Tag: Public History

Posted on

Edited, edited again, and still can’t find the right words

When you think about public history, you may not immediately think about sexual harassment being of significance in a profession seen by some as filled with the nerds of high schools past. In reality, though, I guess it’s ignorant to assume it doesn’t exist to some degree. In probably what was somewhat of a reality check, this became very apparent to me in coming across a blog by Professor Mary Rizzo. In it, Professor Rizzo speaks mostly of personal experiences regarding sexual discrimination aimed toward her as a public historian, but also dives deeper in defining not just harassment of a sexual nature but also brings to light classifications of harassment becoming more commonplace for men, women, LGBQ, as well as gender non-binary.

In her blog, Professor Rizzo pinpoints five areas of public history where bias is most prevalent and describes how each of these areas is basically a window of opportunity for sexual harassment and discrimination. As I read through these, I began placing myself in each of these situations and trying to rationalize a way that it wouldn’t be possible. As a man, I guess I felt a need not to believe that such discrimination was possible. In reality, though, every single example Mary Rizzo gave was a perfect segue for opportunity of such behavior. In reading this blog, it gave me a sense of embarrassment, both because of my feeling that I had to defend such actions but also due to the thought that I’d be so delusional. For the majority of this blog, I honestly found myself weaving in and out of emotion. To her credit, almost immediately after opening her blog in describing the discrimination she personally has felt, Professor Rizzo gave credit to the National Council of Public History (NCPH) and the work that is being done through their diversity and inclusion task force (DITF) in combating these behaviors.

Following this short acknowledgment in favor of the actions taken by the NCPH, professor Rizzo does return in giving statistical information regarding women who have experienced discrimination in the workplace via a Marist poll. For most, this may not be of any particular significance, though in my case It was. As an undergrad, I worked from time to time with Marist polls. It is for this reason; it seemed a bit off-putting that Professor Rizzo would reference this poll, because statistically Marist polls lean more right than left, but were being used in an argument which seems to lean more left than right. In addition to this, notice was taken to the fact that in using this poll professor Rizzo gave a little more attention to the statistics concerning women rather than applying this same attention to other genders with the same emotion. To a certain degree, in not giving statistical data for different sexes who may have experienced similar issues, it felt as if her first acknowledgment toward other genders was merely a reassurance that she remain fair in an article concerning inequality. Now, allow me to say here that in devoting time to this blog, I have spent time following the work of Professor Rizzo and feel confident in saying this wasn’t the case.

It was important to me in reading a blog of this nature that I get a clear understanding of how it came across to me, for the simple fact that I myself am a father. As the father of two little girls, one nine and the other four, it’s of top priority that I try and protect best I can for my children. In general, I think this is the same for all parents, but for a father, I believe there is more of a primitive, instinctive emotion to want to protect for those within one’s command. I desire that the world be available to my girls in every way possible so that as they grow their dreams are never out of reach, although in speaking from experience I have seen levels of favoritism even among other men. Now, undoubtedly, a woman should never feel as if her job is dependent on a level of sexual favor. Though in a world where we don’t have a major problem with a man taking advantage of another man, or Woman stepping over another, why should we expect there not to be discrimination across the sexes? It is my opinion for there to be a unified change across the board; we need to begin by respecting our own. I find myself conflicted in this thought though.

On the one hand, it brings me comfort to know that steps are being taken so that when the day comes that my girl’s transition into the workforce, such issues will long have been addressed and assumably corrected. Though on the other hand, it’s extremely concerning to think that while we live in a world where so much attention has been allowed to be given to equality and individuality that we are still struggling over the fundamental separation of man and woman. When drilled down to its core, this whole topic is very messy and has the ease to flex in favor of any given person. That in its self may be the problem. As I begin my studies in the field of public history, I look forward to witnessing the evolving changes made in this area. I commend Professor Rizzo for seizing the opportunity in tackling such a topic, though it seems unquestionable that this blog must be followed with more like it before real change will come.

http://ncph.org/history-at-work/sexual-harassment-and-gender-discrimination-in-public-history/

Posted on

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly — Past, Present, and Future

Finding your love for your hometown is something that you gently fall into. When you’re there, its easy to hate it — you can see up close the flaws and shortcomings that you learn to live with. It seems often that things will not change. That every weekend, there will be nothing to do, that the construction will never end yet the roads will never be fixed. My hometown, Corpus Christi, is precisely like this. And yet, after taking a walk in San Antonio’s historic West Side, I began to reflect on the historical architecture present in Corpus, and it is in this reflection that I realized how little I knew. Thus, I began to dig a bit deeper into the architectural monuments I so easily took for granted.

