On Public History and Waking Up in America on November 6, 2024

I voted proudly (for Harris)

To my dear friends in public history and beyond…

I kind of can't believe it's only been eight years. At that time, Trump was a dark horse candidate who lost the popular vote. Now, the American electorate has embraced Trumpism and rejected the liberal institutions that have tried to argue for their relevance and superiority (despite imperfections) through appeals to decency, compassion, expertise, and an expansive view of human rights. It feels like the proscriptive orientation of public history (don't let history repeat itself!) is/will be just another casualty. More than half of Americans, it seems, prefer a selfishly nostalgic vision of a pre-pandemic economy and don't give a hoot about reality. No attempts to point out the dangers of fascism, the arrogant myopia of isolationism, or the benefits of diversity, inclusion, and equal rights for all make a dent in their willful ignorance and crass disregard for (or outright hostility toward) socially marginalized people. In some ways, it feels like the Trump era never actually ended. The swift backlash against efforts to improve our society after the racial justice uprisings of 2020 has resulted in a steady erosion of public discourse and openness to critical viewpoints. 

The first time around, I was flabbergasted. This time, I saw it coming.

All of that being said (and thank you for indulging me), I think the most important role our profession can play right now is to document and preserve the truth of what happened and what's happening. People may choose to forget, or show that they don't care, but we owe it to ourselves and to the future to prevent the loss of this history. 

Thank you for all that you do and have done and will continue to do.