African American Humanities Truck — Chesapeake Heartland

The Chesapeake Heartland Humanities Truck arrives at the Custom House in Chestertown, MD (November 10, 2020)

The Chesapeake Heartland Humanities Truck arrives at the Custom House in Chestertown, MD (November 10, 2020)

The Chesapeake Heartland Humanities Truck arrives at the Custom House in Chestertown, MD (November 10, 2020)

Interior of the Chesapeake Heartland Humanities Truck.

Carolyn Brooks (Chesapeake Heartland Community Historian) and Patrick Nugent (Deputy Director of the Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience)

Community Historian Airlee Ringgold Johnson shares images of Kent County African American musical legends with attendees at Chestertown’s “Block Partay” event. October 9, 2021.

“Truck Team & HHTC” – Truck Ambassadors and staff shared an exhibit from the digital archive with Chesapeake Heartland’s “Hip Hop Time Capsule” interns. July 2021.

Truck Inside_Maya and Isaiah” - Humanities Truck Ambassadors and Washington College students Maya Tann ‘22 and Isaiah Reese ‘22 enjoy the air-conditioning inside the Truck, before setting up an outdoor exhibit for middle school campers at Horizons D — Truck Inside_Maya and Isaiah” - Humanities Truck Ambassadors and Washington College students Maya Tann ‘22 and Isaiah Reese ‘22 enjoy the air-conditioning inside the Truck, before setting up an outdoor exhibit for middle school campers at Horizons Day Camp. July 7, 2021.

“Truck Campus Visit” – The truck visited the campus of Washington College for Kappa Sigma Fraternity’s “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” week, sharing with students the work and mission of the Chesapeake Heartland Project. October 28, 2021.

Raven Bishop, Instructional Technologist for Washington College’s Miller Library and Chesapeake Heartland Fellow, 3D scans items on-site at the African American Schoolhouse Museum in Worton, Md. January 15, 2021.

Horizon Program at Gunston School in Queen Anne’s County Md: Truck Ambassador Jada Aristilde, giving instructions to Horizons students on the project they are to create using the photos from the Chesapeake Heartland Archive (July 7, 2021).

Horizon Program at Gunston School in Queen Anne’s County Md: Truck Ambassador Jada Aristilde and Starr Center Coordinator Colin Levi setting up display tables (July 7, 2021).

Horizon Program at Gunston School in Queen Anne’s County Md: Truck Ambassadors Isaiah Reese, Jada Aristilde, Colin Levi –Starr Center Coordinator and Truck Ambassador Maya Tann setting up displays tables (July 7, 2021).

Interior truck exhibit at Gunston School's Horizons program in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Students used photos from the Chesapeake Heartland to create a theme (July 7, 2021).

Interior truck exhibit at Gunston School's Horizons program in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Students used photos from the Chesapeake Heartland to create a theme (July 7, 2021).

Dr. Vita Pickrum (black jacket), wife of William Pickrum, speaking with a newspaper photographer at Legacy Day in Wilmer Park of Chestertown, Md. (August 21, 2021).

Interior truck exhibit at Gunston School's Horizons program in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Students used photos from the Chesapeake Heartland to create a theme (July 7, 2021).

Interior truck exhibit at Gunston School's Horizons program in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Students used photos from the Chesapeake Heartland to create a theme (July 7, 2021).

Truck Ambassadors Holly Williams, Lillian Schimp, and Maya Tann (pictured from left to right) at Dickens of a Christmas on High Street in Chestertown, Md (December 4, 2021).

Legacy Day at Wilmer Park in Chestertown, Md. (August 21, 2021).

Larry Wilson (President of Sumner Hall) standing in front of the William Pickrum pop-up exhibit at Minary’s Dream Alliance, American Legion Post #36 off of Morgnec Road in Chestertown, Md (May 22, 2021).

Dickens of a Christmas on High Street in Chestertown, Md (December 4, 2021).

Kacey Stewart (Starr Center Asst. Director of Experiential Learning) Lillian Schimp (Truck Ambassador) at Dickens of a Christmas on High Street in Chestertown, Md (December 4, 2021).

Isaiah Reese (Truck Ambassador) and Gordon Wallace, Jr. (Sumner Hall) at Kennard Museum Centreville, Md. – MoMS exhibit: "Voices and Votes Democracy in American" (July 24, 2021).

Gordon Wallace, Jr. (Sumner Hall) takes a break at the Kennard Museum Centreville, Md. – MoMS exhibit: "Voices and Votes Democracy in American" (July 24, 2021).

In partnership with the Maryland Heritage Area Authority, we are pleased to announce that Phase 1 of the Chesapeake Heartland African American Humanities Truck is now complete and ready for pick-up!

The African American Humanities Truck will serve Kent County and the Eastern Shore as a mobile digitization station, oral history studio, exhibit space, and pop-up-festival-maker. It is designed to meet community members on their own grounds — their own turf and their own terms — inviting partners and participants to gather inside and around the truck to conduct interviews, digitize materials, and create exhibits and events.

As we move toward Phase 2, the truck will be outfitted with digitization, educational, and exhibit-making equipment. Packable technologies will be added to the truck’s interior to allow for the digitization of diverse materials including photographs, interviews, moving images, and 3-D objects. Exhibit-making tools will allow community groups to design exhibits for display both in the truck and at sites of interest throughout Kent County. Educational technologies will encourage teachers and students to engage with the truck. And speakers and televisions will be added to the exterior so that the truck can project music, movies, and documentaries anytime, anywhere. The truck will be a resource to the community, supporting humanities projects and events across the Eastern Shore.

Please use the form below to request the truck for an upcoming event. All requests must be submitted at least 14 days in advance of the proposed event date.