“Race in the United States: Connecting the Dots Between 1776 and Today” Forum Hosted with the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust, Feb. 12

The Free Event Will Take Place Live at the Museum and Will be Livestreamed

Event Marks the Fifth Annual Lonaé A. Moore Memorial Forum

With a shared commitment to presenting a more inclusive—and thus a more accurate—telling of history, the Museum of the American Revolution and the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust (DFCLT) will host a candid conversation on the role of historical education in racial understanding on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, from 1–3:30 p.m. The forum, entitled “Race in the United States: Connecting the Dots Between 1776 and Today,” will take place live at the Museum and will be livestreamed online. Admission is free, but RSVP is required.

The event marks the fifth annual Lonaé A. Moore Memorial Forum and is named in honor of Lonaé A. Moore (1997-2018), an eighth-generation direct descendant of the Dennis family and Delaware State University student who passed away in 2018. The forum takes place as part of the Museum of the American Revolution’s robust Black History Month celebration in February.

Panelists will include Dr. Jennifer Janofsky, the Giordano Fellow in Public History at Rowan University and the Director of Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, New Jersey, and Michael Idriss, the Museum’s African American Interpretive Fellow. Adrienne G. Whaley, the Museum’s Director of Education and Community Engagement, will moderate the conversation.

The panelists will discuss the essential roles that people of African descent—both free and enslaved—played during the Revolutionary era and how the nation’s relationship with race has been impacted by an incomplete understanding of their participation, which has persisted to the present day. Audience members will be asked to consider what a future can look like when building off a transparent and inclusive telling of our nation’s history. 

“The Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust and the Museum of the American Revolution are committed to upholding the truths that are a basic tenet of American democracy—that all men and women are created equal with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” said Denise Dennis, President and CEO of the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust. “Racism, which is based on ignorance and the absence of truth, undermines democracy by dividing us. Through this Forum, we will share knowledge and the light of truth, which are powerful tools in the struggle to overcome racism and build unity.”

Admission to the forum is free, but RSVP is required for both onsite and online audiences. Registration can be found here for virtual attendance. To attend in-person, email [email protected]. All onsite attendees will receive free admission to the Museum’s galleries.

In the Museum’s galleries, guests are encouraged to view the powder horn of Gershom Prince, a Black soldier who served and died in the Revolutionary War, which is on display in the Museum’s Oneida Nation Gallery. The powder horn is on loan to the Museum from the Luzerne County Historical Society, where it was donated by Prince’s family—from which DFCLT President Denise Dennis descended—in the 1950s.

Health and Safety Note
All visitors to the Museum ages 5 and up are required to show proof of vaccination upon entry; visitors 18 and older must also show a matching valid ID. An original CDC vaccination card or a photo or electronic copy of the card are all acceptable forms of documentation. Proof of a negative COVID test will not be accepted. Masks are required for visitors ages 2 and up. 

About Michael Idriss
An educator and storyteller with a passion for history and for his hometown of Philadelphia, Michael Idriss serves as the Museum’s African American Interpretive Fellow, managing all aspects of the new African American Interpretive Program, funded by Comcast NBCUniversal. Idriss previously worked as a Philadelphia tour guide, leading historical experiences centered around stories of the African Diaspora. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and African American studies from Temple University. He received his associates degree from Delaware County Community College before attending Temple University where he graduated with an honors distinction in history and a minor in Africology/Africana Studies in 2019. 

About Dr. Jennifer Janofsky
Dr. Jennifer Janofsky is the Giordano Fellow in Public History at Rowan University and the Director of Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park, New Jersey. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton, a master’s degree from Villanova University, and a doctorate from Temple University where she studied early American history and public history. In 2004, she served as the Barra Dissertation Fellow at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of “’Hopelessly Hardened’: The Complexities of Penitentiary Discipline at Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary” which appears in Buried Lives: Incarcerated in Early America, edited by Richard Bell and Michele Tarter. She teaches Topics in Public History, American Material Culture, pre-Civil War America, and directs the internship in history program.

About Adrienne G. Whaley
Adrienne G. Whaley is an educator and history-lover who currently serves as Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Museum of the American Revolution. Adrienne earned her bachelor's degree in African American Studies from Harvard University and her Master's in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in both art and history museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, and loves the potential for objects, artifacts and primary source documents to enrich student learning experiences. She carries her love of history and for uncovering the stories of common people into her spare time as an avid genealogist researching her own family history and as Programming Chair and former President of Philadelphia's African American Genealogy Group. As both a museum educator and as a genealogist, she has presented on television and in workshops and conferences both locally and nationally.

About The Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust
The Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization, was created to preserve a rare-and beautiful-historic and cultural resource in the Endless Mountains of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. The 153-acre farm was founded by the Dennis family’s ancestors, free African Americans who came to Pennsylvania from Connecticut in 1793 and purchased land and has remained in the stewardship of the same family since then. The purpose of the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust is to continue to develop the Dennis Farm into an education and cultural site for scholars, researchers, educators, cultural heritage tourists, school groups and others interested in. this extraordinary history.

About Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.