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Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and the Little Rock Nine

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Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and the Little Rock Nine

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Did you know that there is an entire history behind why Beyoncé covered The Beattle’s “Blackbird” in her new album—Cowboy Carter? Check out this article by the BBC that interviews a member of the Little Rock Nine, and see how their connection and Beyoncé’s intention behind covering “Blackbird” demonstrates yet again how music and the arts can draw from history to inspire us today.

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Beyoncé's recent cover of The Beatles classic "Blackbird" was especially profound to listeners who know that the song pays homage to the Little Rock Nine - a group of Black students who were at the center of the fight to desegregate public schools in the United States.

Her version, which is featured on her new album Cowboy Carter, was even more meaningful to one member of the Little Rock Nine, Melba Pattillo Beals.

"This is the story of my life," she told NPR.

Beals was 15 years old when she enrolled at the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957. She and eight other Black students were famously escorted by the 101st Airborne Division on their first day of class. They also endured verbal and physical harassment throughout high school.

Paul McCartney said on several occasions that "Blackbird" was inspired by the Little Rock Nine. He also said the term "Blackbird" represented "Black girl" in a 2018 interview with .

Beals, 82, went on to be a reporter and author of several books including Warrior Don't Cry and March Forward, Girl. A fan of both The Beatles and Beyoncé, she said the song is more special to her than ever.

Beals added that she is especially proud of Beyoncé, who produced her latest album despite initial backlash for entering the country music genre.

"People ignored the song's meaning for a long time," Beals said. "But when the Queen B speaks, people will listen. And when people listen, they may open their minds to compassion about differences."

'Blackbird' reminds Beals of her grandmother's advice growing up: 'You have to keep going no matter what'

When the original "Blackbird" came out in 1968, Beals - who was in her late-20s at the time - immediately felt the song was relatable.

"I didn't think it was about the Little Rock Nine, but I wondered if it was about Black pain," she said.

The lyrics "Blackbird singing in the dead of night" reminded her of how slaves relied on music to cope with the pain of daily life. Beals added that the next set of lyrics - "Take these broken wings and learn to fly" and "Take these sunken eyes and learn to see" - captured Black Americans' strength and determination in a country that historically prevented them from succeeding.

"It reminded me of what my grandmother said to me when I came home from Central High School complaining about the abuse I had taken during the day: 'March forward, girl. You have to keep going no matter what,'" Beals said.

Beals felt especially thankful for the song because it was her longtime dream to write music about her experiences and those of other Black Americans.

Growing up, Beals said, she was told to rarely speak her mind. So she channeled her thoughts into diary entries and songwriting. She wanted to become a singer, but Beals said her mother was not supportive.

"My mother wouldn't let me. She said Black people cannot survive without higher education," Beals said.

When Beyoncé sings 'Blackbird fly,' Beals understands it as 'I've done it, you can do it too'

When McCartney sings "Blackbird fly," Beals interprets it as meaning "I see you." But when the words come from Beyoncé, Beals said she understands it as "I've done it, you can do it too."

"It gives it a new meaning," Beals said. "She's saying whatever is your thing, get up, pack your wings and fly."

She hopes Beyoncé's cover will prompt people to remember and reflect on the civil rights movement, as well as remind them that there is more work to do in the fight for equality.

"As long as there is a single individual on the planet who is not free, then none of us are free," she said.

Beals added that the song and its reference to the Little Rock Nine are especially poignant today, given that several states - including Arkansas - have fought to limit the teaching of Black history in recent years.

Beals said her books about her experience at Central High School, including Warriors Don't Cry and March Forward, Girl, have also been challenged in schools over the years.

"Blackbird is about the past, today and the future," she said.

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What The Beatles and Beyoncé's 'Blackbird' means to this Little Rock Nine member

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A fan of both The Beatles and Beyoncé, 82-year-old Melba Pattillo Beals says the song is more special to her than ever. She is one of the Black students who helped desegregate U.S. public schools.

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If you’re looking for something that will make you reflect on a piece of history, here is one of my all-time favorite poems. “Aubade with Burning City” is written by Ocean Vuong and gives a powerful and emotional perspective on the Vietnam War.

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South Vietnam, April 29, 1975: Armed Forces Radio played Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" as a code to begin Operation Frequent Wind, the ultimate evacuation of American civilians and Vietnamese refugees by helicopter during the fall of Saigon.

Milkflower petals on the street

like pieces of a girl's dress.

May your days be merry and bright ...

He fills a teacup with champagne, brings it to her lips.

Outside, a soldier spits out

his cigarette as footsteps

fill the square like stones fallen from the sky.

your Christmases be white as the traffic guard

of  her white dress.

Their shadows: two wicks.

A military truck speeds through the intersection, the sound of children

shrieking inside. A bicycle hurled

through a store window. When the dust rises, a black dog

lies in the road, panting. Its hind legs

of a white Christmas.

On the nightstand, a sprig of magnolia expands like a secret heard

for the first time.

The treetops glisten and children listen, the chief of police

facedown in a pool of Coca-Cola.

A palm-sized photo of his father soaking

beside his left ear.

