Original upload date: Mon, 03 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Tue, 21 Dec 2021 18:31:05 GMT
Learn about the two US National Historic Landmarks where the legacy of John Jay, the only Founding Father native to New York State, is examined through a range of educational programs on American His
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tory and Social Justice: at the Jay Estate and Jay Heritage Center in Rye where Jay grew up and is buried, and at the Jay Homestead in Bedford where he retired after serving in every branch of US government.
Jay passed on his beliefs in the abolition of slavery to both his sons, Peter and William who carried on his meaningful work- and so each of Jay's homes is listed on Westchester County's African American Heritage Trail. Visit them both in one day for a complete look at Jay's unparallelled career.
The Jay Estate in Rye is a historic site manged by the non-profit Jay Heritage Center (JHC); it is a cultural heritage site where slaves are known to have lived and worked in the fields and gardens and where they were also emancipated by the Jay family. Among its goals, the JHC hopes to be "a national focal point for a continuing conversation about the two greatest pieces of unfinished American business--race and land; meaning how we treat each other and how we treat the rest of God's creation." Tony Hiss
To bring that discussion to the forefront of education, the JHC created "Striving for Freedom." It is an acclaim winning interactive theatre program developed by the Jay Heritage Center specifically for a middle school history curriculum. It examines the often ignored existence of slavery in the Northern States. It tells the story of the reunion of two sisters who were both slaves on the Jay Property.
Teachers and schools interested in seeing and participating in this play can contact Jay Heritage Center Program Director, Heather Craane at (914) 698-9275. We can accomodate classes as large as 150 students (seating is amphitheatre style in the Carriage House) and smaller groups are welcome as well.
Learn more about the Jay family's legacy in Rye on our Flickr site at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheritagecenter/sets/72157622815709034/
(Video credit: Carl Pagano/Westchester County and Jay Heritage Center; Narrated by Tracey Mitchell, Director, Westchester County Office of African American Affairs )