Historic Sites, Racialized Geographies, and the Responsibilies of Public Historians

A session at the 2015 National Council on Public History conference in Nashville Tennessee focusing on the Weeksville Heritage Center, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and the question of whether these sites can, do, or should interpret the recent histories of their New York neighborhoods.

#ncph2015 #S33 and we're off…PH responsible to interpret post WWII urban devestation?

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 check out Settlers of Brooklyn…full gentrification

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Excited for a meaningful convo re: race & geography at #s33 w/ Am Hist Workshop, @tenementmuseum, @Weeksville, & @SitesConscience. #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 weeksville and tenement museum stop stories just before redlining, suburbanization

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/ModupeLabode/status/589091436664123392

How can museums help visitors understand present-day landscape outside museums via the historic stories inside the museums? #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 VonBokel museum can connect visitors with urban landscape. Should they?

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Tough questions re: redlining, urban disinvestment, suburbanization, & racial difference not interpreted in museums. #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/Sara_Polak/status/589093119930531840

#ncph2015 #S33 TPHarris on Weeksville ongoing struggle for self-attained freedom

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Weeksville themes: self determination, entrepreneurial spirit, refuge #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Weeksville bd mbr Tim Simons sez can't interpret historic sites w/out looking at govt policy that shaped their neighborhoods #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Tim Simons: great need for museums to evaluate racist restrictions built into 20th century housing policy #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 TSimons on need to evaluate gov policy on cities, wealth, excluding AfAm, re destruction of Weeksville, and more

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Govt policy story is important, but how to tell it in a way that engages visitors, cmmties? #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 pic.twitter.com/U8maXZmDLm

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Aimee VanBokel shows racialized trajectories of historic figures assoc w/ Weeksville, Tenement Museum #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Simons: how do Weeksville themes – esp ownership and self determination – play out in the 20th c in context of govt policy? #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

@tenementmuseum & @Weeksville maps a black & white residents' residential mobility to map economic & physical inequalities. #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

This is fascinating – looking at 2 individuals, one who lived @ 97 Orchard, another @ Weeksville, how redlining affected them #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

Richard Rabinowitz Am Hist Wkshop notes that interpreting 20th c history is relatively recent. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Panel topic: museums not addressing race and mid/late 20th c urban landscape. Accurate premise? Looking fwd to comments. #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Too-shiny Ellis Hall restoration enabled rougher-edged architectural/interpretive strategies at Tenement Museum. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 RRabinowitz tenement museum break thru for interp of working class

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Rabinowitz: "period of significance" concept limits expansion of timelines for historic sites. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

RRabinowitz talks abt early days of @tenementmuseum, the then-radical decision to interp multiple time periods, leave ruins #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

Richard Rabinowitz reminds us of our museum evolution; embracing ruins, interpreting multiple time periods, etc. #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

Rabinowitz sez Tenement Mus not abt govt policy, it's abt families, framed by questioning of Am Dream narrative. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Rabinowitz: in curating race, settlement, success, must overcome tropes of American Dream, NYC as site of opportunity #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Rabinowitz talking abt imm families as resources, Weeksville panelists abt black cmmties. Very diff racial histories! #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

How can you talk abt structural, governmental issues when you're telling stories abt families? Can you do w/out sermonizing? #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

Creation of @tenementmuseum: throws visitors into the experience, interpretation not academic exercise #s33 #ncph2015

— Jenna Murdock Smith (@JMurdockSmith) April 17, 2015

Sarah Pharoan sez Tenement Museum stories do contain policy, not just family stories. Not separate spheres. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Richard Rabinowitz says public historians can't sermonize re: urban change; need to use objects/place to tell moving stories #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

Sarah Pharaon in response to Rabinowitz: family history IS policy history #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 SPharaon sites of conscience 4 truths pic.twitter.com/L0S2di1Wy8

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Pharaon: period of significance focus distracts attn from question "why is this period significant *now*?" #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Sarah Pharaon: museums not comfortable talking about race. Don't think I agree but maybe I'm too NYC-centric? #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Sarah Pharaon challenges Rabinowitz re: @tenementmuseum focus; federal policy interpretation is embedded in family stories. #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

Sarah Pharaon frm @SitesConscience notes that you CAN do both. In fact, @tenementmuseum talks abt affect of policy on family. #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/Sara_Polak/status/589099205890863104