The song moving through the city like a widow.

A white ...     A white ...     I'm dreaming of a curtain of snow

falling from her shoulders.

Snow crackling against the window. Snow shredded

with gunfire. Red sky.

Snow on the tanks rolling over the city walls.

A helicopter lifting the living just out of reach.

The city so white it is ready for ink.

The radio saying run run run.

Milkflower petals on a black dog

like pieces of a girl's dress.

May your days be merry and bright. She is saying

something neither of them can hear. The hotel rocks

beneath them. The bed a field of ice

Don't worry, he says, as the first bomb brightens

their faces, my brothers have won the war

The lights go out.

I'm dreaming. I'm dreaming  ...

to hear sleigh bells in the snow  ...

In the square below: a nun, on fire,

runs silently toward her god -

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Aubade with Burning City by Ocean Vuong | Poetry Magazine

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South Vietnam, April 29, 1975: Armed Forces Radio played Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" as a code to begin Operation Frequent Wind, the ultimate evacuation of American civilians and Vietnamese refugees by helicopter during the fall of Saigon. Milkflower petals on the street like pieces of a girl's dress.

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Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it - Edmund Burke

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes - Mark Twain

We are not makers of history, we are made by history - MLK Jr.

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see - Winston Churchill

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Design for Change with Chicago History Museum

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Design for Change with Chicago History Museum

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Dive into Chicago's “artivist” (art + activism) scene of the 1960s and 1970s at Chicago History Museum’s newest exhibition, “Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s.” Get into the groove with their playlist as you learn about–and maybe even create your own–protest art.

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Ellis Island Stories Come Alive: Why Kobra's Mural Matters This Civic Season

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Ellis Island Stories Come Alive: Why Kobra's Mural Matters This Civic Season

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As we head into civic season, Eduardo Kobra's vibrant "Ellis" mural, located in the West Village, NYC reminds us of the enduring power of immigrant stories in shaping America's past, present, and future.

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Pauli Murray: Legal Legend, Civic Inspiration

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Pauli Murray: Legal Legend, Civic Inspiration

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Want to fight for justice like a trailblazer? Look no further than the inspiring life of Pauli Murray. Watch a documentary about their life on Amazon Prime. Also, if your Civic Superpower is Defender, you and Pauli already share something in common.

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Overlooked by history, Pauli Murray was a legal trailblazer whose ideas influenced RBG's fight for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall's civil rights arguments. This is a portrait of their impact as a non-binary Black luminary: lawyer, activist, poet, and priest who transformed our world.

193 IMDb 7.1 1 h 33 min 2021

X-Ray HDR UHD PG-13 Subtitles Cc

Entitled Watch with a free Prime trial

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Cast and Crew

Details

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Content advisory

Violence, foul language, sexual content

Audio languages

English Dialogue Boost: Low, English Dialogue Boost: Medium, English [Audio Description], English, English Dialogue Boost: High

Subtitles

English [CC], العربية, Čeština, Dansk, Deutsch, Ελληνικά, Español (Latinoamérica), Español (España), Suomi, Filipino, Français, עברית, हिन्दी, Magyar, Indonesia, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, Bahasa Melayu, Norsk Bokmål, Nederlands, Polski, Português (Brasil), Português (Portugal), Română, Русский, Svenska, தமிழ், తెలుగు, ไทย, Türkçe, 中文（简体）, 中文（繁體）

Directors

Julie Cohen, Betsy West

Producers

Talleah Bridges, Julie Cohen, Peggy Drexler, Elise Pearlstein, Betsy West

Starring

Pauli Murray, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Patricia Bell-Scott

Studio

Amazon Studios Participant Storyville Drexler

By ordering or viewing, you agree to our Terms. Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.

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Overlooked by history, Pauli Murray was a legal trailblazer whose ideas influenced RBG's fight for gender equality and Thurgood Marshall's civil rights arguments. This is a portrait of their impact as a non-binary Black luminary: lawyer, activist, poet, and priest who transformed our world.

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Detox from Polarization with Starts With Us

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Detox from Polarization with Starts With Us

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This free, four-week program equips you with the tools to navigate political differences with more empathy and understanding.

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Polarization Detox Challenge - How It Works

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With four weeks and just five minutes a day, you can help overcome toxic polarization in your life and our country.

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memory work is such a vital part of organizing and community care

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memory work is such a vital part of organizing and community care

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Chicago History Museum Virtual Civic Sunday | Care = Action 

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Chicago History Museum Virtual Civic Sunday | Care = Action 

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A Civic Season event focused on the civic superpower Nurture.

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Japanese American National Museum x The National Center For the Preservation of Democracy Civic Season Online Quiz 

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Japanese American National Museum x The National Center For the Preservation of Democracy Civic Season Online Quiz 

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"How much do you know about civics and democracy? Take our online quiz and see!...Test your knowledge and enter to win prizes by July 4, 2023!"

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How much do you know about civics and democracy? Take our online quiz and see! Civic Season is from Juneteenth to Independence Day. The Democracy Center celebrates Civic Season with this fun, informative quiz about our democracy and Juneteenth, our newest national holiday.

