National Council on Public History

ALA celebrates today's ruling in federal court in RI permanently blocking the Administration's actions to dismantle IMLS.

ALA Pres. Sam Helmick: "This victory belongs to all of us, and we build the future of our libraries together." Read our full statement & take action: www.ala.org/news/2025/11...

The Coalition has sent a letter to Sec. Burgum raising serious concerns about actions that undermine the National Park Service’s historic mission and threaten the integrity of America’s cultural heritage, including the East Wing demolition.

Read the full letter → protectnps.org/2025/11/19/c...

Postcard and Letter-Writing Campaign. December 8, 2025. 6:00 pm Eastern. Bring your postcard and letter-writing supplies, and we'll provide ideas, tips, and company while you write to your representatives. Co-hosted by the NCPH Advocacy Committee and Organization of American Historians. NCPH and OAH logos affixed in the top right corner, like stamps on a postcard.

Did you miss the last write-in? Join the next one on Dec. 8 from 6-7pm ET! Write to your representatives to advocate for #history in good company, with the NCPH #Advocacy Committee, @oah.org, and friends! https://community.ncph.org/event/postcard-writing-dec-2025

Pope returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of reckoning with colonial past The Vatican has returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada. This move is part of the Catholic Church’s effort to address its role in suppressing Indigenous culture in the Americas.

The Vatican has returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada.

Deadline Extended! NCPH Robert Kelley Memorial Award. Nominations Due December 1, 2025. Honor outstanding public history achievement. $500 awarded to an individual institution, or non-profit or corporate entity for making history relevant outside of academia.

The Robert Kelley Memorial Award deadline is Dec. 1! Nominate a person or organization who deserves to be honored for making #history relevant to people outside of academia. The #award recipient will receive $500 and will be honored at NCPH-AASLH 2026. https://ncph.org/about/awards/kelley-award/

Vote in the NCPH Election. Nov. 4, 2025 - Jan. 15, 2026. Help us shape the future of our organization.

Don’t forget to #vote in the NCPH election! Check your email for the link to your personal ballot from SurveyMonkey. Help us elect a vice-president/president-elect and treasurer of the Board; three board members at large; and two members of our Nominating Committee.

NCPH Membership with "to" and "from" lines below, as they would appear on a gift tag.

Connect a #PublicHistorian in your life to #community by gifting them a NCPH membership this #HolidaySeason! You pick the right membership tier and buy it via https://community.ncph.org/store/ListProducts.aspx?catid=890408&ftr=, and we work with you to get the membership set up in the giftee's name.

Small Giving Matters. Even small amounts add up! Just $20 from each NCPH member = $31,300. "I am immensely proud of NCPH’s response to the ongoing censorship of truthful public history in the United States. Through the offering of advocacy ideas and issuing direct statements, NCPH leadership has demonstrated strength and determination in the face of unrelenting political pressure. I’ve always found a sense of solidarity within the NCPH community and gladly give in support of its initiatives, now more than ever." Mariaelena DiBenignoa, NCPH Member

Small donations, from those who are able, help us continue to #advocate for truthful history and to support the #PublicHistory community. You can contribute to the NCPH #AnnualFund at: https://ncph.org/giving/annual-fund-2

Chicago has always defied kidnappings of our neighbors - Chicago Reader Even after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, local officials and everyday people resisted the legalized abductions of men, women, and children who had escaped slavery

Even after the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, local officials and everyday people resisted the legalized abductions of Black Chicagoans. https://bit.ly/4oHpDVu

Educator "Therapy." November 19, 2025. 4 pm ET. Gather with colleagues to share your stories, struggles, and successes, and make some friends in the process. Disclaimer: No one involved is a licensed therapist. This is an opportunity to simply share, connect, and maybe commiserate with people in similar situations. Sponsored by the NCPH Curriculum & Training Committee.

It’s not too late to join the #PublicHistory Educator’s Meet Up happening tomorrow at 4pm Eastern! Our first gathering of the semester will be a "therapy session" for educators to share, connect, and maybe commiserate. Register at: https://community.ncph.org/event/educator-therapy.

