Category: Virginia Geographic Alliance West Indies Teacher Institute

Overlooked Histories

The image of this colorful sign is obviously meant to be “fun” and perhaps even funny. When I took this picture while traveling with fellow teachers and educators…

An Extraordinary Emblematic Flag

I visited Barbados on a teacher professional development trip in 2018. My assigned research topic for the trip was Bussa’s 1816 slave rebellion. Within three days in April…

The Liberation of Our Past

The Barbados Museum and Historical Society is located in a former military prison. Its original purpose of control through force and containment is clear and obvious when I…

Transformation of an Island

My source of inspiration came from a lecture on paintings and images of slave society presented at the Barbados National Museum. The painting by Issac Sailmaker entitled “Island…

The Burden of Sugar

Visiting a sugar mill on the coast of Barbados, I wondered how far humans are willing to go for the everyday resources I take for granted. What are…

George Washington and the Movement of Enslaved Persons to Barbados

Before travelling to the George Washington House in Bridgetown, Barbados, I thought what most Americans think about George Washington: he was a strong, moral, and noble leader who…

Water Is Life: Thousands Have Lived Without Love, Not One Without Water

I remember visiting the Washington House in Barbados this past summer on a Virginia Geographic Alliance travel grant and being marveled at the dripping stones on the residence….

Sargassam & Barbados

At the heart of humanities are humans. This moment encapsulates the unintended consequences of human interactions with our environment. The picture was taken at Bathsheba, Barbados that shows…

Fish and Place in Barbados

This mid-20th century oil painting, titled “Fishermen Mending Nets” by the artist Charles Poyer, depicts an elderly man repairing fishing nets by hand with tools located in a…

“Personal Freedom Was Therefore Not Existent”

The title of my moment comes from a quote on page 55 of Watson and Potter’s book, Low-Cost Housing in Barbados: Evolution or Social Revolution? My humanities moment…

The Pledge of Barbados

Standing on Chamberlain Bridge and looking at Independence Arch, I began reading the Barbadian Pledge. Instantly my brain goes to each school morning when students stand and say…

The Emancipation Act of 1834 and Our Shared Freedom Story

“To be honest, I’m glad my family didn’t go to America. We ended slavery 30 years earlier. What were YOU guys thinking?” Our Bajan tour guide of St….