America’s Hallowed Ground Team Shares Vision for K12 Curriculum at Bass Connections Showcase

What do we mean when we say “hallowed ground”?

A signature program of the Kenan Institute for Ethics, America’s Hallowed Ground works with communities to tell the stories of sites connected to broader conflicts and struggles in American history. Often, these stories are about moments when America has fallen short of its ideals — like equality, justice, and democracy. In a term inspired by Lincoln’s Gettyburg Address, the sites are “hallowed” by the sacrifices of those who fought for these ideals — or were harmed by others’ attempts to subvert them.

One of these sites is in Wilmington, North Carolina, where white supremacists overturned the city government and massacred Black citizens in 1898. In a 2023 workshop, professional artists associated with America’s Hallowed Ground, including muralist Cornelio Campos, led Wilmington community members in unpacking the painful legacies of 1898 through painting, movement, song, visual arts, and writing.

Through a 2023–2024 Bass Connections project, which focuses on creating curricular materials, America’s Hallowed Ground hopes to help 7–12th grade students connect with local histories. As co-director Mike Wiley has noted, the arts are not only a powerful way of teaching us about the past: they help us to remember it. By taking part in virtual workshops, students can explore the meaning of historical sites in their own communities — deepening their connections to their homes, to our nation’s past, and, hopefully, to our nation’s future.

Watch the America’s Hallowed Ground Bass Connections Team talk about this project in the video below.