Test your knowledge and enter to win prizes by July 4, 2023!
TAKE THE QUIZ
RESOURCES

OFFICIAL RULES

No purchase necessary to enter. Limit one quiz entry per participant. Limit one prize per household. Gift certificates have no cash value. Contest ends at 4 p.m. PDT on July 4, 2023. Winners will be selected at random and announced on July 5, 2023. Participants must submit a valid email to be eligible. Winners must respond to ncpd@janm.org within 72 hours. Employees and volunteers of the Japanese American National Museum are not eligible. Eligible applicants must reside in the United States.

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Civic Season Online Quiz | Japanese American National Museum

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How much do you know about civics and democracy? Take our online quiz and see! Civic Season is from Juneteenth to Independence Day. The Democracy Center celebrates Civic Season with this fun, informative quiz about our democracy and Juneteenth, our newest national holiday. Test your knowledge and en…

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Jamestown Settlement/The American Revolution at Yorktown Museum Civic Season 2023 Community Food Drive 

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Jamestown Settlement/The American Revolution at Yorktown Museum Civic Season 2023 Community Food Drive 

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Civic Season 2023 Community Food Drive!

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Events | Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, VA

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Attend one of the many exciting events at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

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We The Arts: Civic Engagement Through Art - Civic Season 2022

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We The Arts: Civic Engagement Through Art - Civic Season 2022

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From Juneteenth to the 4th of July, we invite you to participate in the second annual #CivicSeason through self-guided public art visits in San Francisco, as well as in-person and online events that invite civic engagement through the arts.

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Erin Black: Why is civic engagement so important to Loveland, and how do we do it?

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Erin Black: Why is civic engagement so important to Loveland, and how do we do it?

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On the importance of civic engagement for community belonging, crime reduction, general health etc.

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Erin Black: Why is civic engagement so important to Loveland, and how do we do it?

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Neighborhoods with higher levels of civic participation have a greater sense of community, lower levels of crime, and residents who are healthier and happier. It helps to bring greater transparency…

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Civic Season is a nationwide celebration spanning Juneteenth to July 4 th that encourages historically-informed civic engagement by the inheritors of our democracy. More than 400 organizations across the country have created thousands of events, activities, and resources that focus on helping participants discover their place in the American story. Atlanta History Center is on the Steering Committee of the Made By Us coalition, the organizer of Civic Season, and also presents our annual Juneteenth program as part of our Civic Season.

What will your summer look like? Read on for suggestions about how to get involved in Civic Season-but first! Do you know your Civic Superpower? Take the quiz to discover your superpower and get advice on which types of events and activities might appeal most to your interests and skills.

Looking to celebrate your Civic Season in person? Look no further than Made By Us member organizations right here in Atlanta: Atlanta History Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Sunday, June 18th, 10am-4pm

Join us as we celebrate Juneteenth 2023 (and Father's Day) by honoring the history of Black genealogy and agricultural practices. This year's event features something for everyone- live music, powerful storytelling, interactive crafts, and delicious food. Our workshops and talks will provide valuable insights into the history of Juneteenth and offer tips on how to research your family tree and preserve family artifacts. Bring the entire family and mark this important occasion with us for this free event.

Saturday, June 17th, 6-8pm

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Made by Us are hosting a Slice of History, a meet-up for young adults ages 18-30, to kick off Civic Season 2023. The event features free pizza, drinks, a live DJ, and a trip back to the past to discover some lesser-known parts of history through a history scavenger hunt. Y2k attire is highly encouraged.

Being an active participant in your community is more than just voting (though, voting is a great way to participate!) History can help inform and contextualize our current moment by providing information to explain how we got here and give us valuable information to make future decisions. Learning about each of our personal stories can also help us better relate to our families and communities, inspiring us to be more involved. At Atlanta History Center, our digital storytelling department produces a variety of content designed to tell undertold stories and encourage curiosity and perspective-a perfect way to celebrate Civic Season.

Here are our top picks of AHC Originals for the summer:

Explore the controversial history of the Stone Mountain carving through online resources and a documentary film.

Viola Ross Napier and Bessie Kempton Crowell made history as the first women to hold elected office in Georgia. As legislators they faced opposition and a political ceiling that made their journey difficult. Despite this, Napier and Kempton Crowell left a lasting legacy visible even today.

At the end of the Civil War, millions of enslaved people living in the United States became free. "Freedom Across Georgia" explores the experiences of six formerly enslaved people from Georgia and their individual stories of freedom.

Learn about iconic artifacts from the African American regiments during the Civil War who fought for freedom and to restore the Union, risking their lives or re-enslavement in the process.

With all of the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's important to stop and take time to reflect and recharge-including on your civic journey. Luckily, Goizueta Gardens at Atlanta History Center offer the perfect place to do that. Spending time in nature is hugely beneficial to health and wellbeing. While at Goizueta Gardens, you'll also have the opportunity to spend time in intentionally curated outdoor spaces that directly tie to Georgia's history, including through native plant collections, formal gardens reflective of horticultural traditions, heirloom agricultural plants, walking trails through secondary growth forests, and more. If visiting Goizueta Gardens inspires you to think about how you can more responsibly steward your local environment as part of your civic duty, check out these resources on composting and other green practices.

