On November 26, the AHA sent a letter to Archivist of the United States David Ferriero expressing concern regarding the current records disposition request from the Department of the Interior. The AHA emphasized the value of the records for historical research and future policy making regarding issues related to resource management, endangered species and environments, and indigenous legal and cultural affairs.
The AHA sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressing deep concern about the imprisonment of Xiyue Wang, a PhD student in the Princeton University department of history, on groundless charges of espionage. The AHA called for his immediate release. Read the letter on the AHA website.
On September 10, the AHA sent a letter to Rutgers President Robert Barchi expressing concern about the university’s investigation of history professor James Livingston for comments he had made outside of the context of his university employment. In the letter, the AHA stressed its support for the right of historians to express their opinions as private citizens without fear of institutional discipline.
The AHA has sent a letter to King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud expressing concern regarding the detention of Dr. Hatoon al-Fassi, an associate professor of history at King Saud University, because of her activism on behalf of women’s rights.
On August 13, AHA executive director James Grossman sent a letter to Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the US Treasury, endorsing suggestions from AHA members that Harriet Tubman be featured on the $20 Federal Reserve Note.
The AHA has signed on to a letter from the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) and 24 other research organizations urging the Department of Commerce to remove a controversial citizenship question from the upcoming census. The letter criticizes the science and research implications of the question, arguing that “the inclusion of a question on citizenship in the 2020 Census will increase the burden on respondents, add unnecessary costs to the operation, and negatively impact the accuracy and integrity of one of the most valuable data resources the government produces.”
On July 25, AHA executive director James Grossman sent a letter to David Ferriero, archivist of the United States, opposing any “threats to the preservation of records relating to the treatment of immigrants by the US Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).” Given the historical significance of recent events surrounding immigration, the American Historical Association urges the the archives to “deny any request for authorization to permit ICE or the Border Patrol to destroy records related to individuals in their custody.”
AHA executive director Jim Grossman has sent a letter to US senators Dean Heller and Jon Tester regarding a recent effort to award the Congressional Gold Medal to 226 American women who served in the US Army Signal Corps during World War I. This effort has been initiated by the World War I Centennial Commission.
The AHA sent a letter to the College Board urging reconsideration of recent changes to the Advanced Placement World History exam that limit it to “content only from c. 1450 to the present.” The AHA expressed concern that this change is likely to reduce the teaching of precolonial and non-Western history at the high school level.
The American Historical Association joined the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and dozens of other organizations and individuals in a statement advocating for a greater national effort to strengthen non-English language education so that Americans can more effectively participate in a global society.
The AHA recently signed on to a letter calling for additional funding for the National Park Service's Office of International Affairs on behalf of its efforts for World Heritage.
AHA President Mary Beth Norton has signed on to a letter to the US Secretary of Commerce regarding the inclusion of a citizenship question on the census.
The American Historical Association has signed on to a letter from the Coalition for Internation Education urging Congress to reject the Administration's proposal to eliminate funding for HEA-Title VI and Fulbright-Hays programs.
AHA president Mary Beth Norton (Cornell Univ.) sent a letter to administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in response to the announced plan to eliminate many humanities majors, including history. In it, Prof. Norton emphasizes the valuable role that liberal arts generally, and history in particular, play in preparing students for careers.
The American Historical Association co-signed a letter from the American Anthropological Association protesting reports that the Trump administration had recommended restricting the use of specific terminology in the Centers for Disease Control’s budget documents. The AHA, along with their fellow signatories, believes that the federal government should utilize “science-based decision making in its policy formations.”
