Past Virtual Programming

2025 Virtual Programs

Welcome to the home of the National Council on Public History’s 2025 virtual offerings!

Postcard and Letter-Writing Campaign // December 8, 2025 at 6:00 pm Eastern

Please join the NCPH Advocacy Committee for an evening write-in on Monday, December 8 from 6 – 7pm Eastern. Bring your postcard and letter-writing supplies, and we will provide ideas, tips, and company while you write to your representatives to advocate for history, or write your support to public history institutions doing essential work in difficult times. Register to receive the Zoom link at https://community.ncph.org/event/postcard-writing-dec-2025. Co-hosted by the Organization of American Historians.

Feeling Powerful // November 19, 2025, 7:00 pm Eastern

What makes you feel powerful? Join the NCPH IDEA and Advocacy Committees for an evening of community and exploring what helps us ignite or reclaim a sense of power. This event brings together the IDEA Committee’s Decompression Event Series and the Advocacy Committee’s Sustaining Ourselves Series to create a space for connection and community care. To register and receive the Zoom link, visit https://community.ncph.org/event/FeelingPowerful.

Educator “Therapy” // November 19, 2025, 4:00 pm Eastern

Join colleagues from around the country for a 45-minute conversation to share stories and build connections with fellow Public History professors. Feel free to come share your stories, struggles, and successes and maybe make some friends in the process. Disclaimer: No one involved is a licensed therapist. This is an opportunity to simply share, connect, and maybe commiserate with people who are in similar situations. To register and receive the Zoom link visit https://community.ncph.org/event/educator-therapy.

Postcard and Letter-Writing Campaign // December 8, 2025 at 6:00 pm Eastern

Note that when you register you can make an optional donation ($5, $10, $15, $20) to support NCPH, and receive a set of public history-themed postcards. If you’d like to donate a different amount please use the following link and specify if you’d like a set of postcards ($10 minimum for postcards, while supplies last): https://community.ncph.org/donations/donate.asp?id=21761.

World War II Home Front Webinar Series
This series was postponed to Winter 2026 to allow the inclusion of federal workers affected by the government shutdown.

November 4-13, 2025, each at 2:00 pm Eastern

During this series of webinars we will share new scholarship on the topic of the history of the American World War II home front and its legacies. To register and receive the Zoom links visit https://community.ncph.org/event/WWIIWebinars2025.

The webinar schedule is as follows:

~~November 4, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET~~ – Tim Campbell – “Remembering African American Service a Different Way.”
Join Tim Campbell to explore the ways that historical perspective can influence the significance of a historical event while encouraging conversations about engaging in this type of work more with our respective research interests.

~~November 6, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET~~ – Clarissa Ceglio – “A Cultural Arsenal for Democracy: The World War II Work of US Museums”
The notion of museums as “social instruments”—as storytellers to inspire informed civic action—led to experimentation in the 1930s. But as the nation went to war, progressive practitioners found that the line between purposive education and propaganda was neither as clear nor as easy to walk as they had thought.

~~November 12, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET~~ – Jim Belcher, Jr. – “Two Hearts, One Flag”
Join Jim Belcher, Jr. as he shares the World War II survival stories and life lessons of James Belcher, RMC USN Ret and Toyoko Inoue, his parents. Belcher’s father was a USS Indianapolis crewman and three-war veteran, and his mother survived B-29 bombings, a fighter plane strafing and the occupation of her country only to meet, marry and spend a lifetime together.

~~November 13, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET~~ – Cassie Tanks – “Fences of War: Spatial Boundaries and Microhistories of WWII”

Public History Grumpy Hour

October 14, 2025 at 7:00 pm Eastern

Come join public historians led by NCPH’s Consultants Committee for a virtual night of connection and support. Grumpy Hours (in contrast to “happy hours”) give space for commiseration, community, and much-needed venting for those working in public history or are looking to find a career in it. Organized by the NCPH Consultants Committee. Sign up to receive the Zoom link at https://community.ncph.org/event/SpookyGrumpyHour.

(This event is an informal social event and is free to all. Membership in NCPH is not required. In fact, being a historical consultant is also not required. All are welcome!)

Navigating Challenges in the Public History Workplace

October 7, 2025 at 11:00 am Eastern

Join us for a discussion on how public historians can push back on efforts to sanitize or avoid “controversial” topics in their workplaces, especially in the current political climate. Our panelists bring experience in state agencies, federal agencies, universities, and archives in different regions of the United States to inform how public historians can understand the challenges, strategies, and even potential opportunities of this moment. Sign up to receive the Zoom link at https://community.ncph.org/event/workplacechallenges.

