Knights HistoryCast Sebastian Garcia

The Department of History's Sebastian Garcia spoke with Afrofuturism Academic Conference curators Dr. Julian Chambliss and Dr. Scot French about this year's edition of the ZORA! Festival Afrofuturism Academic Conference which was grounded in the theme of the space of Afrofuturism. This thematic approach was incredibly timely as Dr. Chambliss and Dr. French discussed thoroughly how they used the conference as a public platform to widen attention and draw support for the Robert Hungerford School in Eatonville, Florida, which is currently in a complex legal battle to retain its historical and cultural significance to Eatonville in the face of gentrification and urban renewal. In addition, since this was the final year of the 2020-2024 Afrofuturism Academic Conference Cycle, Dr. Chambliss and Dr. French reflected on the half-a-decade experience of developing, leading, and curating this tremendous scholarly and public event. 
 
Guest Bios:
Dr. Julian Chambliss is a Professor of English with an appointment in History and the Val Berryman Curator of History at the MSU Museum at Michigan State University. In addition, he is a core participant in the MSU College of Arts & Letters’ Consortium for Critical Diversity in a Digital Age Research (CEDAR). His research focuses on race, culture, and power in real and imagined urban spaces. His recent writing has appeared in the American Historical Review, Phylon, Frieze Magazine, Rhetoric Review, and Boston Review. Lastly, Dr. Chambliss was the curator of the 2020-2024 ZORA! Festival Afrofuturism Academic Conference Cycle.
Dr. Scot French is an Associate Professor of History, Director of Public History, and Associate Director of the Center for Humanities and Digital Research at the University of Central Florida. He is the author of The Rebellious Slave: Nat Turner in American Memory and has published extensively on African American history, cultural landscapes, and sites of memory. His research on Eatonville and its Hungerford School has been featured in the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, Winter Park Magazine, WUCF’s Central Florida Road Trip, and CBS Sunday Morning. Dr. French chairs the ZORA! Festival Academics Committee and serves as UCF’s lead organizer for the conference in collaboration with Afrofuturism Cycle curator Dr. Julian Chambliss.