Heritage Park

Just as the name would suggest, Heritage Park showcases twelve Corpus Christi homes of historical significance, dating all the way back to 1851 (The Merriman‐Bobys House). Between them, one can see architecture ranging from Victorian to Colonial, speaking to the diversity not only of the structures themselves, but the long-gone inhabitants that are a testament to the diversity of the Bay Area. Members of the NAACP, co-founders of LULAC, Mexican-Americans, Irish-Americans, African-Americans… the whole array can be seen represented in Heritage Park, not for the superficial reason of ‘inclusion’, but because the original owners of these homes made their mark in the coastal bend community.

What pains me about Heritage Park is that very little work has been done in terms of bringing this fascinating history to the public. A quick search for ‘Heritage Park’ reveals that the historic site has no website, no social media — hardly a trace! It is only within the last few days that I learned the park itself was used for anything other than special events. Sure, most Corpus Christians know of the historical site, but of its history? What a tragedy! Most of the online reviews are about the types of pokemon you can find there on Pokemon Go! All this to say, taking this Public History course has allowed me to appreciate Heritage Park much more, and additionally it has allowed me to realize how desperately it is in need of a good public historian.

The Art Museum of South Texas

Any art museum houses hundreds of individual pieces of breathtaking art. But can the building itself be called art? Only naturally. At the Art Museum of South Texas much care has been put into the architecture of the two buildings — one from 1972, one from 2006. The original building, crafted by Philip Johnson is a love letter to the region, constructed of shells, sand, and concrete (a.k.a. shellcrete) and fashioned into a castle reminiscent of adobe style homes, perfect for keeping the sticky heat and humidity away from the precious pieces within. Much of this I knew, as my mother was once obsessed with the structure of the museum, pulling out her little architecture book and flipping to the page that featured our hometown museum any time it would come up in conversation with our guests.

South texas Museum of Art
The two buildings of the South Texas Art Museum coexisting!
In 2006, Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta was brought in to design a new addition to the museum, and that, he certainly did. Where the original building was old school adobe, the new building was the definition of modern, complete with black pyramids on the roof and a hot pink accent at the entrance. My mother was livid, but I personally think the two styles compliment one another, the old and the new, the rounded and the decidedly sharp. If you pay the museum a visit now, you’ll be able to see the two together, and appreciate each artist’s input. Don’t worry, student entry is a measly $4!

The Harbor Bridge

Of all the interesting and historic architecture in Corpus, however, there is one thing that stands apart — the iconic Harbor Bridge, and its skeleton-like silhouette. Finished in 1959, it stands at 243 ft. tall. (You can see more specs here. ) But despite its iconic status and sixty years of service, the end is nigh for this beloved Corpus Christi monument. My grandmother would describe how she used to take a ferry boat across the channel that the Harbor Bridge connects, and that the bridge brought that era to an end. Nowadays it seems as though the bridge will now be left in the dust, a plan for a new bridge already being put into action, its completion expected in 2021.

Corpus Christi Harbor bridge, lit up in rainbow LEDs
The CC Harbor Bridge, lit up for pride month. Captured by my awful camera
Ordinarily, I am very much “out with the old and in with the new”, but there is something uniquely nostalgic about crossing the bridge to go to the beach or the Texas State Aquarium. Ask any resident, and they’ll express their sorrow about the loss of the bridge, although it may be for the best. The new bridge will be significantly higher, allowing cruise ships and larger shipping vessels to enter the Port of Corpus Christi. I do hope I’ll be in town when its time to say our final goodbyes, but if not, I’ll know its in a better place — bridge heaven.

In conclusion, I prompt my readers to think about the architecture of their hometown, wherever that may be. There’s no town too small or city too big not to have key buildings that made an impression on you, whether you hung around them very much or not. Leave a comment telling me where you’re from and which buildings remind you most of your life growing up, or which you consider ‘classic hometown’.

Posted on

Pushing Back at Gentrification: A Tale of Two Cities

Change, it is the one constant in the story of human history.  Nothing stays the same, attempting to fight change is an exercise in futility.  To survive the change of time all things must adapt and adjust to a new paradigm.  Failure to change means death, whether we are discussing dinosaurs or giant corporations.  Sometimes change can be beneficial, things shift in a positive direction and people’s lives improve.  Other times changes are not so good, life becomes more difficult or important knowledge is lost.  One of the byproducts of change is gentrification.  Some argue that gentrification is good because it revitalizes blighted neighborhoods; contrarily it’s a force of destruction of personal history and economically disadvantaged people.  How can a historic neighborhood hold on to its history and benefit the people who currently live there?

