneca Village story.