Black Power Map project reflection Part 1

The opportunity to work with Professor George Musgrove on creating a chronological map of the Black Power movement in Washington, D.C. was originally presented in the summer of 2017.  The initial students working under the projects were tasked with collecting any record of an event, organization, or business related to the Black Power movement in D. C.  I focused on finding many events that were tied to politics and city government, such as the Marion Berry administration, and the few lobbying organizations create on the advancement of black causes. We would find about events, and place them on an Excel database, including with the entry the time range, principle people involved,  effects, , a description of what happened, address at where said events took place,  and a source we could refer back to.  I started with a list of books Prof. Musgrove referred us to read, then search the newspaper archives at the UMBC library, combed through the records of the Washingtonia section in the Kiplinger library, and did old fashioned google searches. Part of where we knew to look for entries is through personal interviews. We were able to sit in on a meeting between former activists during the 60s and 70s, and they gave a multitude of place where we should look to, from Afrocentric bookstores t old arts centers to demonstrations at Howard.

A Cautionary Tale

This semester I embarked on a journey into the world of internship, it brought rewards, challenges and at times total frustration, but everything in life is a learning experience, and this was no exception. I started my internship with the Fells Point Historical Society in January and was given the task of developing a walking tour to commemorate and celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Douglass and his life in Fells Point. Research was arduous as Douglass’ years in Fells Point are scant but I was confident with my findings and set about writing a tour. The tour would cover five stops, starting at the Historical Society and winding around the streets of Fells Point concluding with the Caulker House, the last of a hand-full of wood structures in Fells Point “these Wolfe Street properties are a tangible asset of the free African American community in Baltimore prior to the Civil War”.[1] I strove to interject a bit of local history and color infused with anecdotes of Douglass’ life to connect both on a personal level and to inspire others to understand that his years in Fells Point planted the seeds for his quest for freedom and the rights of all men. I was instructed a successful tour averages between 60 to 75 minutes, each stop includes a seven to ten-minute story, including any questions and while walking you should engage with your audience. Whew!! I wrote the script for two of the five stops. Writing and re-writing until it was perfected and timed. I practiced these in front of the mirror as well as walking the entire tour route to gauge my pace. I recorded myself and managed to eliminate “you know”, “er”, and “um” from my narrative. I was confidently ready to present these two stops to ensure I was on spot and this was what the Society wanted before writing the remainder of the tour.

I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t nervous to present my tour script of Douglass’ life in Fells Point. Did I include enough, was it not enough, engaging, entertaining, informative, too long or too short. A million thoughts raced through my mind but I was not prepared for what I would soon hear. The Society, like similar house museums and preservation organizations across the country, are non-profits relying on donations, walking tours, their community, and most of all its network of volunteers. Most of these organizations have a relationship within the community helping foster economic growth in the hopes “visitors would tour the house museums then spend some time in the town, sampling the area’s other attractions such as shops, restaurants, and other such establishments that do make a profit”. [2] In the world of non-profit volunteers play vital roles, not only generously donating their time but also valuable job related and life experience, while augmenting the ability of paid staff to utilize their time more effectively. But what happens when there are no paid positions and non-profits are staffed with just volunteers?

The clinical definition of a volunteer is donating “one's time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one's community”.[3] There is no “fixed” schedule where you clock in at 9 and clock out at 5, volunteers generously donate any time they have left from juggling family and/or jobs. In a perfect world you would have one person, or committee, headed by a team coordinator and work on a single project but non-profits exist in an imperfect world. In reality you most likely will have one volunteer who starts a project and another volunteer to finish it, relying on the notes and organizational skills of the first. Or perhaps you have one volunteer handling several projects and wearing many hats. This can be a confusing process, but sadly, due to funding a necessary one.

I was a jumble of emotions as I handed the beginnings of my tour to my mentor, anxious to have her input and eager to write my final three stops. The words I heard next, were at first, hard to comprehend. “We cannot do the tour. There is a for-profit that has been doing the tour and they feel they have proprietary rights.” What? How? Why was this not known until now? The reality status of an organization run and relied upon by a staff of volunteers hit me. Simply put there just is not enough volunteers to do all the things necessary to operate these organizations. Non-profits are blessed to have the wonderful people they have, who give so generously of their time and talents. In the words of my father “it is what it is…that’s all she wrote”.

