Moving History Organizations to Interpret and Develop more Inclusive Exhibits
Convening a collaborative learning community of thought leaders to advance more inclusive narratives of systemic racial and religious de facto segregation within the United States. By incorporating high level historical research into topics of de jure segregation that include restrictive housing covenants, sundown town legacies, redlining practices, and varying degrees of community exclusion, the group will illustrate how de facto segregation also informs community and social development. The research will be gathered into a catalogue of model practices that can be used by any historical agency to promote more inclusive narratives of collections and exhibits and thus provide future generations with a broader understanding of the past and all those who contributed to it. Key learning will be shared in a methodology toolkit, an online exhibit, numerous peer-reviewed publications, and curriculum development for K-12 and beyond.
Our focus, in this research, will look closely at the many factors that influenced the development and growth of the City of Brea. The exhibit, Unvarnished: De facto Segregation in Brea California (a working title) will be available online and in our Downtown Model Gallery soon. It will explore the varying practices of de facto segregation that have existed in the City of Brea over the course of its 100+ year history. Racial tensions, which are ever present in society because of contemporary behavior and the historical legacy of de jure segregation, are sometimes and to varying degrees, evident in the attitudes and beliefs of today’s Breans. By uncovering these practices, and exploring the impact on social development, the exhibit will help foster an environment of empathetic and informed understanding within the community. This exhibit, which will include personal and public experiences, will contribute to the historical narrative of the city by including content that has remained untold has otherwise been previously untold.