Battle with Moses People Program Goals and Objectives
Description
The Battle w. Moses People (BMMP) is a storytelling narrative that provides a historical perspective on today’s environment. With the movement of #BlackLivesMatter and #BlueLivesMatter, the story of two historical icons in the police community (Moses P. Cobb and Samuel J. Battle) provides a fresh perspective.
This program is rooted in my personal family history as my great-grandfather, Moses P. Cobb, was the first “negro” patrolman in New York City to have a full career. And my Great uncle, Samuel Battle, was the first African American hired by the NYPD, later becoming the first sergeant and first lieutenant and serving as Parole Commissioner for the city.
To read more about Moses P. Cobb visit the Patch.Com article.
To read more about Samuel J. Battle visit the NY Times Article.
The BWMP is a descriptive narrative that tells how these two men persevered to face the battle with the self, the community and the system.
Participant roles and expectations
The typical duration of this program is 40 minutes for narrative and 20 minutes for discussion. More time can be allowed for discussion if permitted.
During this time participants will have the opportunity to:
- Listen to the story of the Battle with Moses People
- Reflect on learning objective questions (Listed below)
- Engage in an ongoing dialogue before, during, and after the narrative
- FOR POLICE TRAINING (Develop community initiatives for law enforcement to develop better relationships between communities of color)
- Complete a program evaluation
Suggested Readings:
- Schuh, J. (2011, November 08). Moses Cobb, African-American Police Officer, Honored. Retrieved December 22, 2017, from https://patch.com/new-york/bed-stuy/moses-cobb-african-american-police-officer-honored
- Secret, M. (2015, June 26). The Story of New York's First Black Police Officer, Told With the Help of Langston Hughes. Retrieved December 22, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/nyregion/the-story-of-new-yorks-first-black-police-officer-told-with-the-help-of-langston-hughes.html?mtrref=query.nytimes.com
- Browne, A. (2015). One righteous man: Samuel battle and the shattering of the color line in new york. Boston: Beacon Press.
- Pegues, C. (2016). Once a cop: The street, the law, two worlds, one man (First Astra books hardback ed.). New York: Atria Books.
- Hartfield, C. (2017). Memoirs of a public servant. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Speaker Contact
Terry L. Watson (great-grandson of Moses P. Cobb)
State College, PA
Email: battlecontinueswmp@gmail.com
Website: http://www.battlemosespeople.com/
Educational Goal
- To acquire a new understanding of the #BlackLivesMatter and the #BlueLIvesMatter movement from a historical perspective
- To acquire an understanding of the barriers and challenges that prohibit both movements from engaging.
- To provide insight into how we can continue the dialogue on law enforcement and communities of color distrust.
Learning Objectives
The Learning objective for the BWMP has two components.
The People (Moses)
By attending this program participants will be able to:
- Identify Moses’s People, what their story consists of, and why it usually goes untold
- Identify at least one reason why these untold stories should not remain untold
The Battle
By attending this program participants will be able to:
- Identify what battles are historically faced between law enforcement and communities of color
- Identify what battles are historically faced between law enforcement of color and their communities
- Acquire new enlightenment in repairing the battle wounds