In the final episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we return to an “after-hours” edition as Sebastian Garcia spoke with Nicole Bennett (2nd-grade Teacher at Webster Elementary), Erika Grant (Physical Education Teacher at Webster Elementary), and Judy Lindquist (K-5 Gifted Teacher at Andover Elementary), at the hotel after the entire Day 8 program. This includes the events of Episode 6 (“meta” field trip) and Episode 7 (subsequent roundtable discussion), in addition to afternoon workshops titled “Themed Explorations: Putting together your Mini-Theme Tour of SANC” and “Trying Tech: An Introduction to Using Google Maps, Cilo, and StoryMaps for Veterans History.” What ultimately ensued was a tremendous reflective exercise for these teachers as they had A LOT to process and decompress. Given this, in addition to the teachers closing in on Day 8 and approaching the final two days at the Institute, the conversation carried an unintentional finality—a beautiful way to close this podcast series.
At the end of the episode, Sebastian brings it to the present, as he briefly spoke with Dr. Amelia Lyons about her reflections on Year 1 of UCF VLP executing an educational Institute for K12 teachers about teaching and memorializing Veterans’ history. Dr. Lyons even shared with us some exciting details about the future of this initiative.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Nicole Bennett, Erika Grant, Judy Lindquist, and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the eighth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we return to a sit-down conversation with K12 teachers Alecia Bryant (7th Grade Civics Teacher at Meadow Woods Middle School), Angie Hubbart (4th Grade Teacher at Orlando Gifted Academy), and Heaven Wilson (10th Grade World History Teacher). However, having gone through such a transformative morning, the “meta” field trip (Episode 6) and the subsequent roundtable discussion (Episode 7) produced a different conversation we’ve listened to thus far in the series that was exceptionally passionate, reflective, and evocative.
The conversation’s descriptive imagery allows us to further understand who the Veterans assigned to Alecia, Angie, and Heaven were. This imagery also extended into the pedagogical side of this series—as they got deeply personal with their thoughts and feelings towards this Institute’s impact on their profession…ultimately giving this episode an inimitable identity and “face.”
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Alecia Bryant, Angie Hubbart, and Heaven Wilson.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the seventh episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we pick back up where we left off last week: the conclusion of the “meta” field trip and into the roundtable discussion about it. At the zenith of the Institute’s pedagogical and emotional significance, this roundtable discussion was remarkably reflective, insightful, and cathartic for several reasons. First, the roundtable discussion format established a fluid and open dialogue between the K12 teachers and the UCF VLP Team that the Institute had not seen previously. Second, the K12 teachers’ perspicacious remarks on how indispensable the meta-field trip was for them and could be for their students demonstrated the success and mastery of UCF VLP’s time-tested pedagogical model in teaching Veterans’ history. Lastly, the emotions released during this 45-minute discussion showcased the profound investment made by these educators to memorialize Veterans in and out of the classroom. As with the previous episode, this is a poignant reminder that academia is as much heart as it is mind.
This episode was directed, produced, written, and edited by Sebastian Garcia, hosted by Dr. Amelia Lyons, and featured the UCF VLP Team and the 2023 UCF VLP Institute K12 Teachers Cohort.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the sixth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we’ve reached the climax. At this point in the series, you have heard seven teachers, ranging from 2nd grade to 11th grade, profoundly reflect on their experience at the Institute—from their Veteran bios, to their mini-tours, to their lesson plans, to even how rewarding it has been to collaborate with other educators in the pursuit to memorialize Veterans and improve their craft. All the momentum we’ve built up in the past five episodes has led us to this pivotal moment—the “meta” field trip on Day 8 out of 10 of the Institute.
This experience differed from when the teachers initially explored St. Augustine National Cemetery because they have been engaging with their mini-tours, lesson plans, and, more importantly, their Veterans. So, when they participated in these field trip activities, for example, rubbing the headstones, they connected with their Veteran and their work in a completely surreal and transformative way that would not have been possible if they hadn’t been vehemently putting in that work from before. Therefore, this “meta” field trip took all the separate components the teachers have been working on for over a week and converged them into this holistic, all-encompassing experience.
Just as impactful of this “meta” field trip is the pedagogical element to it—it’s why the label “meta” is put in front of “field trip.” The teachers occupied a dual role in this enterprise—rather than being just passive receivers of the action, they were also challenged by the UCF VLP team to actively engage with the pedagogy behind constructing such an experience for students. Lastly, to add another layer of uniqueness to this episode, Sebastian recorded the field trip LIVE, allowing you as the listeners to get an authentic capture of what was going on—from the content that was being given to the genuine comradery that was displayed by the teachers, to even the beautiful soundscapes you hear when you’re at a national cemetery. Sebastian also narrates throughout the episode to provide better context to a dynamic and metamorphic event at the zenith of the Institute.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured UCF VLP Team Members Dr. Amelia Lyons, Dr. Amy Giroux, Dr. Barbara Gannon, Sarah Boye, Jim Stoddard, and Harrison Smith. This episode also featured the 2023 UCF VLP Institute K12 Teachers Cohort.
Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay) and “Glossy” by Coma-Media (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.

In the fifth episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” the “after-hours” edition continued as Sebastian Garcia spoke with two other teachers, Anne Makay (11th-grade U.S. history teacher at Clearwater High School) and Sgt. Maj. Ray Fullard (JROTC Instructor at Edgewater High School) at the hotel after the Day 7 program of the Institute.
Anne Makay’s fascinating candor throughout the conversation further revealed with remarkable clarity the indelible impact and significance the Institute had on the K12 teachers for their profession and in memorializing Veterans. She shared her takeaways on learning how to teach Veterans history, its relevance, and how this Institute has given her tremendous confidence to do so. Sgt. Maj. Ray Fullard’s experience as a Marine and participation in this Institute undoubtedly transformed the episode, as it was a completely different and unique perspective not heard of previously. Conflating their distinctive views ultimately provided greater insights as to why the work being done by UCF VLP matters.
This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia, and featured Anne Makay and Sgt. Major Ray Fullard.
Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.
Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)
Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia
The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.