While reflecting on your civic journey, do certain individuals come to mind who are worthy of recognition? Points of Light, headquartered in Atlanta, offers the opportunity to nominate an individual for their Honor Roll as part of their Civic Season.

Looking for More?

Did you know that Civic Season has an official podcast? Check out Democracy Vibe Check, produced by Atlanta's own NPR station, WABE, for nationwide conversations about Civic Season, and the opportunity to contribute your own ideas to the conversation.

Even if you're not in Atlanta, or unable to make it to the in-person events, there are still many ways to celebrate your civic season online or in other cities. To get a full list of events, visit thecivicseason.com to filter by location or by virtual options. You can make your own curated list of activities and events and get inspired by the Civic Season guides who offer their top picks.

What will your story be this summer? We look forward to seeing how all of Atlanta's Civic Superheroes make the most of Civic Season 2023.

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Your Guide to an ATL Civic Season | Atlanta History Center

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Civic Season is a nationwide celebration spanning Juneteenth to July 4th that encourages historically-informed civic engagement by the inheritors of our democracy. Atlanta History Center is on the Steering Committee of the Made By Us coalition, the organizer of Civic Season, and also presents our annual Juneteenth program as part of our Civic Season.

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Oakland's 'Talking Transitions' hires youth to promote civic engagement

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Oakland's 'Talking Transitions' hires youth to promote civic engagement

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To help shape the future of Oakland, the city is looking to hire teams of youth to take the pulse of the community.

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Listen to your favorite stations, shows and podcasts on all your devices.

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Zombie Movies And Political Fears: How Horror Films Reflect Anxieties of Our Time

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Zombie Movies And Political Fears: How Horror Films Reflect Anxieties of Our Time

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What Zombie movies show us about the fears of our generation

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In the 1960s, the nation turned its attention to civil rights. George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968) featured the first Black horror lead: Duane Jones in the role of Ben. The film was the first time that a Black actor played the heroic star of a horror film in the U.S., and notably one of the first times a lead role was given to a Black man when it was not explicitly written for one. The film, which was released just five months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., doesn't end well for Ben.

Romero followed this up with Dawn of the Dead (1978) which finds survivors taking shelter in a shopping mall, with some strong criticisms of modern consumerism. It was also long for the time (clocking in at over two hours), gruesome (released unrated to avoid the dreaded X-rating), and filmed on a slim budget. Still, the film went on to become a blockbuster hit.

In the 1980s and '90s, the social metaphors of zombies took a backseat to special effects and laughs. Films like (1981), Re-Animator (1985) and (1992) feature over-the-top gore and absurdity - a mark of zom-coms that continue to be made today (looking at you, Shaun of the Dead).

Throughout the rest of the 20th century, zombie movies continued to reflect society's fears. The late 1990s saw outbreaks of ebola, avian flu, and West Nile virus, leading to increased anxiety around disease and the threat of pandemics. There was also an increasing focus on the dangers of hyperpolarization and intolerance. Zombie movies ran with these fears - literally. Frighteningly fast and furious monsters, created by a man-made virus, ravage the world in 28 Days Later... (2002). The movie focuses on how rage and violence can tear apart civilization and has some heavy themes around sexual assault. The 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead also featured super fast and super strong zombies and the greatly expanded cast asked the question: How do we retain our humanity while eradicating those who are infected?

Although in these stories zombies might be the most obvious antagonist, many contemporary television shows and movies reveal that human society is the real villain. It was The Walking Dead, which premiered in 2010, that blatantly called this out, with the slogan for the later seasons: "Fight the dead. Fear the living."

HBO's The Last Of Us strikes a balance between reflecting the fears of our time and highlighting human monstrosities. Today, we aren't as afraid of nuclear annihilation like in the 1950s or mindless consumerism as in the 1970s, but rather climate change has taken center stage. In the show, the cordyceps fungus evolved to infect humans all thanks to global warming. Meanwhile, we witness humanity at its lowest; we are constantly confronted with scammers, bandits, cult members, murderers, and cannibals.

Zombies may not be part of our reality, but the writers behind these stories certainly see humanity as being capable of the destruction and violence we see on our screens - whether in the shows we watch or the news we see every day.

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Zombie Movies Actually Tell Us A Lot About What's Happening In the World

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In the 1960s, the nation turned its attention to civil rights. George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968) featured the first Black horror lead: Duane Jones in the role of Ben.

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Smithsonian Magazine: Why History Museums Are Convening a 'Civic Season' (June 2021)

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Smithsonian Magazine: Why History Museums Are Convening a 'Civic Season' (June 2021)

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Why History Museums Are Convening a ‘Civic Season’

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History is complex, says the Smithsonian’s Chris Wilson; here’s how to empower citizens with the lessons it offers

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WABE: Podcast Alert! "Democracy Vibe Check" Explores How Gen-Z Engages Season, a New American Tradition

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WABE: Podcast Alert! "Democracy Vibe Check" Explores How Gen-Z Engages Season, a New American Tradition

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Check out this podcast!