Facilitator: Vanessa Camacho
Panelists: Ian Beamish
Alexis Bohlander
Rebekah Dobrasko
Anne Mitchell Whisnant

This webinar is co-sponsored by the NCPH Advocacy Committee and Professional Development committee and is the third installment of the series, “Sustaining Ourselves: Practical Tools and Community Conversation.”

Postcard and Letter-Writing Campaign

September 17, 2025 at 1:00 pm Eastern

Please join the NCPH Advocacy Committee for a lunchtime write-in on Wednesday, September 17 from 1 – 2pm Eastern. Bring your postcard and letter-writing supplies, and we will provide ideas, tips, and company while you write to your representatives to advocate for history, or write your support to public history institutions doing essential work in difficult times. Register to receive the Zoom link at https://community.ncph.org/event/PostcardCampaign. Co-hosted by the Organization of American Historians.

Note that when you register you can make an optional donation of $10 or $20 to support NCPH, and receive a set of public history-themed postcards. If you’d like to donate a different amount please use the following link and specify if you’d like a set of postcards ($10 minimum for postcards): https://community.ncph.org/donations/donate.asp?id=21761.

Past campaigns held:
February 7, 2025
February 26, 2025
May 1, 2025

Cultivating Community for Cultural Workers Through Mutual Aid

September 5, 2025 at 3:00 pm Eastern

As cultural workers navigate layoffs, funding loss, and efforts to erase their labor, it is important for us to stand united. Higher Ground Society launched the Culture Keeper Mutual Aid Network—a bold effort to unite and support the cultural community through collective action and mutual aid. Join this webinar to learn what mutual aid is, what led to the creation of the Culture Keeper Mutual Aid Network, how you can become involved, and strategies for you to organize support systems for your community. Sign up to receive the Zoom link at https://community.ncph.org/event/MutualAid.

This is the second in the Sustaining Ourselves: Practical Tools and Community Conversation series; this session was organized by the National Council on Public History’s Advocacy Committee and the Labor Task Force.

Speakers include:

Jerald Crook hails from Bay Minette, the county seat of Baldwin County, Alabama. He attended Auburn University where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a minor in Sustainability. He began his professional career working in public and academic libraries before joining the Alabama Bicentennial Commission staff as community relations specialist. There he served as liaison between the commission, local and state organizations, and local bicentennial committees. After working in the world of state humanities councils for eight years (Alabama and Georgia), Jerald now serves as the project director for the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium. As of May 2019 he holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and in 2022 he was named one of South Arts Emerging Leaders of Color.

Jacob Pelletier joined Vermont Humanities as Community Programs Officer in 2022. Previously, Jacob was the Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement at St. Michael’s College in Colchester. Jacob is a seasoned program manager and community organizer. He served three years in the Peace Corps in Paraguay where he facilitated community efforts in education, public health, and development. He holds a BA in Political Science, Sociology Anthropology as well as a Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from St. Michael’s College. Jacob is responsible for Snapshot, Fall Festival, and Words in the Woods programs at Vermont Humanities.

Shannon Stokes is the Patron Services and Events Manager at The Arts Council of Winston-Salem & Forsyth County, overseeing the Reynolds Place Theatre, Arboreal Gallery, and Community Arts Gift Shop at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts. With over a decade in the arts, entertainment, and nonprofit sectors, she has held roles in event and program management at Reynolda House Museum of American Art and institutional advancement at Salem College. Originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, she holds a B.A. in Arts Management from Salem College and an M.S. in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University.

Harvee White is an arts advocate and public historian from the Atlanta metro area (by way of Bossier City, Louisiana). She holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from Georgia State University, and a public history master’s degree and museum studies certificate from the University of West Georgia. She has worked in program management/community engagement roles at various museums, and was chosen by South Arts as Georgia’s National Leader of Color fellow (class of 2023-2024). Currently, you can find her living, working, and snacking on gummy worms in Columbia, South Carolina.

Pedagogy and Public Memory: Partnering with the Pomeroy Foundation on Historical Marker Grants

August 20, 2025 at 3:00 pm Eastern

Infuse historical marker grant applications into your curriculum to turn your community’s history into a fully funded marker from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. In this workshop, Susan Hughes will introduce the benefits of the Foundation’s diverse marker grant programs and national education initiative, which guides students in researching primary sources to apply for a Pomeroy Marker. Jessica Elfenbein will share her experience using the Foundation’s curriculum with master’s and PhD students to prepare grant applications to commemorate history in South Carolina. The workshop will also cover the importance of primary sources and provide tips for preparing a standout marker grant application. Whether your local history involves food, transportation, or another topic, you will gain tools to enable your students to create strong applications and learn how Pomeroy Markers help educate the public, encourage pride of place, and promote tourism throughout the United States.