San Antonio:  The Historic West Side

Walking along the streets of the historic west side of San Antonio the surrounding history is palatable, however so is the destruction of that history.  Land speculators are leaving lots empty in hopes of a big payday sometime in the future while razing older properties and replacing them with buildings that are more modern.  This leads to the destruction of the community’s history and forces the people who live there to move due to rising rents and other economic hardships.  The Esperanza Center has been pushing back against these speculators in an attempt to hold on to the history and culture of the neighborhood for the people that live there.  Their approach is to acquire properties and restore them for new tenants or re-purpose them so that they will avoid being torn down.  This is a good approach but the speculators impede the process by leaving lots empty lots or even worse, hampering the attempts to improve the neighborhood by placing fences on their properties in inconvenient places.  Their approach is direct but requires large financial backing and cooperation from local politicians.  This brings up another roadblock for the Center’s mission; the politicians are not invested in saving old buildings.  The people in charge are going to take their directions from their political donors, and those donors want to make money developing the neighborhood.  Current political climates favors the people who drive gentrification.  There are opportunities to make money that do not include saving the history of old neighborhoods; revitalization in the name of progress is the fuel of gentrification.  It is a tough uphill battle; however, the people of the Roxbury section of Boston tried a more radical approach.

“Faces of Dudley” mural in Boston. (Greg Cook)

Boston:  Roxbury

Gentrification happens when the local people do not have direct control over their neighborhood.  The blog Black Perspectives talks about the events in the Roxbury district of Boston, MA.  During the 1980’s in Boston, a couple of men tried to stand up and improve their neighborhood by taking the neighborhood away from the city.  Curtis Davis and Andrew Jones formed a group called The Greater Roxbury Incorporation Project (GRIP) with the goal being leaving Boston proper and forming a new incorporated city that the local people would control.  Even though Boston was the idealistic center of the American Revolution, its city planners were not so forward thinking over the years.  Boston became the most segregated city in the Northern US, making it very susceptible to the forces of gentrification.  In forming a new city out of the old neighborhoods, the people could stop this process and revitalize the area for its residents.  By spending resources on attracting economic opportunities that would not drive out the economically disadvantaged residents, the city would stop the process of gentrification.  Ultimately, GRIP did not achieve its master goal of independence, however it did succeed it getting reforms into government that would eventually aid the area and make improvements to benefit the people there.

Two Paths, One Goal

The Esperanza Center and GRIP are just two examples of people trying to control the destinies of their local neighborhoods and deter the process of gentrification.  I hope that they will succeed in protecting the history that the people in city hall easily neglect.  It is easy to order a building toppled when it is just numbers on a budget sheet, but to the people who live there those building mean so much more.  They are touchstones to loved ones who are no longer with them.  Preserving the buildings is to preserve the memories of those who came before us and made us into what we are today.

Posted on

Classroom Teacher and Their Place in Public History

In the ongoing discussion of what public history is and what defines the scope of the field, the focus seems to be on distinguishing the field from academic history.  One thing that I feel is overlooked in the discussion is the role that teachers in grades K-12 play.   This group of people falls perfectly in the transition from academic history to public history.

The Importance of Teachers

Grade school teachers are in a unique position in the field of history.  They can be a literal bridge between the academic field and the realm of public history.  Although our first expose to history usually comes from our parents and family, teachers can make a lasting impact on ones attitude toward history for the rest of their life.  Teachers keep track of new academic developments  in history, but they present the information on a very personal level that would definitely fit under the umbrella of public history.  Teachers answer to a local authority and will respond accordingly.  It is very easy for teachers to customize their lessons for their audience.  They are able to adjust the depth, scope, and point of view to fit whatever community they are working in.  This ability allows them to target the needs of the community they serve.   This is the very essence of what public history is.

The Shortcomings of Teachers

I would even suggest that classroom education  should be considered a 5th part of the public history domain.  Museums already offer programs to help teachers improve and engage their students, but there is still much work to be done especially at the lower grade levels.  The main problem at the lower levels is that those teachers are not exposed to academic courses in history specific topics.  This often leads to a more mythological history being taught at those levels.  The result is students who often need to be retaught basic history later in their academic careers.  Programs designed to work with and increase the ability of lower grade teachers would be an immense benefit to the education system.  This would improve the education at the higher grade level as the need for reteaching would be diminished; leaving more time to focus on the important topics and concepts that need to be covered during class.

Conclusion

There is a battle going on that most people are not aware of, a battle for control of history.  In this digital age conspiracy theorists and intentional fake news is displacing legitimate information and facts.  Classroom teachers are on the front line of this battle.  They are in a position to educate students on how to tell the facts from the fakes.  They can also inspire their students to continue to educate themselves and to continue their learning beyond the classroom.  Teachers would handover the students to the public historians to accomplish this continued learning.  By utilizing public history resources museums would not seem so foreign and these young learners would get more out of the experience.  I strongly feel that public history programs need to keep classroom teachers in mind for the benefit of society.

