I decided to become a professional historian in a campground in Ohio in the summer of 1994. I was spending the day lounging at my campsite, reading About Time: Exploring the Gay Past, by Martin Duberman, when his essay “’Writhing Bedfellows’ in Antebellum South Carolina: Historical Interpretation and the Politics of Evidence” got me so fired up that I decided it was time to go out and do what I could to bring the past to the people. Read More
This year’s conference promises to be one of the best in recent memory. The public history offerings in Baltimore are world class and offer plenty of temptations to draw us away from the conference. Consultants and attendees interested in consulting should find this year’s partnership with the Society for History in the Federal Government a particular draw. Read More
Recently, I received the announcement of the Founders Award that the National Council on Public History will present later this week to me and to Philip Cantelon, my colleague of many years, various associations and initiatives. Reading the citation for the award brought back many treasured memories of the early days of public history, especially memories of individual historians who were mentors and co-workers and who became invaluable friends. Read More
How can historic house museums remain relevant and engaging in the 21st century? That is the question before the nearly 15,000 such institutions currently operating in the United States. Much ink has been spilt debating the future of the house-museum model, from the pages of The Washington Post to The Boston Globe, even on this blog. Read More
Are you a public historian on the tenure track? Do you sit on a tenure and promotion committee, or are you asked to write letters in support of T&P candidates? Do you find yourself working to explain the scholarly nature of public history scholarship to a broader academic audience? Read More
2015 will be remembered by historians as the year of #BlackLivesMatter, an intersectional civil rights movement that merged direct action, political activity, and social media to force a national discussion around issues of police violence and institutional racism. It’s also pushed to the forefront discussions about diversity in various other kinds of American institutions, from Hollywood movies to Silicon Valley. Read More
Every morning, we wake up and open our dressers or closets to find something to wear. If you’re anything like me, the selection is usually the first thing you grab as you wipe your heavy eyes and question whether it was worth staying up to watch an extra hour of Netflix the night before. Read More
The American narrative, like any cultural narrative, consists of stories that structure and assign meaning to the nation’s origin, history, and existence. In theory, this narrative can link Americans who have experienced genocide, slavery, and white privilege. But for people descended from enslaved peoples, this narrative has instead been used to conceal the inconvenient truths of systemic historic and current racial injustice and inequality. Read More
From around the field this week: Truth and lies in Ontario; gravestones and cemetery monuments in Illinois; and a slew of new books and journals. Read More
My grandmother was well into her seventies by the time I was old enough to share in one of her favorite activities. We would meet at Penn Station and take the bus uptown to visit the newest show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Read More
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This year’s conference promises to be one of the best in recent memory. The public history offerings in Baltimore are world class and offer plenty of temptations to draw us away from the conference. Consultants and attendees interested in consulting should find this year’s partnership with the Society for History in the Federal Government a particular draw. 
From around the field this week: Truth and lies in Ontario; gravestones and cemetery monuments in Illinois; and a slew of new books and journals.