Presenters:
Susan Hughes, Historian and Archivist, William G. Pomeroy Foundation
Jessica Elfenbein, Professor of History, University of South Carolina
GC Ramey, Public History MA/History PhD student, University of South Carolina

Resources:

Event recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5NHjqEgKvQ
William G. Pomeroy Foundation: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/
Pomeroy Foundation’s Signature Historical Marker Grant Programs: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/
Pomeroy Foundation’s National Education Program information is available via https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/education/

The Overwhelm is Real, Nature is a Powerful Antidote

August 4, 2025 at 2:00 pm Eastern

Give yourself permission to step away from your desk and the overwhelm of these unprecedented times. We will gather in virtual community for a 60-minute immersive experience in the tradition of Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, a Japanese wellness practice that helps individuals access the healing properties of nature. You will be invited to slow down, to be curious, and to use your senses to be mindful and present in ways that can be profoundly restorative. Grab your phone and find a sliver of nature, if only in your backyard, or at a window with a view.

Led by Susan West Montgomery, a Kripalu Certified Outdoor Mindfulness Guide, and co-hosted by the NCPH Advocacy Committee and Labor Task Force.

This is the first in the Sustaining Ourselves: Practical Tools and Community Conversation series; this session was organized by the National Council on Public History’s Advocacy Committee and the Labor Task Force.

This is a Place We Made: Centering Place in Disability History

July 24, 2025 at 1:00 – 2:30 pm Eastern

For the last four years, NCPH has worked with the National Park Service (NPS) to foster the creation of an introduction to place-based disability history. The forthcoming “Disability in Place,” comprised of 26 essays by 31 authors, will be the first accessibly-written anthology of original, peer-reviewed essays to address historical intersections of disability and place. Join the authors, editor, and members of the project team to discuss the anthology they made, the process of making it, and why it matters for the current moment.

Products from the presentation:

Event recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dGg22-R1LI
Event transcript: https://ncph.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/072425-9346210-This-is-a-Place-We-Made-Centering-Place-in-Disability-History.rtf (Rich text file, can be opened by Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, or TextEdit)
Follow up resources: in PDF and Word

Presenters included:
Nicole Belolan, Nicole Belolan Consulting
Kathleen M. Brian, Western Washington University (Editor)
Gail Dubrow
Caroline Lieffers, MacEwan University
Perri Meldon, American Conservation Experience
Petra Kuppers, University of Michigan
Sarah K. Pawlicki, Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow, American Conservation Experience
Michael Rembis, University of Buffalo
Sarah F. Rose, University of Texas at Arlington
Bess Williamson, North Carolina State University
Hannah Zaves-Greene, New York University

Decompress with the IDEA Committee

July 17, 2025 at 7:00 pm Eastern

Come join NCPH’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee for a virtual night of community and support. Together we will think through ways to look to the past as inspiration for a better future. People have always pulled from the past to envision their survival strategies, so we will do the same. What can we use to build our futures, and our safe spaces today?

The first Decompress event was held April 28, 2025.

Considering the Revolution | June 5, 2025 at 12:00 – 1:30 pm eastern

Join series editor and facilitator, M.J. Rymsza-Pawlowska, as we bring the 5-year “Considering the Revolution” conversation series from scholarship to application. Ista Clarke, Kristen Hayashi, and Nicole Moore, speakers from the 2023 and 2024 roundtables, will reflect on years of preparation for commemorations of the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution and its lasting legacies, and will look forward to the future and the roles of public history in the present moment. The aim of the conversation is to think about context and models for approaching and reflecting upon present and future work. This is not a panel about content, instead: practice, and publics. Together, we will consider and explore how Americans are engaging the past right now.

The presentation can be viewed on the NCPH YouTube page.

