The Center for Brooklyn History education department connects students, educators, and archivists in New York City and beyond to unique collections, programs, and events that bring the history of Brooklyn to life.
For students
We make the archive a more inclusive place for students of all backgrounds by giving them the agency to engage and interrogate collections through a culturally responsive lens. By broadening the definition of researcher, students are given access to primary sources while developing their critical research skills. Our signature partnership program, Brooklyn Connections, offers fourth through twelfth grade classes rare access to original archival materials while students complete customized, standards-based projects.
Our work with students extends beyond the school day to our youth internship program that assists youth college, career, and employment readiness skills.
And, beginning in 2021, CBH is thrilled to be the home of New York City History Day.
For educators
Every school year, we offer a robust array of professional development workshops where guest speakers engage educators in fascinating content knowledge while our team models lesson plans and activities that transfer to any classroom. CBH Education is a New York State-certified provider of Continuing Teacher and Leadership Education (CTLE) credit and ASPDP “P” credits. Our events introduce educators to New York City cultural institutions that can support their students with class visits and field trips. Educators can access our customized lesson plans, research guides, and more by visiting our educator resources page anytime.
For archivists
CBH Education encourages archivists and archives educators to replicate and adapt our model in their own communities. We make our resources and teaching strategies openly available for archivists to access. Our team can be found speaking at conferences and publishing widely to promote the work we do to the archival community. For more information about our resources for archivists, please contact us.
Contact us
CBH Education is generously supported by The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, The Rose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable Trust, The Hearst Foundation, Epstein Teicher Philanthropies, The Michael Tuch Foundation, The Nissan Foundation, National Grid Foundation, The Pine Tree Foundation, and Con Edison.
Upcoming Events
CBH Talk | Ari Berman and Chris Hayes Discuss “Minority Rule”
As the United States moves steadily towards a majority-minority future, time and time again the white conservative minority has effectively pushed back representative democracy through voter suppression, election subversion, legislative power grabs, immigration restrictions,…
Brooklyn Is... Exhibition Tour
Come for a free guided tour of the exhibition Brooklyn Is...!
Visitors will get an interactive look at the photographs, maps, and community reflections that make up the heart of this exhibition, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process of putting together this exhibition…
Brooklyn Is... Exhibition Tour
Come for a free guided tour of the exhibition Brooklyn Is...!
Visitors will get an interactive look at the photographs, maps, and community reflections that make up the heart of this exhibition, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process of putting together this exhibition…
CBH Talk | Blackface Minstrelsy and the Racial Foundation of American Musical Culture
In his new book, Blacksound: Making Race and Popular Music in the United States, musicologist Matthew Morrison unpacks the political legacy of blackface minstrelsy, showing not only how blackness was commodified by white people as popular entertainment during the nineteenth century,…
CBH Talk | Severe Mental Illness: Our Collective Response and Responsibility
Jonathan Rosen’s acclaimed book, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions, has helped move the needle on our understanding of severe mental illness and the ways that society -- at the governmental, medical, and individual levels -- has failed…
Brooklyn Is... Exhibition Tour
Come for a free guided tour of the exhibition Brooklyn Is...!
Visitors will get an interactive look at the photographs, maps, and community reflections that make up the heart of this exhibition, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process of putting together this exhibition…
CBH Talk | Natalie Foster and Tressie McMillan Cottom Discuss “The Guarantee”
The Guarantee asks us to imagine an America where housing, health care, a college education, dignified work, family care, an inheritance, and an income floor are not only attainable by all but guaranteed, by our government, for everyone.
But isn’t this pie-in-the-sky…
CBH Talk | Elizabeth Gloucester, The Most Powerful Black Woman Lost to History
Co-presented by the Center for Brooklyn History and The Brooklyn Heights Association
Elizabeth Gloucester, was born into slavery in 1817 in Richmond, Virginia. When she died in Brooklyn Heights six decades later, the Brooklyn Eagle described her as “the wealthiest colored…
Brooklyn Is... Exhibition Tour
Come for a free guided tour of the exhibition Brooklyn Is...!
Visitors will get an interactive look at the photographs, maps, and community reflections that make up the heart of this exhibition, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process of putting together this exhibition…
Brooklyn Is... Exhibition Tour
Come for a free guided tour of the exhibition Brooklyn Is...!
Visitors will get an interactive look at the photographs, maps, and community reflections that make up the heart of this exhibition, as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process of putting together this…
Education News from the Center for Brooklyn History
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Drop us a line!
You can contact us at cbheducation@bklynlibrary.org.
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