• Discuss goals, objectives, and limits
• Humanize each other and people of the past
• Create a plan
• Discuss and review goals, objectives, limits, and plan
• Be flexible in the plan
• Reflect

A Section for well wishes

From my experience the average guest to a site is genuinely curious and wants to be educated.  If they don't have an advance degree in Museum Education its hard for them to perfectly articulate their questions, comments or feelings on difficult topics such as race in America.  Its our job, as volunteers at public events to help direct them to the answers.  I like to joke and say that's why we are called "historical interpreters" in the Museum world, because we also have to translate and interpret guest's questions so that they can be appropriately answered.  

It is common for people to ask you questions in a way that will feel offensive, but if their intent is honestly to learn and not harm then its best to approach it as a genuine question.  If you cannot answer the question or you just don't know tell them the truth.  "I don't know" or "I don't know that for certain, but this is what I do know."  Most of your interactions with guest will be positive, but there will be negative interactions.

I'm going to tell you what no one told me.  You are going to encounter ignorance, you are going to encounter racism, and you are going to encounter harassment.  Every black reenactor has to deal with it in their own way, but it is important that you know the truth before you start reenacting.  For some people they rarely have negative interactions, but others have one at least every reenactment.  Make sure that after a negative interaction to take some time to think.  Bring a notebook with you and write it down.  It sometimes helps to talk about it with other black reenactors who have similar experiences.