Historians Speak Out
A Resource for the Press
AHA staff and Council members have written articles and made public appearances on history, history education, the importance of historical thinking in public life, and the work of historians.
The AHA is pleased to speak with and provide resources for journalists and the media. If you are a member of the media and would like to submit a request for a referral or interview, please email press@historians.org.
Media Appearances with AHA Staff & Council Members
Interview with Sarah Weicksel, "Trump targets Smithsonian museums: Administration puts exhibitions under review," (Al Jazeera English, September 2025).
Interview with Sarah Weicksel, "Trump verordnet US-Museen Patriotismus," (tagesschau, August 23, 2025).
Interview with Sarah Weicksel, "Smithsonian and the the review on slavery," (Mornings with Simi, August 21, 2025).
Interview with Sarah Weicksel, "What one historian says White House vetting of Smithsonian means for U.S. cultural institutions," (WBUR Here & Now, August 13, 2025).
Interview with Jim Grossman, "President Trump said he fired a Smithsonian museum director. Can he do that?" (NPR Morning Edition, June 9, 2025).
Interview with Jim Grossman, "Trump’s cultural overhaul throttles local arts, humanities programs nationwide," (CNN, May 22, 2025).
Interview with Jim Grossman, "Historians on Democracy - Part 1: What was, what is, and what can be done?" (Max Weber Stiftung, May 2025).
Interview with Brendan Gillis, "Conversations: What is actually taught in our history classrooms, w/ Brendan Gillis," (History Shorts, May 2, 2025).
Interview with Jim Grossman, “Historian James Grossman discusses Trump order to overhaul Smithsonian Institution” (NPR Morning Edition, March 31, 2025).
Interview with Jim Grossman, “How will Trump's executive order affect the Smithsonian?” (NPR All Things Considered, March 30, 2025).
Julia Brookins, senior program analyst, teaching & learning, testified before the Texas State Board of Education about the AHA’s report, American Lesson Plan: Teaching US History in Secondary Schools (November 2024).
Julia Brookins, senior program analyst, teaching & learning, testified before the Texas State Board of Education about the proposed approval of Bluebonnet Learning, new reading and language arts instructional materials developed by the Texas Education Agency (November 2024).
AHA researcher Scot McFarlane testified on behalf of the AHA to the Maine Department of Education regarding the state’s current social studies standards. In a public hearing in Augusta (April 2024).
Jim Grossman, "Divisive Concepts” and the Role of History Education in Democracy," (SpeechMatters, March 27, 2024).
Katharina Matro with Ken Burns, "Ken Burns on How to Teach the Dark Parts of History," Time (September 2023).
"Don't Say Gay, Stop WOKE, Banned Books, and Anti-Trans Laws: Teaching Through the Backlash," an AHA Online webinar featuring Claire Potter, Anita Kurimay, Wesley Phelps, and Jeremy Young (YouTube, 2023).
AHA special projects coordinator Julia Brookins testified before the Texas House of Representatives Higher Education Committee on behalf of the American Historical Association in opposition to Texas Senate Bill 18 (April 2023).
AHA special projects coordinator Julia Brookins testified before the Texas Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education on behalf of the AHA in opposition to Texas Senate Bill 17 (April 2023).
Brendan J. Gillis, manager of teaching and learning at the American Historical Association, testified before the Virginia Board of Education’s hearing on the history and social studies standards revisions process (February 2023).
"Teaching History with Integrity Today," a synchronous, online roundtable during the 2022 Texas Conference with Johann Neem, Daniel Immerwahr, Laura Westhoff and with James Grossman (YouTube, 2022).
"Advocating for History Education: Insights for Historians," an AHA22 Online webinar with Kathleen M. Hilliard, Karlos Hill, Jennifer Turner, Trinidad Gonzales, and Leland J. White (YouTube, 2022).
AHA special projects coordinator Julia Brookins provided testimony at a meeting of the Texas State Board of Education regarding proposed revisions to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies (August 2022).
AHA special projects coordinator Julia Brookins provided testimony at a special meeting of the Texas State Board of Education regarding proposed revisions to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies (August 2022).
AHA special projects coordinator Julia Brookins provided testimony to the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs about SB 3, a bill restricting the teaching of “divisive concepts” in Texas classrooms July 2022).
AHA special projects coordinator Julia Brookins provided testimony to the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs about SB 3, a bill restricting the teaching of “divisive concepts” in Texas classrooms (July 2021).
Interview with Laura Ansley, "An Inside Look at the American Historical Association," (Academic Life, April 23, 2021).
Articles & Op-Eds by AHA Staff & Council Members
Rebecca West, "The Monumental Work of Historic Preservation in the Building Trades," (Smithsonian Folklife Festival, June 13, 2025).
Nicholas Kryczka, Whitney E. Barringer, and Scot McFarlane, “Changing the Subject in the School Wars: An American Historical Association Research Team Perspective,” (History of Education Quarterly, May 2025).
James Grossman, “What’s Being Taught? Mapping the Landscape of US History Education” (Perspectives on History, May 2, 2024).
