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?