History, Preservation, and Public Reckoning in Museums

This event was part of the May 2016 conference The Future of the African American Past, co-hosted by the American Historical Association and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

What happens when past meets the present? “History, Preservation, and Public Reckoning in Museums” analyzes the relationship between history and the preservation of historic places, especially in the context of former plantation sites. Panelists reflect on the challenges of interpreting slavery and emancipation, and the reactions of diverse public audiences.

Speakers

Lonnie G. Bunch III, NMAAHC (chair)
George W. McDaniel, Drayton Hall
David W. Blight, Yale Univ.
Dolores Hayden, Yale Univ.
Dorothy Spruill Redford, Somerset Place State Historic Site