Posted on

Westside Historians in The Making

Photo by Gateway Photography
Please click here to learn more about Norbert “Geremy” Landin

This evening the students from the St. Mary’s University were welcomed to one of the sites of the Esperanza Center in San Antonio Texas. The Director, Ms. Graciela Sanchez, quickly grasped the attention of all 10 students present.

“The people of Esperanza dream of a world where everyone has civil rights and economic justice, where the environment is cared for, where cultures are honored and communities are safe.”

-Graciela Sanchez; Director of Esperanza Peace and Justice Center

This part of their mission and vision is truly shown in the work that is done in and around the Rinconcito Center. In the past, I know that several of the students in this program (including myself) have been to museums and art exhibits. During a recent museum course there was talk about the different places that have been visited but I don’t quite think that this experience matches any of the ones that were mentioned in the past.

When entering the Rinconcito Center there is a drastic difference in what we are used to seeing in homes and apartments and visitors can quickly delve into the history from the time of the “Casa De Cuentos and Casita.” The center has owned the building and property at 816 Colorado St. since 2001 and since then, great work in preserving the housing and developments that surround the area has been done in hopes of saving that history that as Sanchez said, “is gone once they’re gone.”

Photo taken by Gateway Photography
As the students travel through the areas at the center, different pieces catch the eyes of future public historians and Director of Public History at St. Mary’s (Dr. Lindsey Wieck)

The students continued their walk down the street with a main focus on the structures and projects following the path towards The Guadalupe Center for cultural arts. “Fotohistorias del Westside” mark the path along the South side of the street lining the fence of J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School (a school named after Confederate veteran and bank president, JT Brackenridge, who was born in Warwick County, Indiana and passed in 1906). This school is one of San Antonio ISD’s 90 campuses.

Virgen de Guadalupe vela located next to the Guadalupe Center for Cultural Arts

The tour ended at the Plaza Guadalupe over at 1327 Guadalupe St. but the conversation did not. Conversations on the way back to the starting point of the tour led to ideas of projects with different shops, councilmen, and locals about oral history and community activism.

Sanchez is passionate about the work that she does and was excited to show us the public history aspects involved in her work. Having visited places on the westside and knowing the stigmas and negative energy that is posed towards the people and areas surrounding made it easier to want to learn and absorb as much information as possible. The connection that we have made as a course and cohort is tremendous and will continue to be a great source of energy and program development for public history at St. Mary’s and in San Antonio in general.

 

Posted on

Abriendo Caminos

Hi there!

Geremy Landin photo

My name is Norbert Geremy Landin, but I usually go by Geremy! I am way too excited about this unexpected Master in Public History program and the future that is to come because of this program. I had no plan on going to St. Mary’s for my masters degree much less in Public History but as I walked along the empty summer halls at St. Mary’s, I was invited to take a look at the program, and here I am a few weeks later.

The goal here is to attain this degree and the knowledge to succeed while working with the City of San Antonio or in organizations like the San Antonio Fiesta Commission on large scale projects and events as well as building a network and relationship with the people that are in these fields and do these things already. I am hopeful that the public history program will help me with these goals for sure!

Papel picado is also known as perforated paper; it is used to decorate the city and homes during Fiesta inside and outside buildings
Fiesta Papel Picado

Lately I’ve reflected on the ideas that brought me closer to believing that I could achieve something in a program like public history and I couldn’t think of a better example than the short film/documentary that I was tasked to complete for Dr. Teresa Van Hoy’s Civilizations course. That documentary was the first time I felt like I had complete freedom of creativity and decision making in a course of that magnitude. Now I’m here in the place where I belong; learning alongside people of different backgrounds and understandings of history.

Posted on

Back For More

Hello, everyone! I’m tremendously excited to be a part of the new Public History program at St. Mary’s University, and to have the opportunity to work once again with many of my former professors, as well as meet new and interesting people, many of whom share my interests.

First, i’ll share a bit about myself. I’m originally from Washington, D.C, but have lived in roughly twenty different states during my life and even more homes. My family traveled quite a bit, so I became accustomed to adapting to the world around me. I’ve always been quite an avid reader, and my house generally has more bookcases than anything else. I love stories and storytelling and a wide array of arts. I’ve always wanted to learn more artistic skills, but for the meantime I do calligraphy, and play the piano and the guitar. While nearly everything else I do is generally grounded in reality, I love chaotic and imaginative shows like Doctor Who.

