The Washington College Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, a nationally recognized center for research and education on American history and culture, recently announced the appointment, effective January 2, of Darius Johnson ’15 as project director for Chesapeake Heartland, a core program of the Starr Center. 

The project is a digital humanities initiative that uses innovative technologies to explore the history of African American life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Chesapeake Heartland collects, preserves, and shares primary sources, such as oral histories, photographs, and archival documents, to tell the stories of African American individuals, families, and communities in the Chesapeake region. As project director, Johnson will work closely with Starr Center colleagues and external partners to steer Chesapeake Heartland’s strategic planning, funding, and impact. In this new position, he is charged with engaging students and faculty in the project’s mission and supporting substantive learning opportunities that contribute to its success. Johnson has been involved with Chesapeake Heartland since its inception in 2019. 

“I want Chesapeake Heartland to be seen and leveraged as a key platform for experiential learning,” said Johnson. “With our strong community emphasis, we’re able to help students develop a stronger sense of place while developing their careers, allowing them to be impactful, civically engaged citizens in their college community as well as the communities they live in after they graduate.”

Johnson is thrilled to continue telling the stories of African American heritage and hopes the work will allow people to understand the truths of their experience and contributions. 

“This is especially important for our youth, whose sense of pride would benefit from knowing the roots they come from,” stressed Johnson. “I struggled with this when I was a young boy growing up here in Kent County and even as a student at Washington College. Now, thanks to Chesapeake Heartland, I have a deeper appreciation of who I am and where I come from.”