I learned that I love research, digging through archives, learning that footnotes hold a wealth of valuable information. I feel an intimate connection to Frederick Douglass as I walk the streets of Fells Point. I leave this experience far better than I walked in, with a deeper appreciation and understanding of the heartbreaking world of non-profit preservation. And given the opportunity I would do it all again!

 Post Author, Catherine Sansone

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[1] https://www.preservationsociety.com/about-us/caulkers-houses.html

[2] https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=hp_theses

[3] http://www.dictionary.com/browse/volunteerism

Some Old and Some New

I am currently working on editing an exhibit that a previous intern started but never completed. His project was on Rosenwald schools for African Americans in Maryland. While he set up a good basis and had gathered a decent amount of information, some of it was not cited properly or at all. In a sense, I am doing reverse research in trying to find where he got some of his information. He also left it incomplete with just a title and bits of information for what was to be the last poster. I took his idea of talking about the legacy of Rosenwald schools in Maryland but tried to do it at a smaller scale. The previous intern was looking at significant and successful individuals from Rosenwald schools at a national level to demonstrate the legacy that these types of schools left behind. However, I decided to find individuals here in Maryland that benefitted from Rosenwald schools. I thought this may perhaps create more relevance and connection to the audience rather than bigger names like Marian Anderson. I also finally put up the International Holidays exhibit as well as a second photography exhibit.      

Settling Back In

I am returning after winter break, for another semester of interning at the Priddy Library at the Universities at Shady Grove. With there being incomplete work left from the previous semester, I’m glad I came back and am getting to finish some of the work that I had started. The interactive diversity exhibit, Diversity Beyond the Dictionary has gone up and peoples’ comments have started coming in. I started to work on the layout of the second exhibit I had created and worked on which was the one on international holidays. I decided to name it Celebrations Across Nations. Meanwhile, I have simultaneously been working on transferring the information of the exhibits onto the online database known as Omeka. There has been a lot of learning involved in learning this software throughout this process which I mentioned last semester. My work on Omeka does not just include putting the data of my own exhibits on the database but all the exhibits that go up in the library. So far, this semester there has been two that have gone up besides my own. One being photographs from Communication major students as well as fictional storyboards that they created. Alongside my supervisor, I created a layout for my exhibit and it should go up in the next couple weeks once it come out in print.    

      

Second

Hi again,

I am now able to work online, and have been pretty busy. I have mostly been taking information already written out by staff and reworking it for a new project associated with the Trail. While this is fun, I prefer opportunities to write my own material. In time.

Though I have gotten started online, I still spend some time out in the Star Fort. Even with so much to be done inside, there are days in which staff is needed. We generally have an idea of how many large groups will be arriving, but sometimes, buses arrive without warning. On days I'm called outside I spend most of my time introducing people to the site and answering questions. Each day (weather permitting) we change our flag - in the morning as well as in the afternoon. When this happens, a ranger with help of other staff will lead groups in a brief talk about the Battle of Baltimore, the flag, and the anthem. Raising, lowering, and folding the flags with groups is always fun. It's a fantastic way for visitors to connect with the resource and imagine the setting which inspired Francis Scott Key. I don't mind going outside to participate in this.

Indoors and online, I have a lot to do. In the coming weeks we will be promoting an event taking place at the Fort on National Trails Day. With partners and contractors we will be hosting a kayak program which should be a lot of fun for visitors. I have learned in this internship the importance of collaboration, not just among partners. In developing content (Things to Do, How to find the Trail, etc) I have become aware of the recreational opportunities that accompany the Banner Trail. My hope is that people who visit Trail sites for any reason, for history or recreation, will take away something more. Someone might visit a site because they are able to launch their kayak there, but through literature and interpretive waysides they may leave with a greater appreciation for the War of 1812. We hope so, anyway.

