Title: Graphing Winona's African-American Population
Author: Harold Christensen
Grade Level: Middle School
Subject: Cultural Studies/Local History/Changing Demographics
Time Required: One - Two hours.

Instructional Objectives:

The students will:
1. Find the African-American population of Winona city or county for 10 year intervals from 1860 to 1990.

2. Make a line graph or a bar graph showing this data.

3. Point out periods of growth or decline.

Procedures:

1. Explain to students that there has been an African-American presence in Winona for over a century. Tell them that in 1880, there were more African Americans living in Winona than there were in 1970.

2. Ask them to estimate how many African Americans were living in Winona county in 1880, 1890, 1940, 1970.

3. Provide for the students print outs of census for the years from 1860 to 1990. Finding this information would be a good exercise for the students.

4. After the information has been found or given, explain to the students that they are to use this data to make a line graph or a bar graph.

5. Students can first make graphs with pen/cil and paper.

6. Students can also use the computer to make these graphs.

7. Ask students to point out trends or large changes in the size of the African American population in Winona.

8. If there are periods of great change, challenge the students to do further reading and research to find out reasons for this. Were these patterns evident in other places in Minnesota? Why?

Evaluation:

1. Graphs would be evaluated on their neatness and accuracy.

2. Student effort would be noted as the assignment is completed.

Title: African Americans who lived in Winona in the late 1800s.
Author: Harold Christensen
Grade Level: Middle School/High School
Subject: Cultural Studies/Winona History
Time Required: Probably several hours

Instructional Objectives:

The students will:
1. Research city directories, newspaper archives, other local histories to find the names of African Americans who lived in Winona in the 1880s and 1890s.

2. Write short articles on the names of people found including material on their background before arriving in Winona, telling how and why they came to Winona, and what their role in Winona was.

Procedures:

1. Tell the class that in 1877, James Stovall was an African American living in Winona who had a restaurant. In 1880, there were 68 African Americans living in Winona county.

2. Ask the students to suggest what occupations these people might have had. Ask them to suggest where these people lived in Winona. Would they have all lived in the same part of town?

3. How can we find out more about them? Suggest city directories, histories of Winona or of local churches or businesses, and maybe archives or morgues of local newspapers.

4. Ask students how they can access these materials.

5. Who are people in Winona who might have this information?

6. Research will have to be out of class time.

7. When information is found, have students write short newspaper-type articles on the individuals located.

Evaluation:

1. How well was the article written? Were good research techniques followed?

2. Were sources listed? How complete were they?

Enrichment:

1. Prepare a bulletin board display with these "biographies" of early African American Winonans.

2. Research other African Americans who have lived in Winona and write short sketches about them.

3. Prepare a booklet of Winona's African Americans.

Title: African American Perspectives of Winona
Author: Harold Christensen
Grade Level: Middle School/High School
Subject: Cultural Studies/Local History/Demographics
Time Required: Two - three hours

Instructional Objectives:

The students will:
1. Formulate a list of questions to ask an African American in Winona.

2. Arrange for an interview.

3. Conduct an interview

4. Write a report based on the interview that will point out an African American's experience living in Winona.

Procedures:

1. Explain to students that the information given here about African Americans in Winona in the 1990s may not represent all their perspectives. There are groups of African Africans in Winona who may have entirely different feelings and ideas about being here.

2. Tell them there are teachers at the local universities, there are students at the local universities, and there are students at the Middle School and the High School who are African American and whose perspectives of Winona might be the same but they might be different. Also point out that there are some African Americans living in Winona whose spouses are not African American. How might they feel about Winona?

3. Tell the students the purpose of this assignment is to compare the feelings of one of these other groups with the perspective included in the Web page.

4. Have students make a list of questions to ask in an interview. Topics might include: Life before Winona; reasons for coming to Winona; how they found out about Winona; what role they have in Winona; pluses and minuses about living in Winona.

5. Discuss acceptable interview techniques.

6. Use the information gathered to write a paper explaining the perspective one or several of these groups have. Compare that perspective with the one presented in this Web page.

Evaluation:

1. What quality of questions were asked?

2. How in-depth was the report?

3. Were sources listed? How complete were they?

4. Were good writing techniques and correct spelling used in the report?

Enrichment:

1. Select at random several towns in other states which have about the same size of population as Winona. Write a letter to the middle school or junior high social studies teacher(s), asking if there are any African Americans there as students. Correspond with them to find out their perspectives of living there. Are they a part of the majority or minority? Compare with Winona's African American perspectives.

Title: African American Foods
Author: Harold Christensen
Grade Level: Middle School / High School
Subject: Cultural Studies / Ethnic Foods
Time Required: One - two class periods

Instructional Objectives:

The students will:
1. Find out what kinds of foods could be termed African American.

2. Find out what foods African Americans miss here in Winona or some other community.

3. Determine where these foods are available.

4. Write out several recipes of African American foods.

5. Present findings to class.

Procedures:

1. Explain that the African Americans who live here in Winona or some other community where they make up a small part of the population, are not able to purchase locally some of the ethnic foods which they would like to eat.

2. Explain that many other minority ethnic groups are faced with the same frustration.

3. Point out that ethnic foods are an important facet of every cultural group.

4. Also explain that getting these ethnic foods can be difficult (long distances, lack of transportation, etc) and expensive.

5. Tell students they are to interview some African Americans to find out:
   1. what foods they have difficulty purchasing here;
   2. where they can get these foods;
   3. whether or not these foods are a part of any special celebration;
   4. how these foods are prepared.

6. Students conduct interviews; make a list of African American foods with those marked that are not readily available here; and finally, write out some recipes that could be tried.

1. Note the quality of material gathered.

2. Have students present their findings to the class.

Enrichment:

1. Prepare an African American meal.

2. Invite an African American to class to speak about ethnic foods.

3. The Winona Post for Sunday, December 10, 1995, contained an article on Kwanzaa, an African American cultural celebration. Use that article as a springboard to learn more about Kwanzaa and prepare a small group presentation to the class.

4. Research other African American cultural celebrations.

5. Do research and prepare a presentation of African American music--its origins and contributions to American culture.

6. Prepare a recipe booklet with cultural notations on African Americans foods.

7. Make a list of stores locally and in the Midwest that carry foods items that African Americans shop for. Include name of store, address, and phone number.

8. There are hair styles that have their origins with African Americans. There is no place they can go in Winona to have these provided. Invite an African American to class to explain and demonstrate these styles. Or, learn about these styles yourself and explain to the class with the aid of visuals.

9. There is no African American church in Winona. Worship in an African American church in Rochester or some other large city. Share your experience with the class.