PROPOSAL TYPE
Traditional Panel
SEEKING
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Additional Presenters
- Seeking Specific Expertise
RELATED TOPICS
- Place
- Reflections on the Field
- Social Justice
ABSTRACT
This proposal is about our efforts to establish a transformative public history program at an HBCU, a program which not only diversifies the field but also revolutionizes the pedagogical approach of public history programs and raises the historical consciousness of the nation. We need fearless scholars who will not hesitate in making responsible decisions, who have the courage to speak truth to power, and who inspire the creativity of their colleagues as opposed to intimidate and discourage them. We have the potential at HBCUs to revolutionize the field of public history, which has become a haven for irresponsible practice and polite racism in America.
DESCRIPTION
In 2003, Brown University launched an investigation into the university’s historical ties to slavery, a decision that inspired several other predominantly white universities to initiate their own community-engaged research projects, showcasing both responsible public history practice and dynamic research methodology. Since 2016, the Universities Studying Slavery (USS) Consortium has accepted more than 80 members, most of them predominantly white universities, including Georgetown. While the USS increases the social, political, and financial capital of members for pushing back against the erasure of African American history, it also inherently exacerbates the legacy of segregation (i.e., resource hoarding) and fails to redress systemic racism in higher education. In reaction to George Floyd’s death, and with conservatives in power seeking to pass sweeping anti-voting rights legislation and make learning about critical race history illegal, a few historic preservationists at Prairie View A&M University believe that the future of social justice in public history resides at HBCUs.
The field of public history in America is not a minor contributor to racial division. The amount of violence in the erasure of historic resources and cultural heritage at HBCUs reveals—as much as the unmarked graves of slaves on this campus—what never existed: an autonomous space carved out by the descendants of slaves that sits outside the clutches of a terrorizing state apparatus. At this moment, we have an opportunity to establish bonds of reciprocity between HBCUs and PWIs–bonds which have never existed and exist at this moment largely as a facetious gesture to gain political and social capital. Imagine the mutual benefits of more serious, equitable collaborations.
This proposal is about our efforts to establish a transformative public history program at an HBCU, a program which will not only diversify the field but also revolutionize its pedagogical approach and raise the historical consciousness of the nation. We need fearless scholars who will not hesitate in making responsible decisions, who have the courage to speak truth to power, and who inspire the creativity of their colleagues in breaking down barriers. We must be bold in our work, and HBCUs must pave the way for the future.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly: T. DeWayne Moore, Prairie View A&M University, [email protected]
ALL FEEDBACK AND OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY JULY 7, 2022. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
T. DeWayne,
I know you have this set up as a traditional panel, but I wonder if it might not make a better roundtable or a working group instead.
If you did one of those other formats it opens things up a discussion about what a transformative program is and you could pull in speakers from institutions (not necessarily HBCUS) that are teaching and doing the work that you would like to see in a public history academic program.
It also might help to lay out more specifics about what that program looks like – you mention bold, visionary leaders. What are the skills that students need to have to be those leaders?
What are the fundamentals that they need to be practicing historians but also taking that step forward to being community organizers, and individuals that are willing to step up to the level of social justice and collective action needed to change the systems that need to be changed?
Do you have an example of a program that illustrates the authentic bond you mention between HBCUs and PWI’s?
In occurs to me as I type all of this out that the panel is trying to do a lot within the time allotted so also take that into consideration!
I hope that helps!
Hello Priya! Thank you for this thoughtful response. I actually met with the director of public history at an HBCU in North Carolina after this posted, and they also suggested that we make it a roundtable. We meet again tomorrow and will probably go that way. We will try and lay out more specifics about what that program looks like and what skills students need to be those leaders too.
I do not have an example of a program that illustrates an authentic bond between HBCUs and PWIs, but Texas A&M was established at the same time as PVAMU, and we have a long history of unequal funding and growth. In the past few years, TAMU professors have made attempts to collaborate with us, but a fundamental lack of understanding prevents positive exchanges. I have laid out a starting point for negotiations with some professors at other PWIs, but it’s a difficult process, and we still have a long way to go.
Thanks again, and I will post an update after the meeting tomorrow.
This conversation is long overdue within the field at large. I support PRIYA CHHAYA’s comments in potentially rethinking this panel to revolve more around open discussion where strategies, ideas, and always important solutions can be generated.
I can immediately think of a few HBCU’s ripe for this “Transformational” Public history program to take shape. I believe is critical however, to thoroughly define your ethos of the term “Transformative.” This panel could also take the form of a workshop where perhaps HBCU students and scholars collectively imagine the possibilities of such a program.
This is a very timely session proposal, and I think more and more public historians and cultural heritage workers are beginning to understand that we can’t have the power to view our history honestly if we only use predominately white methods and resources under the guise of them being scholarly. I quite like this as a traditional panel, or any format that holds space for the audience to engage through listening as a starting point. A roundtable also fits if there’s need for lots of input or questions from the audience.
Hello Torren! Thank you for your comments. By “transformative” I mean that the field of public history needs a transformation, and I believe that transformation must come from an HBCU. The legacy of racial segregation is overwhelming and violent in the archives at PVAMU, and it’s hard to achieve the level of historical consciousness required for more inclusive and responsible practice in a well-funded PWI university archive. I am open to organizing a workshop in the future, and I hope to collectively imagine the possibilities of such a program. I hired 12 students this summer to process and digitize collections for the Digital PV Panther Project, and I am encouraging them to submit a proposal for a poster this year. A workshop could very well be next on the list.
Thank you so much for the suggestion!