Meeting the moment in tiers (not tears): a resistance guide for public history educators

27 June 2025 – Public History Breakfast Club

advocacy, educate, organize, 2025 annual meeting

As federal cuts have threatened or fully hollowed the NPS, NEH, IMLS, the National Digital Newspaper Program, and the Smithsonian, history is undergoing systemic white-washing and straight-washing around the country. In response, some public historians at the recent NCPH Educator’s Forum in Montréal, Canada, transformed their annual breakfast into an urgent call to action. What emerged was a tiered framework for professional advocacy which acknowledges the varying capacities, circumstances, and risk tolerances of history educators facing this pivotal American political moment.

Our tiered approach recognizes two fundamental truths—first, not everyone is in a position to storm the proverbial barricades. Some operate within institutions which severely constrain their advocacy; others operate from platforms where they can pursue bolder action. Some are graduate students or public-school teachers vulnerable to retaliation; others are tenured professors in states which still afford them protective shields. Some work in politically-charged environments where even subtle resistance carries consequences; others enjoy relative freedom to speak truth to power.

A large crowd of protesters gathers in front of a grand neoclassical government building, likely San Francisco City Hall, on a sunny day. People are holding various signs, many of which read “HANDS OFF!” in bold letters. Other signs reference opposition to attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, judicial and legislative actions, and corporate influence. One prominent sign reads “San Francisco Says HANDS OFF.” The crowd is diverse, with many people wearing yellow safety vests or colorful clothing. In the foreground, a person wears a blue satin jacket with a "Black Lives Matter – Solidarity for Justice" patch.

‘Hands Off’ protesters gather at San Francisco City Hall to defend inclusive, truthful histories and civil rights, April 25, 2025. Photo credit: BuddyL on Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Second, this framework acknowledges that sustaining vigorous resistance efforts is challenging. Some days, we might be able to attend a protest with our Hands Off History signs. Other days, we might need to retrench and take care of ourselves, remembering the wise words of flight attendants everywhere that we must put on our own mask before we can help others. Some of us live at the intersections of disability, a lack of childcare, citizenship precarity, and so much more: conditions that sometimes hinder our ability to consistently do the heavy lifting as we advocate for democracy. The tiered approach recognizes that our energy levels and circumstances change each day. This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

Ultimately, this tiered approach offers pathways for all—from low-risk actions requiring minimal bandwidth (Tier One) to high-stakes encounters demanding significant commitment (Tier Three). The goal is not to guilt anyone into overextension, but to remind us that the best way forward is together.

Tiered Approach

Tier One

Tier One Activities are minimal effort and enable folks to keep a relatively low profile, while still uplifting democracy. Here, we stay in the know, back up our data, and/or build community.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) employs attorneys to fight government abuse and defend free speech, due process, and more. Become an ACLU member! Just being connected to people doing the heavy lifting is doing something.
Stay informed and support local, regional, and national reputable news sources. If reading a myriad of sources is too overwhelming, sign up for an RSS feed, blog, or daily summary. One of our favorites is historian Heather Cox Richardson’s daily newsletter, “Letters from an American.” Set a schedule for engagement so you’re not overwhelmed.
With data and primary sources disappearing, download what you need now. The 3-2-1 backup rule is a solid plan: 3 copies, 2 types of storage, 1 offsite location. Consider purchasing an external hard drive. The servers for Proton Drive (as well as Proton Mail) are based in the European Union, so are unlikely to be searched by a third party or taken offline. Now might be a good time to ditch the US tech brands, and opt for an EU alternative. While you’re at it, you might create a metadata sheet to track your sources.
In this polarized world, many of us feel disconnected and apathetic. To exist in a well-functioning society, we need to learn how to be together. Our communities are looking to us to remind them that humans are, indeed, social animals. Humanize the world around you, return to handcrafted methods, find beauty and magic in human interaction, build community, challenge apathy; you can even encourage hand-craft in the classroom.
As media across the country reports rising incidents of harassment targeting students based on their identity, immigration status, or political beliefs, we must create safe spaces for our students. This might look like establishing clear ground rules on the first day of class that explicitly welcome diverse perspectives and sharing campus and local resources.
It can be tough to lead discussions on politicized topics in our classrooms; it could even be illegal. Yet these topics shouldn’t be avoided; there are ways to make discussions safer for everyone. Leverage low-stakes group work in the classroom where students do the heavy lifting around weighty topics. Employ the Socratic method to help get students to the truth (without having to say it out loud for them).
With the historic rise in FOIA requests, including those from the far right targeting education and educational institutions, it may be important to leave no paper trail as you discuss your resistance activities (such as planned protests), political opinions, or organizing strategies with colleagues. Talk to one another in person or on the phone. You may also choose to use your personal email.
Practice self-care so you don’t burn out. Model how to balance resistance with rest and recovery.
In this climate, sharing our successes, even the small victories, provides essential proof that resistance is not futile and that collective action can move the needle.