This is a culmination of a series of conversations over the last 5 years. Check out what has come before below. All articles are open-access from University of California Press through June 20:

Considering the Revolution: Indigenous History & Memory in Alaska, Hawai’i, and the Indigenous Plateau – March 2021
Article in The Public Historian
YouTube video

Considering the Revolution: The Identities Created by the American Revolutionary War – May 2022
Article in The Public Historian
YouTube video

Rhetoric of Freedom: A Conversation about the Conditions of Black Life in the American Revolution – March and April 2023
Article in The Public Historian
YouTube video

Considering the Revolution: Citizenship & Sovereignty – April 2024
Article in The Public Historian
In-person presentation not recorded

Clio Workshop with David Trowbridge

May 28, 2025 at 2:00 pm Eastern

If public historians ruled the world, how might “smart” devices work to make us smarter and more connected? For the last 12 years, that’s been the question that has guided Clio, a website and mobile app that hundreds of universities, museums, libraries, and historical societies have used to connect the public to the history that surrounds us. Clio is nonprofit and free for everyone, and it offers special accounts and resources for history organizations and history professors so that they can build individual entries for landmarks and complete walking tours with their students or staff members.

To date, over five hundred university professors and organizations have used Clio to author over 40,000 articles in Clio that share the history of landmarks around the country, with dozens being added and expanded each day. Between these articles, there are nearly half a million sources and links that credit and promote the work of our colleagues. Organizations and classes have also authored over 1700 walking tours, hiking trails, driving tours, and immersive virtual tours of museums and sites. In this webinar, Clio founder and history professor David Trowbridge offered an introduction and shared some examples of how public historians have used Clio in their communities. He also shared some of the new location-aware audio features while taking questions from the audience about the kinds of features they would like to see added to Clio.

A recording or the presentation is available on the NCPH YouTube.

AAPI Digital Public History Project Showcase

May 14, 2025 at 3:00 pm Eastern

What are some ways to share the history of AAPI communities in the United States beyond physical structures? This May, as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, join NCPH, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation for a dynamic virtual event spotlighting digital projects from AAPI public history organizations. Each project—from place-based initiatives and community archives to innovative digital humanities work—provides examples of how the histories of various communities can be preserved beyond the preservation of a physical structure or place. In addition to hearing from six organizations, this webinar will provide space for attendees to share information about their own work and projects.

Watch the recording on YouTube, and download the resource document (PDF) that includes all shared links, presenters’ social media handles, and other projects shared by attendees during the program.

Panelists

Anjali Tampy, Program Coordinator, South Asian American Digital Archive
Tracey Nguyen Mang, Founder, Vietnamese Boat People
Dorothy Laigo Cordova, Executive Director, FANHS National/National Pinoy Archive
Caitlin Oiye Coon, Archives Director, Densho
Amy Trang, Administrative Services Director, 1882 Foundation
Haʻaheo Auwae-Dekker, Program Manager, Pacific Islanders in Communications

Additional Speakers

Stephanie Rowe Executive Director, National Council on Public History
Michael Yee, Chair, NCPH AANHPI Working Group
Priya Chhaya, Associate Director, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Huy Pham, Executive Director, APIAHiP

Postcard and Letter-Writing Campaign

May 1, 2025 at 1:00 pm Eastern

Please join the NCPH Advocacy Committee for a lunchtime write-in on Wednesday, May 1 from 1 – 2pm Eastern. We will write postcards to our representatives emphasizing our concerns and commiserate with folks doing public history in our nuanced and not uncommon political spheres. Bring your postcard and letter-writing supplies, and we will provide ideas, tips, and company while you write to your representatives. This is a space to come together and work to defend public historians and our work in this critical moment.

Past campaigns held February 7 and February 26, 2025.

NCPH Committee Interest Info Session

April 30, 2025 at 1:00 pm Eastern

Have you been looking to get more involved in NCPH but don’t know where to start? Join members of the NCPH board to learn about joining a committee! We’ll review everything from applying to the tasks you’d be doing to the time commitment.

A Conversation with Harry S. Truman Library and Museum Director Mark Adams

April 30, 2025 at 6:00 pm Eastern

Mark Adams has spent his professional life working in museums and has over 20 years of experience working for the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. During his tenure at the Truman Library he has served as Education Coordinator, Museum Curator, and was most recently promoted to Director. He will share his experiences working in these roles in the conversation, which will be facilitated by Dr. Jon Taylor on behalf of the NCPH Professional Development Committee, followed by a Q & A.

Accessibility, Disability, and Public History Working Group

Over the last seven years, the National Council on Public History (NCPH) has increasingly focused on improving our organizational accessibility and has engaged in projects that center disability history and disability justice. These efforts have largely been piecemeal as resources and time allowed, but with support from the American Council of Learned Societies we now plan to develop a cohesive and comprehensive strategy for becoming a more accessible organization that we hope can serve as a model for other membership and professional organizations.