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New Podcast, “Democracy Vibe Check,” Explores How Gen-Z Engages in Civic Season, a New American Tradition - WABE

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WABE, Atlanta’s home for NPR and PBS, is proud to announce the launch of its latest national podcast Democracy Vibe Check: A Guide to Civic Season. The seven-episode series explores […]

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Grand Rapids Civic Theatre reveals 2018/19 surprise musical

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Grand Rapids Civic Theatre reveals 2018/19 surprise musical

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Public tickets go on sale August 22 for “Mamma Mia!,” a musical based on the songs of Abba. Civic season subscriptions are on sale now.

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Content created by our sponsor, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre.
When Grand Rapids Civic Theatre unveiled their lineup for the upcoming 2018/2019 season, there was a notable absence in the ensemble. One of their shows was deemed a "surprise musical" due to the production's licensing agreement with Civic Theatre. Several suspenseful months later, our guessing games can, at last, be put to rest...

Grand Rapids Civic Theatre proudly invites you to save the date for "Mamma Mia!," coming February 23, 2019.

Over 54 million people all around the world have fallen in in love with the characters, the story and the music that make "Mamma Mia!" the ultimate feel-good show. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you'll never forget.

The musical features Abba favorites, like "Dancing Queen," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "Take a Chance On Me," and the title hit "Mamma Mia."
This content is brought to you by one of
culturedGR is a nonprofit arts publication, connecting you to the arts in your community. Support our work with a donation today.
our sponsors, an important part of making cultured.GR possible. All content here is original to the sponsor and was shared on cultured.GR with their permission.
"We were very fortunate to secure the rights to this show," Executive and Artistic Director Bruce Tinker notes. "But only if we agreed to withhold revealing the title until a later date this season. The chance to produce one of the most successful and entertaining musicals of recent history was too important to pass up."

Writer Catherine Johnson's sunny and funny tale unfolds on a Greek island paradise. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. The timeless songs and storytelling of Swedish pop group ABBA propel this enchanting tale of love, laughter, and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A large cast with non-stop laughs and explosive dance numbers combine to make "Mamma Mia!" a guaranteed smash hit.

For information on the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre or to purchase tickets, call 616-222-6650 or visit www.GRCT.org.

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Grand Rapids Civic Theatre reveals 2018/19 surprise musical

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When Grand Rapids Civic Theatre unveiled their lineup for the upcoming 2018/2019 season, there was a notable absence in the ensemble. One of their shows was deemed a "surprise musical" due to the...

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York County History Center x Civic Season 2023

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York County History Center x Civic Season 2023

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The York County History Center is showcasing offerings from Civic Season a national program to promote civics.

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Atlanta History Center x Made By Us Guide to an ATL Civic Season 2023

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Atlanta History Center x Made By Us Guide to an ATL Civic Season 2023

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The Atlanta History Center gives suggestions about how to be involved with Civic Season this year with events, history readings, and more!

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Civic Season is a nationwide celebration spanning Juneteenth to July 4 th that encourages historically-informed civic engagement by the inheritors of our democracy. More than 400 organizations across the country have created thousands of events, activities, and resources that focus on helping participants discover their place in the American story. Atlanta History Center is on the Steering Committee of the Made By Us coalition, the organizer of Civic Season, and also presents our annual Juneteenth program as part of our Civic Season.

What will your summer look like? Read on for suggestions about how to get involved in Civic Season-but first! Do you know your Civic Superpower? Take the quiz to discover your superpower and get advice on which types of events and activities might appeal most to your interests and skills.

Looking to celebrate your Civic Season in person? Look no further than Made By Us member organizations right here in Atlanta: Atlanta History Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Sunday, June 18th, 10am-4pm

Join us as we celebrate Juneteenth 2023 (and Father's Day) by honoring the history of Black genealogy and agricultural practices. This year's event features something for everyone- live music, powerful storytelling, interactive crafts, and delicious food. Our workshops and talks will provide valuable insights into the history of Juneteenth and offer tips on how to research your family tree and preserve family artifacts. Bring the entire family and mark this important occasion with us for this free event.

Saturday, June 17th, 6-8pm

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Made by Us are hosting a Slice of History, a meet-up for young adults ages 18-30, to kick off Civic Season 2023. The event features free pizza, drinks, a live DJ, and a trip back to the past to discover some lesser-known parts of history through a history scavenger hunt. Y2k attire is highly encouraged.

Being an active participant in your community is more than just voting (though, voting is a great way to participate!) History can help inform and contextualize our current moment by providing information to explain how we got here and give us valuable information to make future decisions. Learning about each of our personal stories can also help us better relate to our families and communities, inspiring us to be more involved. At Atlanta History Center, our digital storytelling department produces a variety of content designed to tell undertold stories and encourage curiosity and perspective-a perfect way to celebrate Civic Season.

Here are our top picks of AHC Originals for the summer:

Explore the controversial history of the Stone Mountain carving through online resources and a documentary film.

