As an Ivy League university and New York state’s land-grand institution, Cornell seeks to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge and educate the next generation of global citizens. We invite our faculty to explore Cornell’s, Ithaca’s, Tompkins County’s and Upstate New York’s history, space and place to better understand how we meet our aspirations and where we still struggle.
Exploring Our History, Space and Place
The resources shared on this page are organized thematically to provide context to community conversations. They offer faculty an opportunity to develop an understanding of how local communities navigate structural racism, systemic bias, indigeneity, colonialism, antisemitism, and related topics. We also include resources for faculty to engage in conversations with colleagues and students.
Topics
Understanding Racism and the History of Racial Struggles in the US, Upstate New York and Cornell
These resources contextualize the history of racial struggles of, but not limited to, African American/Black, Asian and Asian American, American Indian/Indigenous, Latina/o/x Hispanic communities.
- E-Cornell Series: Racism in America (Recordings and Virtual Programing) – Various talks from faculty at Cornell and other universities examining how racism is embedded in education, criminal justice, health care and economic systems, as well as within U.S. government policies and laws.
- Willard Straight Occupation Study Guide (Recordings and Virtual Programing) – On April 19, 1969, students (mainly Black) occupied Willard Straight Hall during Parents’ Weekend to continue their protests about racial issues at Cornell. The study guide lists resources about events leading up to the Willard Straight Hall occupation and its aftermath.
- ’93 Day Hall takeover by Latino students (Recordings and Virtual Programing) – In the fall of 1993, more than 100 students occupied Day Hall for four days to protest the underrepresentation and underserving of Latinos at Cornell. As a result of the demonstration, the Latino Studies Program (LSP) was expanded, and the Latino Living Center (LLC) was created.
- Seeds of Survival and Celebration: Plants and the Black Experience (Recordings and Virtual Programing) – The mission of Cornell Botanic Gardens is to share the deep and enduring connections between the rich diversity of the plant world and the equally rich diversity of cultures worldwide. This garden display and exhibit describe the knowledge, skill, and resilience of enslaved Africans, their descendants, and today’s Black community and their deep connections to plants and the cuisines they inspire.
- Hate in the time of Covid (Recordings and Virtual Programing) – The panel aims to inform students, colleagues and communities of the history of Asian racialization in the U.S., to educate all on diverse resources for anti-AAPI hate reporting & activism, and to build coalitions on both the national and local (central NY/Ithaca) levels.
- Equal Rights Heritage Center (Central New York Historic and Heritage Centers that provide programing or tours) – See where Harriet Tubman and William H. Seward lived while helping lead enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Stroll through historic Fort Hill Cemetery to see the gravesites of Tubman, Seward, and other notable Auburnians.
- Harriet Tubman National Historic Site and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad (Central New York Historic and Heritage Centers that provide programing or tours) – Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to activism. Determined to leave the world better than she found it, Tubman liberated herself from enslavement on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, then made approximately 13 return trips to rescue about 70 freedom seekers. She served in the Civil War as a nurse and federal spy, leading a raid that liberated about 700 enslaved people. After the Civil War, she continued to work as a philanthropist, suffragist, and advocate for elders in her community.
The two historic sites in New York and Maryland offer tours and exhibitions:
- St. James AME Zion Church (Central New York Historic and Heritage Centers that provide programing or tours) – Established in 1833, St James AME Zion Church is the oldest church in Ithaca. St. James is part of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church denomination known as the “The Freedom Church.” The denomination was established to provide equal opportunities for Black congregations to lead and participate in church life that white leaders have historically denied. St. James continued its historical activism throughout its history, including serving as an important transfer point for freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. Prominent abolitionists including Fredrick Douglas and Harriet Tubman spoke and attended services at St. James. Today, the church congregation keeps this history alive, and remains an active space of worship in Ithaca.
- The website includes a guided virtual tour and additional resource to learn about the history of the Underground Railroad.
Understanding Indigenous History in the U.S. and in Upstate New York as well as Cornell’s History with Indigenous Lands
These resources provide background on the indigenous history of land in the U.S., New York and at Cornell.
- Cornell University and the Indigenous Dispossession Project. A website and recordings maintained by Cornell University’s American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIISP) linking the history of land grant institutions founded through the Land Grant College Act of 1862 (also known as the Morrill Act) to the forceful dispossession of Indigenous peoples, in some cases immediately prior to those lands’ disposition to universities.
- Cornell’s Commitment to Indigenous Communities and Nations in North America.
- Ganondagan State Historic Site (Central New York Historic and Heritage Centers that provide programing or tours). Ganondagan State Historic Site located in Victor, NY is a National Historic Landmark, the only New York State Historic Site dedicated to a Native American theme (1987), and the only Seneca town developed and interpreted in the United States. Spanning 569 acres, Ganondagan (ga·NON·da·gan) is the original site of a 17th century Seneca town. The culture, art, agriculture, and government of the Seneca people influenced our modern understanding of equality, democratic government, women’s rights, ecology and natural foods. You can visit the Historic Site. The website also provides virtual programming.
- High Country News investigation on land-grab universities and background/data.
More Resources Related to Space, Place and Community
Resources for Conversations on Racism
Resources for Conversations on Antisemitism
Resources for Conversations on Islamophobia