Historians "are very wrapped up in the period of significance without being very concerned about why it is significant now." #ncph2015 #s33

— APHNYS (@aphnys) April 17, 2015

Keepin' it real: we don't talk about these issues b/c we (public historians/museums) suck at talking abt race. #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

Pharaon sez sites/museums of conscience inherently need to drive twd public/civic truths, stories, processes of healing. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Sarah Pharaon says public historians should seek reconciliatory, "healing" truth for the present in their sites/work. #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

Note to self – visit @LevineMuseum as soon as able. http://t.co/7OE9T2BbG2 #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

role of PH in facilitating conversation re: reparations? #ncph2015 #s33

— Elijah Gaddis (@ejgaddis) April 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/Sara_Polak/status/589100287421509632

#ncph2015 #S33 healing potential of hist sites. Aud: what's obligation of museums to "cover history" vs social healing?

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Jennifer Scott concerned about premise that sites like Weeksville aren't examining policy. #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 aud: set record straight. Weeksville does interpret post WWII policy,effects

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Christopher Clark: mistake to take successful sites and force them to do ALL the history #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Clark: not just a nyc question- lots of places in the country need this. What kinds of institutions is the q. #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Cathy Stanton. It's a lot of work to ask static exhibition to do this work #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Huge gaps opening up in convo across very different ways of knowing, lived experiences, expectations for museums. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

@cathystanton reminds us to be mindful of audiences, internal & external, & their unique needs from public history spaces. #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr. Chelsea Denault (@Chelsea_Denault) April 17, 2015

Also some pretty huge gaps opening up across race, I have to say… #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Cannot interpret spaces tht create intellectual hierarchy, hold forensic truth abve personal experience.Must sit side-by-side #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

Rabinowitz: museums balancing tension of overview and immersion #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 RRabinowitz: museums blend of overview and immersion

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Balancing immersion w/history over historical survey #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 aud: why are we creating obstacles for ourselves?

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Feeling struck by how the language of museum practice is in a diff universe from language of cmmty organizing. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Emerging consensus: imptce of community dialogue when curating race, policy in 20th c. Can't be one way/overly didactic. #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 aud: some questions are just not going to be talked about!

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

#ncph2015 #S33 aud:ackn structural conditions and changing needs

— Barbara Little (@barbarajlittle) April 17, 2015

Audience: museums can't do everything, our task is to "stir the learning process." (I like this phrase!) #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

@blackjen1: Collective discomfort at the "indictment" posed against NYC sites #s33 #ncph2015

— Dr Jen Black (@blackjen1) April 17, 2015

Historic sites don't operate in a vaccum- we can connect sites and provide resources for the public #ncph2015 #s33

— Jennie Joyce (@jbjhistory) April 17, 2015

@blackjen1: Key question in #s33: should museums adopt an activist voice? #ncph2015

— Dr Jen Black (@blackjen1) April 17, 2015

#s33 at #ncph2015 evolves into an essential conversation: how much can one site do on its own?@tenementmuseum @Weeksville

— Tamar Cachet (@TamarCachet) April 17, 2015

Sev ideas abt finding more appropriate sites to interpret gentrification. Separates it from where it's already happening! #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

https://twitter.com/Sara_Polak/status/589107929695068161

.@JulieThePH raises specter of money! It's hard to raise money for "unsexy" backend, convince funders to support hard history #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

YES. @TamarCachet: #s33 #ncph2015 evolves into an essential conversation: how much can one site do on its own? @tenementmuseum @Weeksville

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Weeksville director: Find a way to do the important interpretation "no matter what." #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

"I don't give a hoot about touching historians!" And this is why I love #ncph2015 #s33

— Rebecca Ortenberg (@historein) April 17, 2015

Rabinowitz: Cdn't have imagined 40 yrs ago that this convo on museums, race, gentrification cd ever have happend. #s33 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 17, 2015

Nice to hear Rabinowitz reflect on change in public history field re discussing structural racism. #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Pharaon: there is power in these places that we must tap. You can do a lot in a 45m tour. #ncph2015 #s33

— Julie Golia (@JulieThePH) April 17, 2015

Mires: Cooper St story illuminates story of disinvestment in Camden. Interesting parallel w/ #s33 #s54 #ncph2015

— cathystanton (@cathystanton) April 18, 2015