I first became interested in public history as a child. My church often had events that celebrated Black history. And at least once a year, my schools would create bulletin boards highlighting the achievements of African Americans. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, I knew that I wanted to teach courses that explored how this history has been taught in public spaces. Read More
On the evening of November 12, 2020, during a live Zoom call with seven other people, I spoke rapidly about history, excitedly displayed some photographs, and waved my arms around. That’s my usual teaching demeanor—whether in person or online—but I wasn’t teaching undergrads. Read More
As we grapple with the short-term (and potentially long-term) impacts of the COVID-19 health crisis on museums and cultural institutions, public historians across the field are dealing with layoffs, staff reductions, and decreased funding. And when non-history job prospects arise, offering higher salaries, healthcare benefits, and the ability to work from home, many face a difficult choice: to hold out for a position in public history or pursue opportunities in a different field. Read More
From around the field this week: the National Park Service offers preservation grants; the National Trust for Historic Preservation calls for proposals; Villanova University hosts a webinar series.
From around the field this week: the American Association for State and Local History seeks award nominations; the Society for Architectural Historians hosts a virtual symposium; and the National Trust for Historic Preservation offers two webinars.
On December 21, 2020, as part of the omnibus spending bill, Congress approved a National Museum of the American Latino (along with a Smithsonian Women’s History Museum).[1] This approval came after a previous effort was blocked by Senator Mike Lee of Utah who argued that such efforts to create new museums were divisive and that the existing Smithsonian buildings—not separate new ones—were the appropriate places to explore histories of Latinx people and women. Read More
Over the past several years, many of us have participated in conversations about the prevalence of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the public history field. This behavior has occurred at conferences, in workplaces, and in educational settings, among consultants, audiences, frontline workers, students, and others. Read More
From around the field this week: NCPH announces receipt of NEH grant, the Association of African American Museums invites proposals for their 43rd annual conference, the Society for History in the Federal Government announces upcoming Friday Colloquia in lieu of a 2021 annual meeting, and the American Association for State and Local History announces two webinars. Read More
Editors Note: How do historical sites reckon with landscape within interpretive plans? Mary Biggs joins us to explore how one former plantation space in North Carolina uses the landscape on which formally enslaved people worked and lived to reconceptualize visitor experience at that site. Read More
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From around the field this week: the National Park Service offers preservation grants; the National Trust for Historic Preservation calls for proposals; Villanova University hosts a webinar series.