Public History at American University

In his latest book, Derelict Paradise: Homelessness and Urban Development in Cleveland, Ohio, Dan Kerr shows that homelessness has deep roots in the shifting ground of urban labor markets, social policy, downtown development, the criminal justice system, and corporate power.
Tickets are available for purchase online until Wednesday, June 5th at noon Go to https://www.cityclub.org/forums/2024/06/07/derelict-paradise-homelessness-and-urban-development-in-cleveland-ohio

Frederick Douglass stopped by to check out the Humanities Truck this afternoon at the Anacostia River Festival.

Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our graduating MA Public History students. We will feature the incredible work our first year cohort students have done in collaboration with the National Park Service, highlighting the role of Punk, GoGo, and African Drumming in the parks.

We will gather on April 25th from 3:30 - 5:00 pm in the Battelle- Tompkins Atrium.

"I came to American University’s public history MA program because of its strong connections to the DC community and the possibilities it offered for studying both academic and public history. After working for two years in the nonprofit sector, I knew I wanted to continue forming relationships with people and communities while also branching back out into the challenging academic work that I loved in undergrad at #RhodesCollege. At AU, I had the opportunity to engage in graduate level historical research and writing. I dusted off my programming skills, using Python and MALLET to process and analyze nineteenth century enslavement narratives. And I had the amazing opportunity to work at the DC History Center: first as the Sunday Floor Manager, then as Research Services Coordinator in the Kiplinger Research Library, filling in for the Research Librarian. Over the past two years, I have learned that I love collections and reference work. Continuing on the archives/library path, this summer I will begin work as an Archives Technician at the National Archives and Records Administration. I’ve gotten to where I am because of the amazing and steadfast support I received from my professors and mentors at AU and the DC History Center. I look forward to continuing to build on the skills I’ve learned here." Congrats Jess! We're so proud of you and cannot wait to see your work in the Archives!

Today's the day! Please join us from 3:30 – 5 pm in the Battelle Atrium to celebrate the work of our Public History students at our annual Public History Day reception. We have twenty-four students who will be graduating with their MA degrees this May, and sixteen students who are completing their first year. The first-year students will present posters on their projects focusing on the history of le***an bars in DC, the movement to preserve DC’s Black cemeteries, the historical transformation of the Georgetown waterfront, and their successful efforts to build an archive of the AU staff strike of 2022. Additionally, we want to take time to thank you for all your contributions to the success of American University’s Public History program. We will have light refreshments, and we expect there will be a fantastic group of lively public historians from across the region. There will be an after-hours party at Pizzeria Paradiso from 5:30-8 pm. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sherrell says, "As a public historian, my professional goal is to make museums more accessible to everyone while also highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives in historical narratives. I aim to challenge traditional ideas of what history is and who it belongs to, giving voice to those who have been excluded from the historical record. Ultimately, I hope to inspire visitors to engage critically with the past and to consider its relevance to contemporary issues. During my time at AU, I explored different roles within the museum, which has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the curatorial process and develop skills in areas such as exhibition evaluation, oral history, digital archiving, and public programming. While at AU, I created summative evaluations for the Girlhood (It's Complicated) exhibition as part of a practicum project, which gave me the opportunity to acquire valuable experience in audience evaluation. I also had the opportunity to intern as a curator in the Work and Industry division at the National Museum of American History, where I acquired valuable skills in curatorial work, and collections management. As a graduate fellow at the Humanities Truck, I was able to gain skills in oral history, digital archiving, and public programming. This experience has allowed me to work directly with communities to capture and preserve their stories, making their voices heard through historical record. Overall, my experiences at AU have allowed me to further my goals. I am grateful for everything I have learned and experienced during your time here." Congrats Sherrell! We're so proud of you!

Sara says, "To me, the most important part of public history is the public. I want to reach the public in new and exciting ways through emphasizing three key ideas: accessibility, entertainment, and meaningfulness. Over the past two years, I have focused on how these three things can engage the public and promote learning. As a current teacher and (hopefully) future museum educator, I think that learning is our path to a better future. From a virtual ghost tour, to research on pop culture, to projects that tell inclusive histories, I have endeavored to engage the public in historical learning by providing accessible, entertaining, and meaningful content. In the future, I hope to share my experiences and values with the rest of the public history community as a museum educator and public historian." Congrats Sara! We're so excited to see your continued success!

