It will be funny to see some of our tougher students in period clothing, but in this environment I don't foresee any troubles in adjusting. It makes sense to wear linen shirts and head caps under the locust tree where we'll be set up, with the river flowing calmly behind us.

When Meliza Peña, the Senior Apprentice for the On-Water program, and I visited Philipsburg Manor for the first time in April, we were so awestruck by the scenery that we momentarily forgot the potential trials involved with this project. Philipsburg Manor is a historic site that recreates the milling, farming, and trading that took place there in the early 18th century. Farmers of diverse European backgrounds tenanted the 92,000 acres of the estate, but the manor was run by African slaves. Today, it's a living history museum busy with social lessons, historical flashbacks, and beautiful costumes, located in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y in Westchester County, about a half an hour ride from our shop in the Bronx.

As Senior Apprentices, our initial concern was that the students would have to act like slaves and might be approached as slaves by the public. How would the students react to visitors and their questions? Would they feel inferior? The reality is that racism is still around and some of our students might feel sensitive to people’s questions about life as a slave. It’s still a real issue.

When we visited, we found that the students would not be acting like slaves. They would be interpreting what life was like in the 1750s, but acting like themselves, keeping their own identities. As well, it would be an empowering learning experience for our students. Working there will teach students that slaves had personalities and skills, as opposed to the image that you might get from history books. If anything, it should be uplifting.

“When we visited, we found that the museum was an entire history lesson,” said Meliza. “People at the museum are aware that this is a sensitive issue and they are really respectful. There is even a black board of advisors.”

Our students are aware of the challenges in this project, but they seem confident enough to take them on. "We're putting on a show, and that show is us building the boat, and we would be doing that anyway. I'm excited about the whole thing, it's gonna be a cool summer," said Kadijah Abdur-Rahim, who will be an apprentice for the first time this summer.

As far as I'm concerned, if Kadijah can do it, so can I, and our students can experience problems and solutions way beyond the use of tools, wood, and measurements: issues such as American social problems, history, and mastering the new skill of interpretation and explanation.

"We can do it," says Meliza Peña, with that huge smile that everyone who has ever entered the Rocking the Boat shop is sure to have noticed. "This is something new. The fact that I could plane the cedar and then look up and look at a cow, that's wonderful. It's bizarre. Who would ever think we'd be building a boat in the city? And then who would think that we'd be building a boat upstate next to cows and sheep? That's funny.”