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Beloit College students have the chance to learn about local history from residents, participate in community politics and create something artistic out of their experience for a new class offered in the fall.

Amy Sarno, associate professor of theater at Beloit College, created a Fairbanks Flats class called, “Do You See What I'm Saying? Approaches to Community-Based Performance.”

“I became interested in the subject because of the historical importance of the Flats,” Sarno said. “I met several people who grew up in the Flats and saw how much of a role the Flats played in the development of the African-American community here.”

In between 1914 and 1920, Fairbanks Morse sent recruiters down to Alabama and Mississippi to recruit black employees because most of the white workers were away at the war, Sarno said. Fairbanks Morse offered them the opportunity to relocate to Beloit by promising them a living wage, constant work and housing. Although housing was not constructed right away, Fairbanks Morse did build housing for them in 1917 called Fairbanks Flats, Sarno said.

The Fairbanks Flats residents became a tight-knit family that participated in activities such as playing baseball at the YMCA, skating on the river when it froze and generally just watching out for each other.

“The group of people relocated their lives and moved, not necessarily with their families,” Sarno said. “They had to rely on each other to get by.”

One of Sarno's reasons for teaching the class is because: “Beloit doesn't know the importance of the Flats. Many people drive by and say ‘We should tear down those ugly, old buildings.' How do we teach people how important they are?”

The second goal Sarno has with the class is to preserve the stories people have. She wants to record the oral histories of the former residents and create art out of their stories.

“I'm interested in theater by, for and with the population and helping people tell their own stories,” Sarno said. “Personal stories can help us understand each other and get to know communities. It's an interactive process.”

Students in the class will get involved with the Fairbanks Flats and Shore Drive Revitalization Group, attend meetings, interview members of the community to record their oral histories, research the history of Fairbanks Flats, learn about the Great Migration, map the site and participate in discussion and story circles, Sarno said.

Class sign-up started three weeks ago and the class filled up quickly, Sarno said. Students signed up for the class have a variety of majors, including theater, history and anthropology.

Sarno will be co-teaching the class with a Fulbright scholar from Ireland, Darren Kelly. Kelly has worked with housing communities in Ireland and created theater out of the residents' stories. Last October, Sarno and Kelly met to work out the idea for the class.

For the class, students might perform vignettes of historic scenes around the city as a precursor to a larger project, Sarno said. They also will get involved in the efforts of the Fairbanks Flats and Shore Drive Revitalization Group. However, whether the students spend more time performing historic scenes or participating in community politics will depend on what the students and teachers want to do once the class starts.

In spring semester, an independent study Fairbanks Flats class will be offered, in which students will work with Sarno and Darren.

At the end of spring semester, Sarno and others involved might create a play out of the oral histories of residents they interview. However, the direction and outcome of the class will be dependent on the students involved.