How does a historic site become a national park? In this episode, we meet with Kevin Levin, an educator and public historian who tells about the process of turning Fort Pillow into a national historic site. We discuss the history of Fort Pillow, how students are involved in the discussion on monuments, and the various methods public historians use to reach new audiences.

Credits

Song Credits:

Melancholy Lull by Vital

Royalty Free Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: GHSG4LYAWYBKBEES

This episode comes in a time of dire need for historical reflection and current action. Over the past few weeks, the Monuments Toolkit team, alongside the rest of the nation, has watched as anti-immigrant sentiments, deportations, and racial violence all reached new heights in the modern era. The events happening in Minneapolis today feel reticent of those in 2020 that led to the creation of the Toolkit and this podcast, including the murder of George Floyd and the summer of protests against oppressive monuments thereafter. However, we must also highlight the difference between the protests then and the protests now as this time our nation struggles to reconcile with its history of violence against the Latine community.

This history needs to be present in the monuments and sites landscape, but it largely remains absent. While we often discuss the need to remove bronze figures of oppression, we also must reinterpret the historic sites of violence to tell the stories of those lost, which is why today, we bring to you a special episode addressing our nation’s history of violence against Americans of Mexican descent in Texas. We’re meeting with Trinidad Gonzales, a history professor, descendant of La Matanza, and formerly a co-founder of Refusting to Forget; and Benjamin Johnson co-founder ofsx Refusing to Forget, a Texas-based non-profit dedicated to strengthening the collective memory of La Matanza and the history of racial violence on the Mexico-Texas border.

Credits

Song Credits:

Melancholy Lull by Vital

Royalty Free Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: GHSG4LYAWYBKBEES

The process of commemorating a site with complicated histories can be a challenge. Whether you're looking to memorialize a tragedy or highlight the hidden history of a site popular for other reasons, there are several steps of care necessary to consider. Ereshnee Naidu, Executive Director of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, joins us today to tell us a bit more about how these sites can be properly cared for as well as what types of places qualify as a "site of conscience."

Credits

Song Credits:

Melancholy Lull by Vital

Royalty Free Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: GHSG4LYAWYBKBEES