My presentation at the Desert Institute Second Friday Lecture Series at The Old School House in Twentynine Palms focused on my project about African American Homesteaders.
Kevin Wong, Program Coordinator, was an early responder to my 2020 outreach survey about my project, Contradictions – Moving the Past Forward©. Kevin invited me to give a lecture about my project. The Desert Institute of the Joshua Tree National Park Association in association with the Twentynine Palms Historical Society hosted the lecture. My concept of an Art + Humanities project to interpret the stories of African American homesteaders who settled in the Eastern Mojave Desert area was new to our audience. I’m so appreciative for all of the guests and friends who attended, the lively and meaningful questions they asked during the question and answer session, and the informative comments the audience shared.
I was honored that David R. Nichols with the Mojave Preserve and his colleague, Sierra, also attended. In his role as Park Archeologist, Cultural Resources Program Manager at Mojave National Preserve and Castle Mountains National Monument, David commissioned a three-year ethnological and anthropological study about African American Homesteaders in the Mojave Desert. He is and has been a phenomenal resource and supporter of Contradictions – Bringing The Past Forward©.
More to come about the study. . .
To learn more about future Second Friday Lecture Series and other program opportunities, check out the Desert Institute’s website: https://www.joshuatree.org/desert-institute/field-classes.html