NCPH uses working groups to address issues that call for concentrated, collaborative work. To that end, we have to assembled a dedicated working group which will consist of public historians who will meet online throughout 2025. This working group will identify the barriers that limit the participation of public historians with disabilities in the professional development and networking opportunities of NCPH and its peer membership organizations, help NCPH develop a cohesive strategy to address those barriers, and encourage public historians to use disability as a lens for interpretation and historical understanding in their own work. The group will share their conclusions in the form of a written report, white paper, blog posts, and/or other more transparent, engaging means.

Facilitators:

Ann Abney, University of South Florida
Elliott Archer, University of Missouri – St. Louis
Nicole Belolan, Nicole Belolan Consulting
Alima Bucciantini, Archmere Academy
Katherine Greenstein, American University

Discussants:

Michelle Ganz, Dominican Sisters of Peace
Chase Panish, Florida State University
Hannah Spring Pfeifer, Hagley Museum and Library
Katie Sullivan, Vanderbilt University
Riley Sutherland, Harvard University

What is a typical NCPH working group, and how would this be different?

NCPH working groups are groups of up to five facilitators and up to fifteen discussants that usually form in October and work up through our annual meeting in the spring. They write and share case statements in advance of their in-person meeting at the conference. They are working to solve a specific problem, and from their work they create a tangible product (such as a best practices guide, a white paper, or a series of blog posts).

This working group will be entirely virtual and will meet from January through December 2025 instead of the usual schedule of our other annual meeting working groups. The group is charged with creating a framework for NCPH to become more accessible to public historians with visible and invisible disabilities. We would expect the working group to periodically update the public history community on its progress and to create a tangible end product.

This working group comes with a modest amount of financial support through NCPH’s receipt of an Intention Foundry Learned Society Extended Engagement Microgrant from the American Council of Learned Societies. Each of the five(5) facilitators will receive an honorarium of $500. The facilitation group will have a budget of $900 which in the grant we suggested as dividing in the following way: $400 for honorariums for accessibility experts to present or work with the group and $500 to provide CART, ASL, or other services for meeting facilitation NCPH will provide twenty (20) hours of staff time to support the group and access to NCPH’s Zoom platform to host meetings. This budget does not preclude the possibility of NCPH dedicating additional funds to the group as they become available.

Call for Working Group Participants in PDF or Word form. – CLOSED

Call for Working Group Participants. – CLOSED

A plain language version of this Call for Participation is available in both Word and PDF form.

2024 Virtual Programs

Welcome to the home of the National Council on Public History’s 2024 virtual offerings!

From Project to Print: Conceptualizing and Writing a Report from the Field

November 14, 2024 | 1:00 – 4:00 pm Eastern

Facilitator: Teresa Barnett, Exhibits and Media Editor, The Public Historian

That new exhibit, that great original concept for an interpretive program, that community outreach that went so well—as public historians, we work on interesting, innovative projects all the time. But even when we know we have a project that other practitioners would benefit from hearing about, we are often too busy or perhaps too intimidated by the writing process itself to sit down and work our experiences and reflections into an article. This workshop will focus on the process of writing and submitting reports from the field to professional journals. Participants will explore the requirements of a good report from the field, examine how it differs from a traditional academic article, and begin the process of conceptualizing a report that they can eventually submit to an academic journal.

The workshop is directed at graduate students and public history practitioners who may have little experience with academic publishing but who are interested in beginning to write for academic journals. Participants will be required to submit a short description of a project they have recently worked on that they think others in the field might learn something from. The bulk of our time together will then be devoted to workshopping those projects and laying a foundation for each participant to develop their ideas into a publishable paper.

NCPH Consultants Grumpy Hour

Septemebr 16, 2024 | 7:00 pm EST

On Monday, September 16 from 7:00-8:00 pm Eastern, come join history consultants led by NCPH’s Consultants Committee for a virtual night of connection and support. Grumpy Hours (in contrast to “happy hours”) give space for commiseration, community, and much-needed venting for those who work as consultants or are looking to find a career in historical consulting.

World War II and the American Home Front Theme Study Webinars

August 29 – September 26, 2024 | 3:00 pm or 7:00 pm EST

Join us for a series of webinars exploring the new scholarship being explored in the forthcoming update to the 2007 World War II and the American Home Front Theme Study. All but one of these 6, one-hour webinar presentations was facilitated by Project PI Matthew Basso, University of Utah, along with a research partner.

All webinars can be accessed in this YouTube playlist. They are listed in the order below, except Native American and Indigenous History; Matthew Basso lost internet connection and provided a re-recording of his presentation, which is the final video in the playlist.