Samantha says, "I came to American University’s Public History program with the hopes of enriching my comprehension of history and acquiring a deeper understanding of the methodologies associated with the field of public history. During my time at AU, I have been given countless opportunities to do just this. In particular, research seminars allowed me to develop my interest in and knowledge of disability history scholarship and analysis—a reality that continues to assist me in my current position at the Disability History Association. Meanwhile, through my practical public history courses, I was able to employ the effective strategies I learned about to promote historical thinking among members of the public. To provide just two examples, I created my own oral history collection meant to highlight the lives of q***r military personnel that served in the U.S. military during “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In addition, Lauren Pfeil and I developed The Rest of History (@therestofhistorypod), a podcast dedicated to analyzing histories that are not typically remembered by the public or featured in school curriculums. I look forward to continuing my work as a public historian and I am grateful for my time at AU!" Congrats Samantha! We're so proud of you!

Molly says, "Like many of my classmates, I came to American University after time away from the academic realm, after a pandemic that rocked what we knew to be true in the world, and after our country seemed to slide further into a cultural and social decline. I came to American University with a lot of hope for how public history might be able to remedy some of these big questions we have about how to be informed and knowledgeable citizens of the world. I still don’t know the answers to the biggest questions, but my time at American has taught me so much about the role public history has to play in shaping our future. The past two years have sharpened my abilities to do history well, and to do justice to the stories I would like to tell. My position as a research assistant for Dr. Pamela Nadell has allowed me to witness an expert in her field at work, helping me understand the way a professional historian thinks about her topics. My classes have been eye-opening in many ways and I want to whole-heartedly thank all of the professors that I had the opportunity to work with. I have learned to question silences, to notate absences, and to center stories that I would not have thought to center a few years ago. My work with Moment Magazine and the American Institute of Physics has given me the space to practice aspects of public history, through oral histories, collections, and writing and editing for the public. What comes next for me remains to be seen, but I hope to bring everything I have learned through this program into all of my future endeavors, whether that’s in a museum, in an athletic department, in a publishing house, or in a classroom." Congrats Molly! We're so excited to see what you do next!

"During my time at AU, I have been encouraged to find new and unique ways to engage the public. By listening to the people I serve as a Public Historian, I am able to craft better ideas that bring history to anyone ready to learn. For over a year, I have worked at Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, developing, guiding, and implementing Public Programs. While many museum educators focus on school learning, there is an entire demographic of adult lifelong learners who influence children. By creating contextual experiences that encourage dialogue, I gain more and more experience on what museum education looks like. Not only do I have the privilege to work with adults, but I am learning new ways to bring history alive for the next generation. Through inquiry-based curiosity-driven methodologies, I have worked to create accessible lesson plans for teachers that engage primary sources in the classroom. To know that the future generations of learners can grow in classrooms where collections are within their grasp is wonderful. To play a part in presenting those collections and encouraging critical thinking drives me to be a better public historian and museum educator. I look forward to continuing my study of the past. I anticipate even more the opportunity to daily engage those I come in contact with with the stories that have led us here. To the present. To know history is to understand our culture. Our world. Our impact. Our identities. Non-traditional learning is so important. And I look forward to seeing where this path will continue to lead and who I have yet to meet." Congrats Michaela! We're so excited to see your continuing success!

"I have enjoyed and learned so much during my time at American University! I chose AU’s Public History program as it afforded me the opportunity to learn new skills that will aid me in my future career. For instance, I had the opportunity to conduct my own oral history interviews and gain hands-on digital humanities skills in classes. One of the most exciting aspects about AU is its location in Washington, D.C., since it is home to numerous museums and archives. For my internship and classes, I researched at the National Archives and the Library of Congress. It was a surreal experience combing through numerous documents in those famous archives. Being in D.C. also allowed me to become the History & Cultural Resources Intern at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). I was tasked with researching and uncovering stories of St. Elizabeths Hospital, the current headquarters of the department, for a walking tour of the campus that will be shared with DHS employees and visitors. One of the reasons I wanted to become a public historian was to research and share with people stories that have hardly been researched in the past. At AU, I had the opportunity to do just that in Graduate Research Seminar. My first topic pertained to St. Elizabeths Hospital during World War II. I was curious about detailing how this federally owned hospital dealt with wartime demands on the home front. My second research paper pertained to Woodlawn Cemetery in D.C., which is a historically African American cemetery. During my research, I became interested in telling the story of community advocacy from the 1930s to the present to save the cemetery from closing and succumbing to commercial development as other African American cemeteries unfortunately had. While I can hardly believe my time at AU is almost complete, I am excited for my next chapter: starting as a Genealogist at the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in June!" Congrats Meredith! We're so proud of all your work!