My primary goal as an aspiring historian is to help tell the stories of cultures that have long been overlooked, or whose stories have been generally omitted from the historical record. I’m particularly fascinated and respectful of cultures that have had to struggle to maintain their cultural identity against larger, more aggressive or more influential neighbors. Some of the foremost examples that come to mind are the Korean, Armenian and Tibetan cultures.

Image of ceremonial dancers participating in the Lurol festival in Tibet.
Participants in the Lurol festival seek protection from evil, and perform both ceremonial and festive rites derived from native, Buddhist and Bon traditions.

My favorite subject, and what I aspire to write about in the future would be the religiously driven fanaticism driven relentlessly into a fever pitch that tore central Europe apart during the 17th century. The period of the Thirty Years War and the Wars of Religion in France have been a focus of my reading for years, and shall continue to be.

I was so glad to meet all of my fellow graduate students in the St. Mary’s University Public History program, and look forward to working with all of you and learning more about your own interests!

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage – Smithsonian Institute

Posted on

Me Siento Muy…Excited!

Hello everyone! My name is Sara Ramirez and I am super excited to be part of the inaugural year of the Public History graduate program at St. Mary’s University. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s of Science and Arts in Biology and have since spent my professional career in informal education. I’ve worked as an educator at the San Antonio Zoo and the Doseum, the Children’s Museum of San Antonio. Presently, I am a Library Assistant with the San Antonio Public Library. I am also a member of the 2018 class of the  Alexander Briseño Leadership Development Program.

 

I believe the Public History graduate program will help to integrate my different interests and passions including history, environmental science, sustainability, digital inclusion, and allow for community engagement and collaboration. This is a truly unique and amazing program. I am eager to begin working on different projects and get to know my professors and classmates better!

Posted on

Hello Public History!

 

An Introduction

Greetings, welcome to the first of many posts in this blog.  My name is Scott, and I have been teaching history for the past 18 years.  This year I am taking on the challenge of graduate school.  I am excited to be here.  The program seems wonderful, and I am working with a great group of professors and students.

My Mission

My main goal as a teacher is to try and make the world a better place, both for my individual students and society at large.  I try to give my students the tools they need to improve their lives and have the maximum opportunities to create the best future for themselves.  By helping the student achieve their potential they go forth into the community and make it a better place.  They become examples to the friends and families and show them that improvement is possible.   Their success in turn improves their neighborhoods and by extension, the community improves.  Sometimes I am successful, sometimes I’m not so successful, but I do my best and keep trying to get through to the students.

Final Thoughts

I am excited at the opportunities that this graduate program will provide for me.  The opportunity to use my education experience to  reach more people has an appeal to me.  I have loved going to museums all my life; having the chance to work in a place like that and helping to develop the exhibits and the displays would be an amazing path for my career.   I am looking forward to making the most of this opportunity.

Posted on

Like a Kid in a Candy Store

The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History

It’s a safe bet that just about everyone remembers key locations from their childhood. Perhaps it was that park down the street that you’d visit every Friday, or that ice cream parlor you’d stop at any time your report card proved up to scratch. Your childhood bedroom, your best friend’s house, your fourth grade classroom… In some way all of these places shaped you into the adult you were destined to become. For me, one of these essential places is the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History.

Every summer, my parents would buy a family membership to this beloved museum, and every Sunday my older sister and I would turn up to browse the museum and take part in the weekly kids treasure hunt.

My older sister and I, a mere decade ago
We’d gaze wide-eyed at the sea life exhibit with all of its shells and ocean gems. We’d play on the pirate ships floating at docks (arrg). We’d each pick from the geology exhibit which gems we’d wear if we were queens. What we liked best, however, was proving our historical insight during the weekly treasure hunt. Given a list of clues, we would track down the artifacts and answer the questions that would accompany each hint. We wouldn’t always win, but the joy of eagerly perusing the exhibits was impressed upon me for life.

And now…? Well, in many ways I’m still just a kid on a treasure hunt, trying to prove myself as a valid player on the academic and historical field. I’m still young, still foolhardy, and still every bit as fascinated as I was back then. As for the museum itself? Sadly, Hurricane Harvey did a number on the building’s structure, and it was closed for repairs and renovation for the better part of year, though thankfully, it recently reopened.

I’ve got to hand it to the CC Museum of Science and History for revamping their exhibits year after year and being a pleasure to visit even now, after I’ve been hundreds of times. If you ever find yourself in Corpus, I certainly suggest you pay them a visit. It’ll be worth the extremely affordable admission fee of $10.95. Plus tax, of course.

css.php