Viola Ross Napier and Bessie Kempton Crowell made history as the first women to hold elected office in Georgia. As legislators they faced opposition and a political ceiling that made their journey difficult. Despite this, Napier and Kempton Crowell left a lasting legacy visible even today.

At the end of the Civil War, millions of enslaved people living in the United States became free. "Freedom Across Georgia" explores the experiences of six formerly enslaved people from Georgia and their individual stories of freedom.

Learn about iconic artifacts from the African American regiments during the Civil War who fought for freedom and to restore the Union, risking their lives or re-enslavement in the process.

With all of the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's important to stop and take time to reflect and recharge-including on your civic journey. Luckily, Goizueta Gardens at Atlanta History Center offer the perfect place to do that. Spending time in nature is hugely beneficial to health and wellbeing. While at Goizueta Gardens, you'll also have the opportunity to spend time in intentionally curated outdoor spaces that directly tie to Georgia's history, including through native plant collections, formal gardens reflective of horticultural traditions, heirloom agricultural plants, walking trails through secondary growth forests, and more. If visiting Goizueta Gardens inspires you to think about how you can more responsibly steward your local environment as part of your civic duty, check out these resources on composting and other green practices.

While reflecting on your civic journey, do certain individuals come to mind who are worthy of recognition? Points of Light, headquartered in Atlanta, offers the opportunity to nominate an individual for their Honor Roll as part of their Civic Season.

Looking for More?

Did you know that Civic Season has an official podcast? Check out Democracy Vibe Check, produced by Atlanta's own NPR station, WABE, for nationwide conversations about Civic Season, and the opportunity to contribute your own ideas to the conversation.

Even if you're not in Atlanta, or unable to make it to the in-person events, there are still many ways to celebrate your civic season online or in other cities. To get a full list of events, visit thecivicseason.com to filter by location or by virtual options. You can make your own curated list of activities and events and get inspired by the Civic Season guides who offer their top picks.

What will your story be this summer? We look forward to seeing how all of Atlanta's Civic Superheroes make the most of Civic Season 2023.

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Your Guide to an ATL Civic Season | Atlanta History Center

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Civic Season is a nationwide celebration spanning Juneteenth to July 4th that encourages historically-informed civic engagement by the inheritors of our democracy. Atlanta History Center is on the Steering Committee of the Made By Us coalition, the organizer of Civic Season, and also presents our annual Juneteenth program as part of our Civic Season.

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John Lewis, Congressman and civil rights hero, will be honored with a stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. The article describes his acts and the commemoration.

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Leaders of both parties of the U.S. House are coming together Wednesday to honor late congressman and civil rights giant John Lewis by unveiling his postage stamp.

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, and others will reveal the final design Wednesday afternoon in the Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.

The stamp had been announced in late 2022 for the upcoming year. The U.S. Postal Service's proposed design for the stamp uses a photograph taken by Marco Grob for a 2013 issue of Time magazine. Lewis, then 73 years old, wears a dark suit and blue tie and looks directly into the camera.

A 1963 picture of Lewis at a workshop on nonviolent protest in Clarksdale, Mississippi, taken by Steve Schapiro, is planned for the margin of the printed stamp sheets.

The Postal Service said the stamp "celebrates the life and legacy" of Lewis, who died at age 80 in 2020 from pancreatic cancer.
REP. JOHN LEWIS, LION OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, DIES AT 80
"Devoted to equality and justice for all Americans, Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s," the agency said. "Even in the face of hatred and violence, as well as some 45 arrests, Lewis remained resolute in his commitment to what he liked to call "good trouble."

Lewis' bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in Selma in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation. By that time he was a major leader in the Civil Rights Movement, having helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and spoken at the March on Washington just before Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Lewis went on to be elected to the Atlanta City Council and then to a long career in Congress, where he was frequently hailed as a moral leader.

U.S. Sen. John Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat and one-time intern for Lewis, wrote to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee last year requesting the stamp.

Other stamps coming in the remainder of 2023 include ones honoring former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, snow globes, and NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid study.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Congress to unveil stamp honoring civil rights leader John Lewis

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Leaders from both sides of the aisle will honor the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis with the unveiling of his own postage stamp.

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Who was the LGBTQ Hero of Civil Rights Behind Martin Luther King?

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Who was the LGBTQ Hero of Civil Rights Behind Martin Luther King?

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Bayard Rustin, a openly gay black man, was often left out of history books for his sexuality. This article seeks to change that.

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The list of people who attended the March on Washington - Martin Luther King Jr., Josephine Baker, John Lewis and Harry Belafonte - there's a who's who of the activists, politicians and celebrities who defined the Civil Rights Movement. But Bayard Rustin, a trusted advisor and mentor of Martin Luther King Jr., who organised the event where Rev. Dr. King made his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, has been mostly left out of the history books - largely because he was an openly gay Black man. Without the behind-the-scenes work of Rustin, Martin Luther King's iconic moment wouldn't have been possible. For generations, Black LGBTQ+ people have been on the frontlines of the fight for Civil Rights, but in so many cases their contributions were scrubbed from the historical record. Pride Month, and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the march this summer, are opportunities to dive deeper into one of the most influential activists, who not only advocated for Black liberation but for many minority groups facing discrimination, notably for gay rights and Soviet Jews.

