A Story of Bones Discussion Guide

As Construction Environmental Officer for St. Helena's troubled airport project, Annina van Neel learns about an unmarked mass burial ground of an estimated 9,000 formerly enslaved Africans. Haunted by this historical injustice, she and African American preservationist Peggy King Jorde fight for their proper memorialization, exposing the UK's colonial past and present.

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection and is designed for people who want to use A Story of Bones to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are correct, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning the following steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.

For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit https://communitynetwork.amdoc.org/.

About the Author, Peggy King Jorde

Peggy King Jorde is a Cultural Projects Consultant with a multidisciplinary practice supporting projects in cultural heritage preservation for marginalized & underrepresented communities. A Harvard Loeb Fellow recognized for her extraordinary activism to save New York City’s African Burial Ground, King Jorde was named Special Adviser to Mayor David N Dinkins in 1991. Later, as Executive Director and on behalf of the Federal Steering Committee for the African Burial Ground Memorialization, Peggy prepared the master plan submitted to Congress. She subsequently accepted the position of Director of Memorialization to implement the design competitions for the nation’s first African Burial Ground Monument & Interpretive Center. She consulted on the repatriation and burial ceremony for more than 400 ancestral remains under study at Howard University. Harvard Magazine’s article “Life By Design” chronicles King Jorde’s journey from her native Albany, Georgia, to her fellowship pursuits at Harvard School of Design. King Jorde served under three New York City Mayors, garnering extensive experience in civic project development and oversight of New York’s most iconic cultural institutions, museums, and public art projects. She is a consultant, author, producer, and a protagonist in the critically acclaimed British documentary “A Story of Bones” featured at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival about the fight to preserve a burial ground for thousands of enslaved Africans retrieved from slave ships during the Middle Passage and buried on the island of St. Helena, UK. In addition to project consulting, writing, producing, and lecturing, King Jorde is a recent committee appointee and adviser to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch Caribbean Island of Sint Eustatius. She guides community engagement, preservation, and memorialization strategies for African burial sites.

DISCUSSION GUIDE PRODUCERS

Courtney B. Cook, Phd | Education Manager, POV 

Jordan Thomas | Education Assistant, POV

THANKS TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED AND CONTRIBUTED TO THIS RESOURCE

Natalie Danford | Copyeditor