The webinar schedule was as follows:

August 29, 2024 – Environmental History of the Home Front, Matt Basso and Scott Morris

September 5, 2024 – Native American and Indigenous History of the Home Front, Matt Basso and Nicholas Backman

September 12, 2024 – LGBTQ History of the Home Front, Matt Basso and Emory Ogaard

September 13, 2024 – I Hinanao-ta, Our Journey: A Story of the CHamoru People and WWII on the Island of Guam, Joe Quinata

September 19, 2024 – Disability History of the Home Front, Matt Basso

September 26, 2024 – Latino History of the Home Front, Matt Basso and John Flynn

NCPH Nominating Committee Info Session

August 23, 2024 | 1:00 pm EST

Members of the National Council on Public History’s Nominating Committee, Board of Directors, and Long Range Planning (LRP) Committee discussed the organization’s elected positions and how these roles help to implement parts of the LRP.

NCPH adopted a new long range plan last summer and the organization is excited to elect board members and nominating committee members who have skills to support this plan. This informational session will feature past and current board members and nominating committee members discussing their experiences and answering your questions.

A recording of the presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNrxQq1iZHs. To nominate yourself or a colleague, fill out this form.

Disability, Language, and Public History Communication Workshop

August 9, 2024 | 2:00 – 3:30 pm est

Facilitator: Nicole Belolan, Nicole Belolan Consulting LLC

Are you unsure what words to use when you’re talking about accessibility or disability in your public history work? Are you Interested in learning strategies for how to use more inclusive language in the office, with the community, or on an exhibition panel? Join us for a conversation about the intersections of disability, accessibility, language, and public history in this workshop. Sponsored by NCPH’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee.

Interpreting the History and Legacies of Slavery in School Programs Virtual Workshop

may 30 and 31, 2024 | 1:00 – 5:00 pm est (each day)

Facilitator: Kristin Gallas, principal, MUSE Consulting and author of Interpreting Slavery with Children and Teens at Museums and Historic Sites

When a museum or historic site commits to doing school programs on the topic of enslavement, it makes a promise to past and future generations to do justice to the memory of long-silenced millions and raise awareness of the racist legacies of slavery in our society today. By engaging students in dialogue about slavery, they bring their prior knowledge, scaffold new knowledge, and create their own relevance – all while adults hear them and show respect for what they have to say. Based on the book Interpreting Slavery with Children and Teens at Museums and Historic Sites, this virtual workshop (two four-hour days) will cover pedagogically-sound and emotionally-aware techniques for developing school programs on the subject of enslavement and strategies for training and caring for the staff implementing the programs.

Public History Hangouts Series

Public History Hangouts (PHHs) are informal social gatherings hosted by NCPH’s New Professional and Student Committee every few months. While PHHs are usually tailored to be of particular interest to students and new professionals, all are welcome regardless of career status or NCPH membership status. This is a great way to catch up with peers in a casual way while learning more about public history careers and work.

The first PHH of 2024 was held on January 9, 2024. View the full list of past and upcoming PHHs here.

Public History Educators Meet Up Series

The Public History Educators Meet Up is an informal, 45-minute Zoom gathering, centered on an organizing question or theme and hosted by NCPH’s Curriculum and Training Committee. The meet ups will allow our greater community of public history educators from around the country to connect with each other, collaborate on challenges, celebrate triumphs, and continue to inspire each other. They are a short break in the middle of your week to be with your peers.

The first meet up of 2024 was held on January 16, 2024. View the full list of past and upcoming meet ups here.

2023 Virtual Programs

Welcome to the home of the National Council On Public History’s 2023 virtual offerings!

World War II heritage City Criteria Webinars: Part 2

Tuesday November 28, 2023 – Friday December 1, 2023 | 4:00 – 5:00 pm Est

The second part of a larger collaboration between the National Park Service, NCPH, and other organizations working together to provide a better understanding of the World War II home front in the United States. Each webinar has Dr. Laura Oviedo explore one of NPS’s nine criteria for establishing World War II Heritage Cities to learn about the criteria for application and evaluation purposes. A list of the webinars, with links to their respective recordings, is below.

November 28, 2023 – Criteria 3: War Bond Drives

November 29, 2023 – Criteria 4: Adaptations to Wartime Survival

November 31, 2023 – Criteria 5: Volunteer Participation

Virtual NCPH 2023 – To be Continued

Wednesday October 4, 2023 – Friday October 6, 2023 | 1:00 – 5:00 pm est

“To Be Continued” was a virtual fall conference that followed up on content from NCPH 2023 (“To Be Determined”) in Atlanta last April and built on that program with brand-new content. Information on this conference can be found here.