"We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers"
Bayard Rustin

Bayard Rustin was born in Pennsylvania, the ninth of 12 children. He was raised by his grandparents and his grandmother Julia was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Civil rights leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson regularly visited their home and a young Rustin became involved in the fight against the discriminatory Jim Crow laws from a young age.

He studied Wilberforce College, a historically Black college, but was kicked out for organising a strike (against bad cafeteria food) and then enrolled at Cheyney State Teachers College. He took an activist training course organised by Quakers, a movement his grandmother was also attached to. He eventually ended up at City College in New York, where he took part in his first major civil rights action: trying to free the Scottsboro Boys; nine young Black men from Alabama who were famously unjustly accused of raping two White women.

The Second World War further revealed to Rustin the inequalities facing not only African Americans but other minorities. He went to the Oval Office with another important Civil Rights figure, A. Philip Randolph, to tell President Roosevelt that he and other activists would organise a march in Washington if he failed to desegregate the armed forces. (They called off the protest when Roosevelt signed the Fair Employment Act.) Rustin also helped preserve Japanese Americans' property while they were imprisoned in internment camps.

Rustin himself experienced the brutal impacts of racism when he was taking a bus from Louisville in 1942 and sat in the second row. He was beaten up by police. Like King, Rustin was deeply influenced by pacifism, including the beliefs of Mohandas Gandhi. By the late 1940s, he was organising the first Freedom Rides (known as the Journey of Reconciliation) with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Over the next few years, he served on a chain gang for his activism and traveled to India to learn the tenants of non-violent resistance, which he brought back to the United States when he became an advisor to King.

Rustin was successful in shaping the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, which would prove to be a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. While he also helped develop the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the organisation that King headed, others in its leadership forced Rustin out because of his sexual identity. At this point, Rustin was dealing with vitriol from both sides: South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond described him as a "Communist, draft-dodger and homosexual" and even accused him of having an affair with King.

The setbacks didn't stop Rustin from forging ahead on the movement's next major action: the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Some 200,000-300,000 people from across the country attended the march, which featured the "Big Six" heads of the NAACP, the SCLC, the National Urban League, the Conference of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), led by future political leader John Lewis.

Rustin worked closely with Randolph, who he had previously gone to the White House with, to plan the mile-long march from the National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. The three hours of programming at the Memorial featured speeches, musical performances and sermons from religious leaders. In just a few months, Rustin worked with 200 volunteers to organise what would be the largest peaceful demonstration in American history. But NAACP chairman Roy Wilkins wanted to centre Randolph's role in the march while keeping Rustin out of the spotlight, given his "liabilities."

In an essay Bayard wrote in the late 80s, he shared his thoughts on how Dr King felt about gay people.

"It is difficult for me to know what Dr. King felt about gayness except to say that I'm sure he would have been sympathetic and would not have had the prejudicial view ... Otherwise he would not have hired me. He never felt it necessary to discuss that with me ... I think at a given point he had to reach a decision. My being gay was not a problem for Dr. King but a problem for the movement."

Rustin's supposed controversies did not interfere with the impact the march had, with organisers meeting with President John F. Kennedy afterward. The event brought the Civil Rights Movement to a global audience, with the program translated into some 36 languages, and played a significant role in pushing the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

And Rustin did not let up in his fight for racial equality, organising some 400,000 New Yorkers who were boycotting segregation in New York City public schools in February 1964. Rustin also sought to build closer relations between the Civil Rights movement and the Democratic Party, partially following the Civil Rights Act. He outlined this shift in an article entitled "From Protest to Politics," published in the magazine Commentary. He highlighted in particular the importance of focusing on "the American socio-economic order and to the fundamental conditions of life of the Negro people." In other words, what is the point of de-segregating a restaurant if Black people couldn't afford to eat there?

"All these interrelated problems, by their very nature, are not soluble by private, voluntary efforts but require government action-or politics," he wrote. "Already Southern demonstrators had recognized that the most effective way to strike at the police brutality they suffered from was by getting rid of the local sheriff-and that meant political action..."

Along these lines, Rustin also became increasingly involved with labor action with the country's leading unions and served in the leadership of his the Socialist Party of America. Although, he was also criticised for a conservative turn by the end of the 1960s, having expressed criticism of the role of identity politics within the Civil Rights Movement and anti-communist sentiments during the War in Vietnam and the Cold War. In reality, he had a particular interest in aiding Soviet Jews, who faced significant discrimination in the USSR. He pushed at both the national level and within the United Nations for them to be able to practice their religion freely and have opportunities to immigrate. (His work played a role in some half a million Jews being able to leave the Soviet Union and come to the United States as of 2005).

Bayard's last civil rights fight would take a personal turn. He had never completely hidden his sexuality. Davis Platt, his partner in the 1940s, told Magazine of History that Bayard didn't feel "any shame or guilt about his homosexuality." Bayard's grandmother had supposedly also told him "I suppose that's what you need to do," concerning his preference for spending time with men. But it was his later-in-life partner, photographer Walter Naegle, who encouraged him to get involved in queer activism as HIV/AIDS was decimating the gay community.