Tier Two

Tier Two Activities are medium effort and medium profile. Here, we write to our congresspeople, connect course and exhibit content to contemporary issues, support museums and historic sites doing this work, and/or connect with local groups who aim to buttress democracy.

Make your opposition known. Communicate your concerns with your local, state, and federal representatives. Follow the ACLU’s Guide to Writing Your Representatives for some direction and find your legislator’s contact information here. Share how to do so with trusted people in your circle to help create momentum.
Public historians are well-suited to turn hindsight into foresight. Organize a course unit, module, power-hour lecture, or exhibit around the history of a contemporary issue. Washington State University has a stellar Roots of Contemporary Issues program—a required course for all students.
Field trips to museums and historic sites are more vital than ever, both to support these institutions amid funding cuts and uncertain futures, as well as to combat disinformation, historical erasure, and politically-motivated revisionism that threatens to distort our collective understanding of the past.
Be part of something bigger than yourself. Join your local Indivisible or 50501 group.

Tier Three

Tier Three Activities are high effort and high profile. These look like taking a leadership role to have a seat at the table, being the person to ask the tough questions, and/or unionizing your workplace.

Extend your knowledge beyond the classroom or museum and into a local town hall or school board meeting, or even your state legislature. Ask a question or provide a comment! It may inspire others to speak up, too.
Form a Rapid Response Team to address specific issues (e.g., Rutgers created one with international students in mind) or to navigate rapid policy changes and their ensuing issues (like Macomb Community College’s Tiger Teams).
Join your Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, or Administrative Senate to help advise, propose, and make recommendations on academic policies and topics which affect the work lives of faculty, staff, and students.
Challenge apathy and powerlessness by working with colleagues to develop a parallel course or skill shop focused on teaching students, staff, faculty, and community members how to safely and meaningfully organize their communities.
Though you might feel “angry and abandoned,” you are not alone! If your institution has a union, make sure you are an active member and encourage union representatives to join forces by becoming an organizational member of Higher Ed Labor United (which represents staff, student workers, adjuncts, tenured and non-tenured faculty, and others), American Federation of Teachers, or American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (Historical Society workers are represented here!). If your institution doesn’t have a union, consider joining HELU, AFT, or AFSCME as a member-at-large and/or organize one yourself. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has a step-by-step guide in starting a new chapter.

As public historians, we can use our knowledge to resist authoritarianism, advocate for communities, and advance truth in history. The stakes are clear: our expertise in documenting, preserving, and interpreting the past uniquely positions us to defend democratic institutions and vulnerable communities. In this pivotal moment, our professional skills can become acts of civic duty, and our classrooms sites of democratic resilience.

Image of a man wearing sunglasses and a large green trenchcoat (actor Judd Nelson) walking on grass through an empty high school football stadium. He is raising his right fist, and holding a large Montreal bagel; the words "Public History Breakfast Club" (in red font) appear the sky. It is an altered image using Photoshop.

This image, created using Photoshop, playfully alters a scene from The Breakfast Club (1985)—Judd Nelson did not originally hold a large Montreal bagel.

~ The Public History Breakfast Club The Public History Breakfast Club came into being at the 2025 National Council for Public History annual conference in Montreal, Canada, when talk at one of the tables at the Public History Educators Breakfast focused on the topic, Educate, Agitate, and Organize. This essay represents ideas shared at that table and is a collective work. To honor those who were at our table and contributed ideas, but who did not take part in writing this essay and for reasons of personal and professional safety (as even writing an op-ed could get one arrested, if only for a period of time), the authors have elected to remain anonymous, using the moniker, the Public History Breakfast Club.