Whitney E. Barringer, Nicholas Kryczka, and Scot McFarlane, “Who Is in Charge of History Curricula? Some Findings from the AHA’s Research” (Perspectives on History, April 17, 2024).
Olina Banerji, “History Group Finds Little Evidence of K-12 ‘Indoctrination’” (EdWeek, March 21, 2024).
Nicholas Kryczka, Whitney E. Barringer, Scot McFarlane, and James R. Grossman, “Culture Warriors—on Both Sides—Are Wrong About America’s History Classrooms” (TIME, March 14, 2024).
James Grossman and Brendan Gillis, "SB 83 would require college students to read documents their teachers wouldn’t be allowed to discuss with them," Cleveland Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com (December 2023).
Beau Dickenson, Brendan Gillis, and Chris Jones, "Defending History: Educators Stand Up to Protect Virginia's Social Studies Standards," Social Education (November/December 2023).
Edward Muir, "On Ideological Litmus Tests: Historians and the Current Threats to Academic Freedom," Perspectives on History (October 4, 2023).
Whitney E. Barringer, Lauren Brand, and Nicholas Kryczka, “No Such Thing as a Bad Question?: Inquiry-Based Learning in the History Classroom” (Perspectives on History, September 26, 2023).
James Grossman, "African American History in Florida: AHA Response to New Standards of Instruction," Perspectives on History (August 28, 2023).
James Grossman, "Florida lessons teach full story of Holocaust. They shouldn't make slavery seem benign," Miami Herald (August 14, 2023).
Brendan Gillis and Julia Brookins, "Maintaining Standards: Recent AHA Contributions to the Fight for Honest History Education." Perspectives on History (April 13, 2023).
James Grossman and Anne Hyde, "History at a Crossroads: The AHA Responds to Attacks on Honest History." Perspectives on History (April 13, 2023).
Edward Muir, "The United States Needs Historians: One Teacher-President on Another." Perspectives on History (April 5, 2023).
James Grossman and Anne Hyde, "Unwieldy bill would destroy higher education in Ohio | American Historical Association." The Columbus Dispatch (April 4, 2023).
Laura Ansley, "Don't Say Gay, Stop WOKE, Banned Books, and Anti-Trans Laws: The AHA’s Teaching through the Backlash Webinar." Perspectives on History (February 10, 2023).
James Grossman and Jeremy C. Young, "The Integrity of History Education: Bills Censoring K-12 Classrooms Censor Higher Education as Well." Perspectives on History (February 8, 2023).
Edward Muir, "The History of Them, the History of Us." Perspectives on History (January 17, 2023).
Alexandra F. Levy, "Supporting Educators: Teaching History with Integrity at AHA23." Perspectives on History (December 15, 2022).
Sarah Schwartz, “What’s Really Going on in History Classrooms? A New Project Aims to Find Out” (EdWeek, December 15, 2022).
Kathleen Hilliard, "Deep in the Heart of Teaching: The 2022 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses." Perspectives on History (November 28, 2022).
Julia Brookins, "Talking Texas History: Talking Teaching with the AHA." Talking Texas History (November 8, 2022).
James Grossman, "What Are Students Learning? 'Divisive Concepts' in History Education." Perspectives on History (August 18, 2022).
Leila Markosian, Kristen Shahverdian, and Alexandra F. Levy, "Flashpoints: Free Speech in American History, Culture, and Society." Perspectives on History (March 29, 2022).
James Grossman, "A Pardon for Homer Plessy: The Long Arc of 'Pernicious' Jurisprudence." Perspectives on History (January 25, 2022).
James H. Sweet, "From Inclusive Public Schools to Divisive Concepts: A Reflection." Perspectives on History (December 15, 2021).
Claire Vanderwood, "Student Focused and Historically Accurate: The 2021 Texas Conference on Introductory History Courses Takes on Divisive Concepts." Perspectives on History (December 21, 2021).
James Grossman and Beth English, "AHA and OAH Join Coalition to Combat Misinformation: The Integrity of History Education Is at Stake." Perspectives on History (September 15, 2021).
Jacqueline Jones, "Abstract and Ill Informed: Adding Facts to the Critical Race Theory Debates." Perspectives on History (August 12, 2021).
Laura Ansley, "'The Culture Wars—They're Back!' Divisive Concepts, Critical Race Theory, and More in 2021." Perspectives on History (August 11, 2021).
James Grossman and Jeremy C. Young, "To Understand the History Wars, Follow the Paper Trail," The Hill (July 5, 2021).
Mary Beth Norton and James Grossman, "Everything Has a History -- but Only for the Elite?" (Inside Higher Ed, May 12, 2021).
James Grossman and Jacqueline Jones, "On the way out, Trump trashes history: Why the 1776 project is so damaging." New York Daily News (January 20, 2021).
AHA Advocacy
The American Historical Association provides leadership for the discipline, defends academic freedom, and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. The AHA, in collaboration with our colleagues at the American Council of Learned Societies and the Modern Language Association, have filed a lawsuit in response to the illegal dismantling of the National Endowment for the Humanities.