World War II Heritage City Criteria Webinars: Part 1

Wednesday September 13, 2023 – Wednesday September 27, 2023 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm Est

The first part of a larger collaboration between the National Park Service, NCPH, and other organizations working together to provide a better understanding of the World War II home front in the United States. Each webinar has the author explore one of NPS’s nine criteria for establishing World War II Heritage Cities to learn about the criteria for application and evaluation purposes. A list of the webinars, with links to their respective recordings, is below.

September 13, 2023 – Criteria 1: Defense Manufacturing – Jon Taylor

September 14, 2023 – Criteria 2: Production of Foodstuffs and Consumer Items – Kurt Piehler

September 18, 2023 – Criteria 7: Personnel Serving in the Armed Forces – Jon Taylor

September 21, 2023 – Criteria 6: Civil Defense Preparedness – Kurt Piehler

September 22, 2023 – Criteria 8 – Armed Forces Bases, Camps, Airfields, Etc. – Jon Taylor

September 27, 2023 – Criteria 9 – Commemoration of the War Effort – Erica Fugger

Student board position info session

Wednesday august 23, 2023 | 7:oo pm EST

In this info session, NCPH’s New Professional & Student Committee and the Nominating Committee discuss ways to become involved with NCPH. They also talk about the newest NCPH board position reserved for students and what their committees specifically do. A recording of this Zoom session is available on YouTube.

Public History Hangouts Series

The first PHH of 2023 was held on March 9, 2023. View the full list of past and upcoming PHHs here.

Rhetoric(s) of Freedom: A Conversation about the conditions of black life in the age of the american revolution

monday, March 6, 2023 | 9:00 pm est

A recording of this presentation is available on YouTube.

A panel of public humanities scholars and practitioners, including Sylvea Hollis of Montgomery College, Yveline Alexis of Oberlin College, Ista Clarke of the Charleston County Parks Department, Maya Davis of the Riversdale House Museum, and Marcus Nevius of the University of Missouri, examine the presentation’s theme with a care for what it means to leverage recent scholarship, while also doing this work within public history spaces. The panel considers the social, economic, political, and intellectual worlds of African Americans in their quest to live out the full meaning of freedom. The program pays attention to nuances and various ways that geography and ecology shaped the idea of Black freedom. in dosing so, presenters also foreground the important places that shifting methodologies play in this discussion. This is the first in a series of three programs exploring the American Revolution, with second part set to take place at the 2024 NCPH Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. Sponsored by the National Park Service.

Public History Educators Meet Up Series

The first meet up of 2023 was held on February 22, 2023. View the full list of past and upcoming meet ups here.

A Conversation with Jason Steinhauer

Wednesday, februrary 15, 2023 | 8:00 Pm est

An online discussion hosted by Jason Steinhauer, public historian and author of the Amazon bestseller, History Disrupted: How Social Media and the World Wide Web Have Changed the Past (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022). Jason argues that the Web and social media have dramatically shaped the general public’s understandings of history as a result of the rise of “e-history,” or forms of history communication specifically designed for distribution online. Jason outlines how the emergence of platforms and technologies such as Wikipedia, Facebook, and A.I. have altered the public’s interactions with historical information, and how the intersection of professional history with the Web has produced a clash of cultures that has threatened the very existence of the history profession. The rise of e-history has created an urgent need to ensure that accurate, reliable information becomes visible in the public sphere.

You may purchase a hard copy or Kindle version of History Disrupted here. You’ll find an e-book version here.

2022 Virtual Programs

Welcome to the home of the National Council on Public History’s 2022 virtual offerings!

Public History Educators Meet Up Series

The Public History Educators Meet Up is an informal, 45-minute Zoom gathering, centered on an organizing question or theme and hosted by NCPH’s Curriculum and Training Committee. The meet ups will allow our great community of public history educators from around the country to connect with each other, collaborate on challenges, celebrate triumphs, and continue to inspire each other. They are a short break in the middle of your week to be with your peers.

The first meet up was held December 14, 2022. View the full list of past and upcoming meet ups here.

Public Historians and Burnout: A Discussion

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 | 12:00 PM EST

Job precarity, overwork, low salaries, and the pandemic—these are only some of the stressors weighing on the minds of government historians and public history professionals. Join the NCPH Government Historians Committee and Raina Regan, author of the The Burnout Crisis in Historic Preservation, to discuss how our workplaces should address the structural factors that contribute to burnout and how we can advocate for mentally healthy workplaces. Make sure to read the article before you attend the meeting, and bring your questions and concerns to discuss with Raina and your fellow public historians. Raina will also provide us with additional resources that we can use in our daily work.

