Rapid Response History: History in Public Places

Rapid Response History: History in Public Places promotional image

As public institutions, history museums serve their communities by offering spaces for commemoration and reflection. From local museums to nationally significant sites, institutions across the United States strive toward accurate and inclusive tellings of the nation’s past, present, and future. But what do these institutions do when faced with influential groups and government orders that undermine their work? In this session of "Rapid Response History," Anthony Carfello and Madeline Line will discuss how national institutions and historic house museums are navigating government pressures to sanitize and censor historic truths. In particular, they will address the impacts of the Heritage Foundation’s efforts to “[Reclaim] museums’ civic duty” as well as the Japanese American National Museum’s commitment to “scrub nothing” from their telling of Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 5:01pm to 6:30pm
Schaeffer Hall
140
20 East Washington Street, Iowa City, IA 52240
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Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Kathleen O'Neill in advance at 319-335-2299 or historydept@uiowa.edu.