Carter Woodson and the Origins of Black History Month

We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice.Carter Woodson, 1926 Carter Woodson, an historian, author, and journalist, is considered the father of Black history. He…

“So This is Christmas:” A Holiday Song as Protest

"So this is Christmas and what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun... A very merry Christmas and a happy new year, let's hope it's a good one without any fear." These lyrics feel especially apt as we get ready to head into 2021 after a difficult year facing a global…

Black Museums in North Carolina

Museum lovers, below is a list of some of the Black museums in North Carolina that preserve and present the history, culture, and voices of the Black community. Check them out, follow them on social media, plan visits once they reopen after COVID-19, and consider donating to support their work. I know I will be…

Digital Resources for Experiencing History & Culture At Home

Museums have been ramping up their digital offerings in order to continue providing content to and engaging with their audiences. Chances are your favorite museum has made some resources or material available on their website or social media. Show your favorite museum some support by following, liking and sharing their content! You may even get…

15 Social Media Tips for Museums and Historic Sites

Now more than ever possibly digital engagement is necessary and important for museums of all sizes. I compiled the below tips before the corona virus pandemic, but they hold true even in these strange times. I know these are trying times, but I believe museums have a lot to offer the public now as always…

Questions of Baking, Women, History & the Present: A Research Narrative

A Return to Domesticity? Over the last few years, I've taken up baking as a hobby and as a historian this brought me to questions of why and how home baking has historically been gendered female. As research often does, especially when starting with a broad topic, my look into questions of the history of…

Women’s History & Public History

In the field of public history, the interpretation of women’s history has become a hot topic with increasing attention and emphasis being placed on including women's perspectives in museum exhibits and other public history initiatives. This post is a literature review and essay on how women's history has historically been presented via museums and historic…

Women for Abolition

The long road to freedom and the abolition of slavery was paved by many people working towards that goal, including men and women, black and white, Northerners & Southerners. Many African American abolitionists were former slaves, who had either gained freedom through "official" means (were emancipated by those who enslaved them) or had escaped slavery.…

Why Are Our Heroines Hidden?

Lucy Burns (L) and Ida B. Wells (R). Images are in the public domain. I did a lot of brainstorming and soul searching trying to decide which woman from the past, who is often overlooked, I should devote my attention to. Because of the anniversary of women's suffrage I thought of Lucy Burns, the suffragist…

Mercy Hospital & the History of Segregated Healthcare in Wilson, NC

In honor of Black History Month I have been visiting local historical sites with strong ties to Black history and sharing my experiences. I have already written about Boyette Slave House in Kenly, NC, the Freeman Round House Museum in downtown Wilson, NC and St. John AME Zion Church in downtown Wilson, NC. The last…