Call out to senior #publichistorians: we are looking for photos from the 1983 @ncph.bsky.social annual meeting held @uwaterloo.ca, Canada, especially any showing Canadian participation @cndhistassoc.bsky.social

National Council on Public History. Feeling Powerful. November 19, 2025, 7:00 PM ET. Co-hosted by NCPH's IDEA and Advocacy Committees.

Ready to reclaim a sense of power? Join the NCPH IDEA and Advocacy Committees on Wednesday evening to explore what makes us feel powerful. #PublicHistory #CommunityCare Register at: https://community.ncph.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?alias=FeelingPowerful

Deadline Extended! NCPH Robert Kelley Memorial Award. Nominations Due December 1, 2025. Honor outstanding public history achievement. $500 awarded to an individual institution, or non-profit or corporate entity for making history relevant outside of academia.

The Robert Kelley Memorial Award deadline has been extended to Monday, December 1, 2025! Who comes to mind when you think of individuals or organizations who have excelled at making history relevant to ordinary people outside of academia? Nominate them at: https://ncph.org/about/awards/kelley-award/

2026 Joint Conference September 16-19 Providence, RI. The Work of Revolution. American Association for State and Local History. National Council on Public History.

NCPH and @aaslh.org have set the registration rates for our September 2026 joint conference. The rates are a compromise between NCPH’s and AASLH’s usual rates. Find them at: https://ncph.org/conference/2026-annual-meeting/registration/ #WorkOfRevolution

2026 Joint Conference. September 16-19. Providence, RI. The Work of Revolution. American Association for State and Local History. National Council on Public History. AASLH-NCPH 2026. Deadline Extended! Final proposals due December 5, 2025.

AASLH-NCPH 2026 update! We have pushed back the final proposals deadline to Friday, December 5. Submit final proposals through @aaslh.org’s Submittable platform at: https://aaslh.submittable.com/submit/333312/2026-aaslh-ncph-call-for-proposals #WorkOfRevolution

Educator "Therapy" Nov. 19, 2025. 4 pm ET. Gather with colleagues to share your stories, struggles, and successes, and make some friends in the process. Disclaimer: No one involved is a licenses therapist. This is an opportunity to simply share, connect, and maybe commiserate with people in similar situations. Sponsored by the NCPH Curriculum and Training Committee.

The #PublicHistory Educator’s Meet Up is an informal, 45-minute zoom gathering, centered on an organizing question or theme. For our first meeting of the semester, join us for a "therapy session" on November 19 at 4 pm Eastern! Register at: https://community.ncph.org/event/educator-therapy.

2026 Joint Conference September 16-19. Providence, RI. The Work of Revolution. American Association for State and Local History. National Council on Public History.

Leave feedback on optional early topic proposals for our conference with @aaslh.org by Nov. 15! Proposers are seeking feedback and offers of collaboration. Leave comments or reach out via email. #WorkOfRevolution https://ncph.org/phc/2026-topic-proposals/

No Going Back Mary Rizzo examines how four LA historical and cultural institutions mobilize history and practice solidarity in the fight against immigration raids and deportations.

"The histories they interpret compelled them to speak out and put into practice the mantra that history matters."

Mary Rizzo explores how LA historical and cultural institutions mobilize history and practice solidarity in the fight against immigration raids and deportations:

Postcard and Letter-Writing Campaign. December 8, 2025. 6:00 pm Eastern. Bring your postcard and letter-writing supplies, and we'll provide ideas, tips, and company while you write to your representatives. Co-hosted by the NCPH Advocacy Committee and Organization of American Historians.

