This spring’s Forged in Freedom panel discussion – hosted in collaboration with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and the African American Civil War Memorial Museum – examined the critical role historical preservation plays in shaping public memory, civic understanding, and contemporary struggles for racial justice. During the discussion – moderated by Allan Murray Cartter Professor of Higher Education Dr Walter Allen – Dr. Dawn Chitty, Director of Education at the African American Civil War Museum (AACWM) and Dr. Frank Smith, the AACWM’s execuitve director – shared perspectives on the importance of archives and cultural memory projects not only to help recover histories that have too often been erased, overlooked, or marginalized within mainstream narratives of American history, but also to ensure that future generations have access to truthful, community-centered histories.
At a time when debates over history, education, race, and national identity continue to intensify across the country, the event underscored why protecting and amplifying Black historical narratives matters far beyond the museum space. By preserving the stories of Black soldiers, organizers, and communities who helped shape the nation, this work challenges incomplete understandings of democracy and reminds audiences that Black resistance, service, and political leadership have always been central to the American story.