Raina Regan is the author and creator of Uplifting Preservation, a newsletter of uplifting ideas on how to cultivate mentally healthy preservation professionals and workplaces informed by research from experts in psychology, business, and management. Uplifting Preservation is informed by Raina’s over decade of professional experience in the historic preservation field, working for both nonprofit and government organizations in Indiana and Washington, DC.

What We Learned About Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in Public History

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST

Featuring: John Dichtl and Bethany Hawkins, AASLH; Heidi Kartchner, Oberg Research; Mary Rizzo, NCPH board-led Subcommittee on Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment; Stephanie Rowe, NCPH

Read the full press release here.

Read the full report here.

Watch the recording of the webinar reviewing the report on YouTube.

In 2020, the National Council on Public History (NCPH) and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) launched an online survey about sexual harassment and gender discrimination in public history. The effort was the culmination of more than a year of work by members of NCPH’s board-led Subcommittee on Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment (GDSH).

The purpose of this survey was to gather data which will inform the field on the subject and help offer suggestions to public history sites and educational institutions about how to create more safe and equitable work environments. NCPH and AASLH contracted with Oberg Research to issue a 2022 report to the public history field about how gender discrimination and sexual harassment take place, who is most vulnerable, and whether current workplace and professional association policies are failing our efforts at diversity, equity, and inclusion. Using this report, NCPH and AASLH plan to put the needs of the survivors at the center of our responses to the survey and will work with them to create supportive community structures where possible and wanted.

The Russian Invasion of ukraine: How Can Public Historians Respond?

Thursday, March 10, 2022 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST

A recording of Dr. Susan Smith-Peter’s presentation is available on YouTube.

After an overview of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s misuse of history as an attempt to justify his unprovoked attack on Ukraine, Dr. Susan Smith-Peter led a discussion on how public historians can respond to the situation, both collectively and individually. Public historians need to play a key role in making sure that factual information reaches the public and that misinformation is effectively countered.

Susan Smith-Peter is Professor of History and Director of the Advanced Certificate in Public History at the College of Staten Island/ CUNY. She has published widely on Russia and Ukraine for more than 20 years, both for academic and general audiences. She received her Ph.D. in Russian history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001.

WRITING REVIEWS WORKSHOP

Interested in learning more about what makes an effective book, museum, film, or podcast review? The editors of The Public Historian are offering free workshops on writing reviews. We will talk about the structure of a review, writing tips, and more. Open to all, but graduate students and new professionals are particularly welcome. We look forward to discussing reviewing with you.

Tuesday, February 15, 11:00 – 12:30 Pacific / 2:00 – 3:30 Eastern (THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL)

Thursday, March 10, 10:00 – 11:30 Pacific / 1:00 – 2:30 Eastern (THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL)

If we add another workshop it will be posted here and shared to social media.

2021 Virtual Programs

Quick Links

RFP in Word format
RFP in PDF format

In light of the continued impossibility of in-person events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NCPH funded proposals for informal virtual gatherings (in lieu of our usual mini-cons) to be planned and executed by members in 2021. Virtual gatherings will bring public historians together to socialize, support each other, and work through areas of shared concern.

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EACH PROGRAM

What Happens Next: Creating Public History Practice in 2021 – January 27, 2021

Developing Critical New Content for the Inclusive Historian’s Handbook – June 3, 2021

Public History Book Club launch – July 8, 2021

Out of Time: REM, Gen X, and Public History – September 12, 2021

Grumpy Hour: Consultants’ Pandemic Support Group – October 27, 2021

Open Writing Sessions

2020 Virtual Programs

Quick links

RFP in PDF format
RFP in Word docx format
Explanatory blog post
Questions? Email NCPH at [email protected]

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant unemployment and under-employment of many public historians, the National Council on Public History opened an RFP in July 2020 for virtual programming or projects to be planned and executed through the rest of the year. Because NCPH has a small staff and small capacity, the organizers agreed to take the lead on planning and execution, with assistance in the form of promotion and access to NCPH platforms.

We welcome you to read this post on our blog, History@Work, for more information about the impetus for and ethos behind this RFP. In line with the original goals for the allocation of this funding, we particularly prioritized proposals from public historians who have been laid off or furloughed by the COVID-19 pandemic; BIPOC public historians; LGBTQ+ public historians; and disabled public historians.