Panel Discussion

Building a Usable History: Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement

Wed, Sep 14, 2016

6:30 PM–8:30 PM

Room C197

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (rosaparksbiography.org) is an educational website that tells the story of Parks’ lifelong work as a political activist—particularly around criminal (in)justice—before and after her historic refusal to give up her seat on the bus. Responding to the ubiquity of online resources that perpetuate the reductionist history of Parks, site creators Jeanne Theoharis, Jessica Murray, and Say Burgin set out to create an alternate online historical record, complete with print and audiovisual materials. The site incorporates sources from Parks’ personal papers, interactive maps developed through other educational websites, and photographs.

Using the site as a springboard for discussion, this panel will focus on developing strategies for making substantive public histories of the civil rights movement more accessible to youth leaders, educators, and the general public. Along the way, panelists will discuss the creation of the site’s content, the process of collaborating on a digital humanities project, and practical concerns such as selecting a platform, sourcing copyrighted images, and incorporating feedback from students, educators, and other site users.

This event is presented as part of Narrating Change, Changing Narratives, an interdisciplinary research group that employs public humanities practices and explores narration as a guide for social change. The group is supported by the Mellon Seminar on Public Engagement and Collaborative Research. For more information or to join, email [email protected].

Cosponsored by the Narrating Change, Changing Narratives Mellon Seminar on Public Engagement and Collaborative Research; and The Futures Initiative.