Tag Archive

social justice

The role of curatorial work in our two pandemics part 2: Inside the gallery

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This is the second part of a two-part essay in which I propose five ideas for anti-racist museological work that carries a public health benefit. In Part 2 I looked at the context in which curatorial work takes place and how the institution can set the stage for effective curatorial work for social justice. Read More

Disturbing Justice: legacies of incarceration at the Old Idaho Penitentiary

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The Old Idaho Penitentiary was the site of seven riots and disturbances and some of the structural damage from these actions is still evident today. For years, the exhibits and signage on display at the Old Idaho Penitentiary Historic Site never discussed the riots, so in early 2019 it was determined that the site’s latest exhibit should explain the damage still visible to visitors, contextualize the actions of prisoners and administrators, and connect historical situations in corrections to current affairs. Read More

The role of curatorial work in our two pandemics: part 1: A hospitable institutional context

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The United States is confronting two pandemics in tandem: COVID-19, which continues to kill roughly 800 people each day, and systemic, life-threatening anti-Black racism. This latter pandemic has grown up with the U.S. and is far older than it, having traveled to the Americas with Europeans at first contact. Read More

Riding the 1919 Chicago Race riots: biking across divides to confront the past

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Editor’s note: This essay is part of a series of reflective posts written by winners of awards intended to be given out at the NCPH 2020 annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The Chicago 1919 Project, organized by the Newberry Library, was the 2020 recipient of the Outstanding Public History Project Award. Read More

The Presence and Persistence of Stories: An NCPH annual meeting call for proposals

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A long time ago, in fall 2019, before a global pandemic rearranged our world, we began drafting the 2021 National Council on Public History annual meeting theme and extending invitations to serve on the program committee. We were looking forward to bringing the conference back to the West, a West entirely distinct from both Las Vegas and Monterrey, and to building a conference around place and narrative. Read More

Calling on Public Historians: Challenging White Public History Working Group

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Editors’ Note: This working group session did not take place in Atlanta as described below, but the National Council on Public History working group Challenging White Public History is still active and working on deliverables. They plan to report back soon on their ongoing virtual activities. Read More

History lost and found: Atlanta’s 1906 race riot and the Coalition to Remember

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Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of posts from members of the Local Arrangements Committee for the NCPH 2020 annual meeting which will take place from March 18 through March 21 in Atlanta, Georgia.

“A city lay in travail, God our Lord, and from her loins sprang twin Murder and Black Hate. Read More