Alan Brinkley: Historian Gets Rock Star Treatment at high school
Rock star is not usually the term associated with a renowned historian, but Professor Alan Brinkley of Columbia University received a taste of celebrity treatment at Mamaroneck High School on March 20. In a show of appreciation for the author of their textbook (American History; A Survey), the American History Advanced Placement students made and wore t-shirts celebrating Dr. Brinkley’s arrival for a lecture on the Harlem Renaissance.
Professor Brinkley’s lecture was the third installment in a series focusing on African-Americans in United States history, which was funded by a grant from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation.
The idea for the grant originated with MHS Assistant Principal Gail Kleiner. "Mrs. Kleiner approached me and asked if I would be interested in bringing historians to the high school,” said Elizabeth Clain, head of the Social Studies Department. Ms. Clain and three of her colleagues had attended a summer program run by the Gilder Lehrman Institute where they met several esteemed historians. Through contacts made there, the history enthusiasts of MHS have now been treated to the thoughts and musings of Professor Brinkley, James and Lois Horton, and Eric Foner. (See: Foremost Expert on Reconstruction at MHS.)
Professor Brinkley’s lecture evoked the era, between 1920 and the mid 1930's when African Americans centered in Harlem generated a high level of literature and art. He celebrated the lead figures of the movement: Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, and others. Race and racial identity were important themes.
“He spoke about the story behind the Harlem Renaissance, and how history is actually a chain of events,” explained a student impressed that “Professor Brinkley talked about more than just facts.”
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Professor Brinkley’s lecture was the third installment in a series focusing on African-Americans in United States history, which was funded by a grant from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation.
The idea for the grant originated with MHS Assistant Principal Gail Kleiner. "Mrs. Kleiner approached me and asked if I would be interested in bringing historians to the high school,” said Elizabeth Clain, head of the Social Studies Department. Ms. Clain and three of her colleagues had attended a summer program run by the Gilder Lehrman Institute where they met several esteemed historians. Through contacts made there, the history enthusiasts of MHS have now been treated to the thoughts and musings of Professor Brinkley, James and Lois Horton, and Eric Foner. (See: Foremost Expert on Reconstruction at MHS.)
Professor Brinkley’s lecture evoked the era, between 1920 and the mid 1930's when African Americans centered in Harlem generated a high level of literature and art. He celebrated the lead figures of the movement: Marcus Garvey, W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington, and others. Race and racial identity were important themes.
“He spoke about the story behind the Harlem Renaissance, and how history is actually a chain of events,” explained a student impressed that “Professor Brinkley talked about more than just facts.”