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      Le'Passion Darby

      Learning Designer
      Center for Digital Agriculture
      EdTech Professional
      Career and Tech Ed

      I am a Learning Designer at the Center for Digital Agriculture at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I have worked progressively in learning and instructional design since my 2017 volunteer-ship with the Smithsonian Learning Lab and my consecutive 2018 internship with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. I hold a bachelor's degree in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University, and most recently, a master's in Learning Design and Leadership with graduate minors in Art History, Heritage Studies, and Global Studies, respectively, from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I enjoy researching and writing about campus artifacts and heritage at colleges and universities around the world. Collectively, I have toured more than 90 campuses on five continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. 

      Le'Passion Darby's collections

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      The Pullman Porters and the Railcar: Nexuses of the Great Migration

      <p>The Pullman Porters and the railcar were carriers of hope during the era known as the Great Migration. Pullman Porters were employed by George Pullman who created the nation’s first luxury railcar and made his home in Chicago, Illinois. During the Great Migration, hundreds of thousands of African Americans sought greater employment and housing opportunities in northern cities like Chicago, Pittsburgh, and New York. They traveled to the North primarily on railcars though segregated from white passengers and in less comfortable conditions. The Pullman Porters were pillars in the Black community and made positive impacts on African American migrants, entrepreneurs, and social causes effecting the Black community.  <br /></p> <p>This collection displays the story of the Pullman Porters and demonstrates the railcar as a nexus of the Great Migration. A restored Pullman Palace railcar, Southern Railway No. 1200, is now housed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. <br /></p> <p>Keywords: Pullman Porters, George Pullman, Railcars, The Great Migration, NMAAHC, African American History, American History<br /></p>
      Le'Passion Darby
      13
       
      collection

      The Harlem Renaissance

      <p>The Harlem Renaissance was a social and artistic movement of the 1920s that took place in the eclectic neighborhood of Harlem, New York. African-Americans, many of whom had migrated from the South to escape the harsh realities of racism and segregation, brought Harlem to life during this era with music, dance, poetry, film, education, literature, entrepreneurship, and social activism. This unprecedented revolution and its icons birthed knowledge and artistry that continues to impact American culture today. Such icons include Zora Neale Hurston, Mary McLeod Bethune, Madam C.J. Walker, Oscar Micheaux, Duke Ellington, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, and Mahalia Jackson. </p> <p> The individual contributions of these “Harlemites” were so distinguished that the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAG) of the United States Postal Service selected each to be commemorated on a United States Postage Stamp. These stamps have been digitized and are housed at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.</p> <p>The Harlem Renaissance Collection includes a video on each Harlem Renaissance icon and an activity that teachers can use in the classroom.</p> <p>Keywords: NMAAHC, National Postal Museum, American History, African American History, Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston, Mary McLeod Bethune, Madam C.J. Walker, Oscar Micheaux, Duke Ellington, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Mahalia Jackson<br /></p> <p></p>
      Le'Passion Darby
      11
       
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      The Emancipation Proclamation: Manuscripts of Freedom

      <p>The Smithsonian Institute holds several digitized manuscripts that outline the path to freedom for African Americans with the most central being the Emancipation Proclamation. On January 1, 1963, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Proclamation as a military act that freed slaves in the rebellion states. The document itself, however, succeeded the District of Columbia Emancipation Act (1962), which freed slaves in Washington, D.C. eight months prior, and proceeded the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Juneteenth Proclamation. One hundred years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which specified social justice mandates not written in the aforementioned documents. The Act outlawed discrimination in the United States and legally instituted what the Emancipation Proclamation only proposed.<br /></p> <p>This collection chronicles the drafting of these five critical manuscripts and the events and ideologies that spurred subsequent legislation. Students will study digitized images of the Emancipation Proclamation and examine reasons that portions of the text necessitated legal amendments. The collection includes a student activity for teacher use.</p> <p>Keywords: African American History, American History, NMAAHC, The District of Columbia Emancipation Act, Emancipation Proclamation, 13th Amendment, Juneteenth, Civil Rights Act of 1964 <em></em></p>
      Le'Passion Darby
      20
       
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      Artifacts at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

      <p>"Artifacts at Historically Black Colleges and Universitities" includes ten artifacts from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout the United States. This collection can be used to educate students about HBCU culture, history, alumni, founders, and achievement.</p>
      Le'Passion Darby
      12
       
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      An Evolution of Expression

      <p>The eclectic and time-honored art form of quilting has been used as a material expression of ideologies, social stances, and culture. Though the basic process of quilting involves the sewing of two or more layers of fabric, quilters have increasingly integrated materials, symbols, words, and individual styles with communicative, celebratory, and decorative intentions. </p> <p>This collection displays digitized images of quilts that reflect the diversity of the quilting tradition in America. Some quilts have been displayed at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and others at the National Museum of the American Indian. The Smithsonian’s National Quilt Collection is housed at the National Museum of American History. </p> <p>This collection includes an article that explores the evolution and artistry of quilting and a list of discussion questions that can be used to analyze the collection. </p> <p>Keywords: African American, NMAAHC, American History, Quilts</p><p></p>
      Le'Passion Darby
      9