This beautifully written Minerva's Kaleidoscope blog post—Traces of Homeland—was developed by Library of Congress High School Summer Internship virtual participants Hannah Cho and Jawhar Yasin. The students worked under the mentorship of Library program specialists Jennifer Ezell and Katie McCarthy to add teen perspectives to the David M. Rubinstein Treasures Gallery: Collecting Memories exhibition. 

Their message about the importance of representation, being seen, and celebrating the richness that diverse cultures and perspectives bring to our nation is very powerful. 

Hannah and Jawhar identified and made connections to two fascinating objects from the above collection related to the theme of Homeland:

• What We Carried: Fragments from the Cradle of Civilization
• Las calles rotas de mi ciudad / The Broken Streets of My City

After they broadened their search across the Library to find sources representing "diaspora cultures across the world". Their finds included the following:

• a photograph of Young lamas learn to play horns and an oral history of a Tibetan sharing his experiences living in India (English transcription)
• an event recording of a traditional Korean song and dance performance
• a wall mural entitled "Melting Pot at Capitolo Playground"

Hannah and Jawhar also provided some wonderful suggestions for activities and reflection that ask other youth to make connections to Library sources, their own treasured items, and newly created sources that represent themselves, their homes, and their cultures.

What takeaways resonate with you?

What sources and strategies might you incorporate into your curriculum to broaden its cultural relevance?

The Minnesota Historical Society (Inquiry in the Upper Midwest project) is proud to share our most recent grant project: Empowering Communities with Local History. This program aims to develop elementary school teachers to find local, reputable primary sources that they can use with their students to learn about the history of their communities in connection with larger events and turning points required by new social studies state standards. In a series of four presentations, trainers instruct teachers in finding and evaluating primary sources, uncovering local stories through which students can study national and international historical events, and centering stories and histories that have been marginalized, erased, or ignored to create a more community-driven classroom, providing opportunities for students and teachers to unite with community members to tell their stories and advocate for their future. Ultimately, this project will develop a process for finding local history sources that can be replicated across the state and the TPS consortium through future grant-funded projects by the TPS Midwest Region as well as potentially the East and West Regions.

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Here's a snippet from one of our sessions:

We started with this image from the Library of Congress (also part of our Youth Movements primary source set):

Clinton, TN, school integration conflicts

After engaging in an "Observe - Reflect - Question" analysis, we made connections. As Minnesotans, we may think of the Civil Rights Movement as something that took place far away in the Southern states. Students may not see a personal connection to their place and history here. How can we connect this to St. Paul?

Enter local community organizations! Here are two primary source photographs to enrich understanding: 

NAACP members picketing outside Woolworth's for integrated lunch counters, St. Paul.

One way Minnesotans participated in the Civil Rights Movement was through boycotts. Woolworth's lunch counters in Minnesota were integrated, but these NAACP members in St. Paul still picketed to push the company to integrate their stores nationwide. 

“NAACP Youth Group,” circa 1960. Courtesy of Hallie Q. Brown Community Archives.

Searching a local community organization, the Hallie Q. Brown Community Archives, pulled up this photo. From left to right, the young men are Sandy Stephens, Ronnie Harris, and Judge Dickson. Further digging suggests all three were football players at the University of Minnesota!

These stories can connect students in St. Paul, Minnesota to the nation-wide Civil Rights Movement, making it come alive! 

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What are your experiences with teaching local history with primary sources and community organizations? What questions or ideas do you have?

Contact: Meghan Davisson 

  3 - 5    Pre K - 2    Social Studies/History     Primary Sources    Local History  

Naiomi Glasses represents the 7th generation of Dine (Navajo) weavers in her matrilineal line.  She is also the first artist in residence for the Ralph Lauren fashion house.  She is 26 years old and lives in Dinetah in northern Arizona. And, yes, she skateboards in a skirt. Glasses is, in her ancestral language, a Dine asdzaan (Navajo woman) CBS Sunday Morning Video

Her designs for both Ralph Lauren and Sackcloth & Ashes (a native-owned brand) incorporate traditional Dine designs in a respectful way.  Other design houses have come under fire for cultural appropriation -- using Native designs not created by Native designers. 

Navajo weaving is a fairly new endeavor that began with the introduction of sheep, specifically churro sheep, by the Spanish colonizers under Juan de Onate. Both men and women weave. 

One of the most important things that we can do when teaching about Native America is to teach the past AND the present.  Far too many adults (and, sadly, students) think that all Native people are extinct. Teach the present. Use the platform of people like Naiomi Glasses to illustrate that our Native nations are very much alive and thriving. 

Navajo loom diagram (ASU collection)

Navajo weavers, c. 1915

Navajo Blanket Weaver

Hastine-Ush-Klish-ah-Soon (the term "Hastiin" or "Hosteen" is an honorific for a healer)

Hastiin Klah, noted two-spirit weaver and healer, founder of the Wheelwright Museum

The Making of a Navajo Blanket, 1902

Map of the boundaries of the Navajo Nation

Navajo Nation official website

   Pre K - 2    3 - 5    6 - 8    9 - 12    13+    Social Studies/History    Native American    Navajo    Women's History    Arts and Primary Sources