Join the NCPH #Advocacy Committee and @oah.org on Dec. 8! We will write our concerns to representatives and commiserate with folks doing #PublicHistory in our nuanced and not uncommon political spheres. https://community.ncph.org/event/postcard-writing-dec-2025

Reactivating Forgotten Records: Holocaust Art Recovery in Hungary | National Council on Public History In 1944, the Hungarian government carried out two operations simultaneously. More than 430,000 Jews were deported to Auschwitz in just eight weeks, while at the same time state officials—commissioners, police, and museum staff—systematically confiscated their art collections. The records of this bureaucratized looting survived on microfilm, largely untouched for decades. Today, the Michigan-based Holocaust Art …

New on History@Work! Jonathan H. Schwartz covered how the Michigan-based Holocaust Art Recovery Initiative turned “dormant records into tools for justice and remembrance” with the help of #AI. https://ncph.org/history-at-work/reactivating-forgotten-records-holocaust-art-recovery-in-hungary/

National Council on Public History. Feeling Powerful. November 19, 2025, 7:00 PM ET. Co-hosted by NCPH's IDEA and Advocacy Committees.

Join the NCPH IDEA and Advocacy Committees for an evening of #community and exploring what helps us ignite or reclaim a sense of power. Register at: https://community.ncph.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?alias=FeelingPowerful #PublicHistory #CommunityCare

Join the AAPI Public History Directories to promote your organization or expertise! National Council on Public History.

The NCPH #AAPI Working Group fosters collaboration, identifies issues, and advocates for the AAPI community. Promote yourself or an organization, and join 60 connections in the AAPI #PublicHistory directories! Individuals, join: https://bit.ly/AAPI-PH-Form. Orgs, join: https://bit.ly/AAPI-PHOrgForm.

Vote in the NCPH Election. November 4, 2025 - January 15, 2026. Help shape the future of our organization.

Choose from a batch of exceptionally qualified candidates in the NCPH election! We’re electing a vice-president/president-elect and treasurer of the Board; 3 board members at large; and 2 members of our Nominating Committee. You should have received a link to your personal ballot via SurveyMonkey!

National Council on Public History. Advocacy Alert!

As Executive Order No. 14253 and DOI Secretary Order No. 3431 seek to remove truths about our nation’s history from #NPS sites, remember that “national parks belong to the American people.” Call for an honest approach to our history through this feedback form: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/eo14253.htm

New on H@W–a #Halloween special. In “I didn't make him for you!”, museum professional Kevin Lukacs reflects on “developing horror-themed programming and strategic marketing to have conversations about queer history,” one approach to expanding #museum audiences. https://ncph.org/history-at-work/

Due to the ongoing gov't shutdown, NCPH must postpone our upcoming webinar series on the WWII Home Front. Planned in partnership w/ our colleagues at NPS, the programs were designed with federal historians as a key audience & we don't want to proceed without them. We'll reschedule in the new year.

Educator "Therapy" Nov. 19, 2025. 4 PM ET. Gather with colleagues to share your stories, struggles, and successes, and make some friends in the process. Disclaimer: No one involved is a licensed therapist. This is an opportunity to simply share, connect, and maybe commiserate with people in similar situations. Sponsored by the Curriculum & Training Committee. NCPH.

Calling all #PublicHistory professors! It’s time for Educator “Therapy”. Share stories and stay connected with #educators from across the country in this 45-minute conversation on November 19 at 4 pm Eastern. Register at: https://community.ncph.org/event/educator-therapy.

New on History@Work–Paul Montjoy Forti interviewed Américo Mendoza-Mori, a Quechua scholar at Harvard University. Madison Haines spoke with Julia Perratore, a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters. https://ncph.org/history-at-work/

2026 Joint Conference. September 16-19. Providence, RI. The Work of Revolution. American Association for State and Local History. National Council on Public History.

Want to dip your toes into Program Committee work? Review proposals for our #conference with @aaslh.org! You’ll need 3-4 hours to read through about 30 proposals in December. Fill out this form by Nov. 1: https://ncph.org/program-committee-reviewer-volunteer-form/

How Politics Is Changing the Way History Is Taught

A few months ago, I started to hear from history teachers that the curriculum materials they’d used for years were being pulled from the market, or they were not being allowed to use them because of political pressures. My investigation of this trend published today: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/u...