The Banner Trail geocache program provides a unique opportunity for promotion of sites. The geotrail spans across several sites and attracts visitors whose interests vary. An issue we've encountered, however, is that many sites have lost or lost track of their geocache materials. One of my coworkers began reaching out to Banner Trail sites inquiring about the status of these materials, and this task has now been passed to me. The Trail is comprised of sites managed publicly and privately, which is very cool but poses some challenges. Fortunately, we have been able to connect with most sites and for some we've arranged new materials. It's a good program that we're working to make even better.

I thought for sure I'd write a less jumbled second post, but here it is, jumbled. It's been busy!


Next time,

Gabby Alban

Final Reflections

Hello everyone!

Hope you are well and hanging in there as finals approach.

As both the semester and my internship winds down, I wanted to take the chance to reflect on my experience interning with the Maryland Democratic Party.

I have loved interning with the Maryland Democrats. The opportunity has given me a great taste of what working in state politics is like, while building professional skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. For example, I now have training and experience working with real voters, hearing their stories and experiences, and creating messaging and priorities based on this. This skill is incredibly valuable.

Additionally, I have gotten to work with some incredible role models and make invaluable connections through this internship. The Party staff has been so generous with their time and knowledge, and have given me insight that can only be learned from those with experience.

My history background has been key throughout the past few months: I am a critical thinker thanks to the work and research I have done as a history student. Here at UMBC, we learn to analyze, prove our arguments, and express ourselves eloquently. I am thankful to have learned these skills through my courses, and they definitely translate into the “real-world.”

After this experience, I highly encourage all students to pursue an internship during their undergraduate years. Not only will it look great on a resume and possibly help you earn school credit, but it is also extremely valuable in helping you decide what you want to do post-graduation. I know now that I definitely want to start my career in statewide politics. I feel like the work I did genuinely affected and will continue to affect Maryland, and it is a great feeling to be involved with meaningful work.

I wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors, and cannot wait to see and hear about the successes of the UMBC History students in the future.  

Best,

Claire McCormack

Hello hello

Hi everyone! I'm a graduating senior completing degrees in anthropology and geography & environmental studies, with a minor in public history. As part of requirements for the public history minor I will be sharing some of my experiences as a a trails intern working for the National Park Service and Living Classrooms Foundation. I am excited to be part of this blog!

I'm late getting started in this blog, but for good reason, I swear. The internship I will be chronicling to some extent here was created through a partnership between the National Trails System and Friends of Fort McHenry (Living Classrooms Foundation). I work primarily out of Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, which is currently base of the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. I am concurrently working weekends for the Baltimore National Heritage Area under the Every Kid in a Park program, primarily at Hampton National Historic Site.

To be able to work with park staff on website and social media material it was necessary for me to go through certain measures, be approved. This is mainly why my internship did not begin until early March and why I'm just posting this week.

I am currently completing training for this online-marketing part of the internship, and meanwhile, focusing on research and development. I have been reading mostly about the Chesapeake Campaign and the War of 1812, while scanning associated literature on different websites. An important part of my internship will be reaching out to partnering sites for updates on events, available information, and geocaching. Once I have completed necessary training I will be able to create my own posts promoting the Banner Trail and its sites, keep an eye out!

On busier days at work I spend a lot of time outside in the Star Fort (which is always fun). My favorite part of both of my jobs is informal interpretation of sites. I love talking to visitors and hopefully facilitating greater interest in public lands as well as American history and culture. Reading Freeman Tilden and discussing the development of Interpretation at NPS in Intro to Public History (HIST 300) has proved useful in these positions. In fact, in my first interview at the Fort (to volunteer) I was prompted to finish the sentence, "The chief aim of Interpretation is not instruction, but... (provocation)." I was so grateful for Dr. Meringolo's HIST 300 in that moment. Since then I have been working on becoming a better interpreter, and a large part of this is connecting to people of varying backgrounds. On an average day I meet people from all over this country and some from outside. It's fantastic.

I don't know how many of you know this, but this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the National Trails System. It's because of this my position was created. We are super excited for National Trails Day on June 2nd! (Information about the 50th Anniversary may be found on trails50.org, and information about National Trails Day may be found on americanhiking.org.) In this internship I will be promoting the Banner Trail and helping to implement certain projects at the Fort. In the upcoming weeks I will post again, once I have gotten through training and started work online. My next post will be less jumbled, I promise. Until then, I hope all is well!


Gabby Alban