Tag Archive
09 June 2026 – Susan Huynh 1
What do you do when you find yourself alone in the room? That’s how I typically find myself in the public history field as an Asian American woman. When I first entered the field as an interpreter at a historic site, I didn’t realize what a toll that would have on me over time. Read More
23 September 2025 – Brandon A. Owens, Sr.
At African American Historical Research & Consulting (AAHRC), we are often contacted by families seeking help to document and preserve their histories. These projects frequently reveal stories of resilience, migration, and community-building, but they also bring to light complex truths, particularly when white or multiracial ancestors are part of the story. Read More
09 September 2025 – Sarah H. Case
Editors’ Note: We publish the editor’s introduction to the August 2025 issue of The Public Historian here. The entire issue is available online to National Council on Public History members and others with subscription access.
The four articles in this August issue examine preservation in many aspects, including the racial implications of historic commemoration and preservation; preservation of historical sites affected by the COVID-19 shutdowns; recommendations for the preservation and management of historical house museums and sites; and the preservation of precarious records created by campus organizations. Read More
25 April 2025 – Michael Caraballo 1
Editor’s Note: This article is the author’s personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of Colonial Williamsburg.
In February 2023, I began working at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (CWF). At the same time, an original structure then known as the Williamsburg Bray School was being moved from the College of William & Mary onto the museum property at the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets. Read More
05 March 2024 – Leena Hussein and Alanna Brown
Editor’s Note: This is piece is written from two perspectives to reflect on a collaborative public history placement at York University in Toronto, Canada. The authors, Alanna Brown and Leena Hussein, are profiled at the end of the piece.
Introduction:
Credible sources are essential to improving both the reliability and credibility of Wikipedia as an academic resource. Read More
04 August 2022 – Madeline Hellmich 1
public engagement, community history, collaboration, race, NCPH 2022 awards, digital media, advocacy, social justice
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series of reflections from winners of NCPH awards in 2022. Madeline Hellmich is the winner of a graduate student travel award.
The online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which launched in 2001, is the seventh-most visited website in the world. Read More
01 February 2022 – Michelle Duster 3
monuments, suffrage, art, women's history, community history, public art, memory, sense of place, race
A few years ago, Curious City ran an article highlighting the dearth of representation of women in public statuary in Chicago and asked for suggestions on who should be honored. Several dozen were named, with several of them being women of color. Read More
08 July 2021 – Thomas J. Brown 3
Public monuments chart development within a cultural form at the same time they commemorate historical events. Maya Lin found inspiration in British architect Edwin Lutyens’s enduring World War I monuments when she designed her brilliant Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1981-82). In contrast, the World War I Memorial recently inaugurated with the raising of its first flag in Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D. Read More
03 June 2021 – Jerome De Groot
Editor’s Note: This post is part of a series of reflections from winners of NCPH awards in 2021. Jerome De Groot is the winner of the G. Wesley Johnson Award. This award is named in honor of the founding editor of The Public Historian. Read More
28 April 2021 – Elena Gonzales
This is the second part of a two-part essay in which I propose five ideas for anti-racist museological work that carries a public health benefit. In Part 2 I looked at the context in which curatorial work takes place and how the institution can set the stage for effective curatorial work for social justice. Read More