Description
Book SynopsisIn this landmark guide, nearly two dozen essays by scholars, educators, and museum leaders suggest the next steps in the interpretation of African American history and culture from the colonial period to the twentieth century at history museums and historic sites. This diverse anthology addresses both historical research and interpretive methodologies, including investigating church and legal records, using social media, navigating sensitive or difficult topics, preserving historic places, engaging students and communities, and strengthening connections between local and national history. Case studies of exhibitions, tours, and school programs from around the country provide practical inspiration, including photographs of projects and examples of exhibit label text.Highlights include:Amanda Seymour discusses the prevalence of false nostalgia at the homes of the first five presidents and offers practical solutions to create a more inclusive, nuanced history.Dr. Bernard Powers reveals th
Trade ReviewInterpreting African-American history at historic sites is an essential but often complicated task. This timely and important volume seeks to improve and suggest successful plans for historical interpretation, and contains nearly two dozen essays spanning from the colonial period to the 21st century. It embraces a myriad of research methods and strategies for interpretation, including the use of social media, archival and documentary research, outreach programmes as well as instructing interpreters how to manage conflict and difficult questions. . . .This volume offers a rich and interesting insight into the world of public history. . . .[and] provides an engaging and fascinating account of how African-American history is interpreted today. Historical interpreters have an opportunity to explore, ask questions, dig deeper and engage an audience whilst navigating the tensions of American history. This volume celebrates contributions and successes, but we need to recognise that many historic sites have much to improve when confronting the legacy of slavery. * Reviews in History *
Museums and historic sites wishing to devise, or revise., their interpretive programs to better synthesize African American history will find several of the practical case studies in this volume quite useful. Those teaching public history in universities, particularly museum interpretation, historic site interpretation, and museum education courses, may also find it beneficial to assign this book as a way to help students understand current issues in the field. Few worthwhile historic sites and museums can fail to acknowledge the importance of expanding their programs to include the histories of diverse communities. Now, as van Balgooy and the essay authors clearly demonstrate, the challenge is to embed these histories within the sites themselves. * The American Historian *
What a gift it will be when museums and historic sites can help our publics understand that they are shaped, touched, and made better by African American history, all day, every day. The essays in this volume give me hope that that day is not too far distant. -- Lonnie G. Bunch, Founding Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture
Table of ContentsForeword by Lonnie G. Bunch, III Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Pride and Prejudice: Interpreting Slavery at the Homes of Five Founding Fathers, Amanda Seymour Chapter 2: Developing Comprehensive and Conscientious Interpretation of Slavery at Historic Sites and Museums, Kristin L. Gallas and James DeWolf Perry Chapter 3: Interpreting Difficult Knowledge, Julia Rose Chapter 4: Expanding Interpretation at Historic Sites: When Change Brings Conflict, David W. Young Chapter 5: There is a Doctor in the House--and he's Black, Michelle L. McClellan Chapter 6: Finding Sarah Bickford, William Peterson Chapter 7: Documenting Local African American Community History, Lila Teresa Church Chapter 8: Interpreting the Upper-Ground Railroad, Matthew Pinsker Chapter 9: Churches as Places of History: The Case of Nineteenth Century Charleston, South Carolina, Bernard E. Powers, Jr. Chapter 10: Imagining Slave Square: Resurrecting History through Cemetery Research and Interpretation, D L Henderson Chapter 11: Furnishing Slave Quarters and Free Black Homes: Adding a Powerful Tool to Interpreting African American Life, Martha B. Katz-Hyman Chapter 12: Six Degrees of Separation: Using Social Media and Digital Platforms to Enhance African American History Projects, Lynn Rainville Chapter 13: Asking Big Questions of a Small Place, George W. McDaniel Chapter 14: Power in Limits: Narrow Frames Open Up African American Public History, Benjamin Filene Chapter 15: Connecting Students with Community History, Stacia Kuceyeski Chapter 16: Do You Have What it Takes to be a Freedom Fighter?, Andrea K. Jones Chapter 17: Preserving Los Angeles’ African American Historic Places, Jenny Scanlin and Teresa Grimes Chapter 18: More Than Just a Building: Interpreting the Legacy of the Frederick Douglass Elementary School, Wendi Manuel-Scott and Sara Howard-O’Brien Chapter 19: Soul Soldiers: Giving Voice to Vietnam’s Veterans, Robbie Davis Chapter 20: Making African American History Relevant through Co-Creation and Community Service Learning, Robert Connolly and Ana M. Rea Chapter 21: The Scottsboro Boys Museum: University-Community Collaboration Yields Unanticipated Results, Ellen Griffith Spears and Shelia Washington Selected Bibliography on the Interpretation of African American History and Culture National Organizations Index About the Author and Contributors