While Bayard said he considered sexual identity to be a "private matter," he testified in support of New York State's 1986 Gay Rights Bill, which aimed to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in the fields of employment, housing and public accommodations. In a speech from that year entitled "The New N*ggers Are Gay," he said, "The question of social change should be framed with the most vulnerable group in mind: gay people."

Bayard died in 1987 of a perforated appendix. Naegle, who Bayard had adopted in order give their relationship a level of legitimacy and protection, has continued to carry on his partner's legacy, including serving as the executive director of the Bayard Rustin Fund. In 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously gave Rustin the Medal of Freedom for his work on the March on Washington.

As Naegle said when he accepted the award on Bayard's behalf, "Being Black, being homosexual, being a political radical, that's a combination that's pretty volatile and it comes along like Halley's Comet. Bayard's life was complex, but at the same time, I think it makes it a lot more interesting."

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Who was the LGBTQ Hero of Civil Rights Behind Martin Luther King?

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The list of people who attended the March on Washington - Martin Luther King Jr., Josephine Baker, John Lewis and Harry Belafonte - there's a who's who of the activists, politicians and celebrities who defined the Civil Rights Movement. But Bayard Rustin, a trusted advisor and mentor of Martin Luthe

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A Seattle University professor of Education teaches classes with civic engagement in mind.

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Music has the power to provoke an emotional response, recall a memory, uplift and inspire, be anthemic and activate a movement. It can cement the voice of a generation or be the "song of the summer." Music is a mainstay of so many pivotal points throughout a lifetime and has provided the soundtrack to historical periods from the Civil Rights Movement to the 1963 March on Washington. As the late congressman and civil rights leader and icon John Lewis once said, "If it hadn't been for music, the Civil Rights Movement would've been like a bird without wings."

Using different topics, such as music, and story-making to teach and learn about social studies and civics form the core of Storypath, a K-8th grade, unit-based program first developed in the 1960s in Scotland and for the past 24 years brought stateside to local and national schools by College of Education Professor Margit McGuire, PhD. It was a chance encounter on a plane when McGuire struck up a conversation with a publisher of math units and the lightbulb moment was that she could create and publish these interactive units around social studies for a national audience.

The fifth graders-and perhaps future Grammy Award winners?-of Hazelwood Elementary School.
While McGuire is the force behind creating the framework for these instructional units, before they are published and made available for educators everywhere she works with teachers during a pilot process where they can help shape the contours of the unit through trial and error, figuring what works for a specific classroom or students and then adapt accordingly.

For her latest Storypath unit, McGuire collaborated with College of Education colleague Laurie Stevahn, PhD, who teaches Educational Research and Social Justice courses, in creating "Civic Engagement and the Power of Music." The mission is to have students create music that inspires people to engage in the civic process or to advocate to right an injustice.

"Music and the arts always play a key role in social justice issues," says Stevahn.

This unit is composed of five objectives: learn about the history of music and how it influences people to take action; brainstorm topics; research the chosen topic; write a song based on the subject matter; and share that song with others to change hearts and minds.

The lesson goes beyond just songwriting as it covers the spectrum of the music industry-from instrumentation, songwriting and copyright to audio engineering, production and publishing rights-while connecting it back to a past or present period.

(l-r) College of Education Professor Margit McGuire, Hazelwood Elementary School teacher Barbara Bromley and College of Education Professor Laurie Stevahn.
"I always seek out highly diverse, low-income schools as they don't always get social studies and I feel all kids deserve a really good curriculum," says McGuire. "What gets me excited is the kids who you least expect to excel are transformed by the experience. This gives them agency."

This spring, McGuire was team-teaching and piloting the unit alongside Barbara Bromley, a 5th grade teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School in Lynnwood. Students in small groups contributed to creating a music studio and through the process learn about collaboration and teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking. Plus, in the case of this unit, students participate in a culminating performance and presentation of their songs.

Bromley has taught McGuire's Storypath units previously and following a meeting in December at a conference, the two connected. Teaching social studies through music made perfect sense for Bromley, whose students love music and know how it can infuse and shape personal experiences and circumstances.

"They have experienced war, immigration, drugs and more firsthand. I knew they would be passionate about making a difference," says Bromley. "Additionally, we have been working on a yearlong project with our city mayor. We have been participating in civic action projects such as improving the traffic accessibility issue near our school, learning about government and how it functions and how to write mayoral speeches. This project provides them with another way to be active in their community."

When composing this unit and its focus on music, McGuire worked closely with Stevahn, who spent hours researching and listening to songs and learning what existing songs are in the public domain and therefore could be used for purposes of instruction. McGuire made a connection with a person in the music industry in New York to review the unit as an expert-something that is done with each unit before it's published. This contact proved especially beneficial as it helped in framing music not so much for the money and fame that can come with a hit song but rather music for impact, social justice and civil engagement.

In Bromley's class, students created songs covering topics including deforestation, wildfires, gun control, drugs, immigration, war, freedom of religion, animal rights and plastics in the ocean.

"My students are connecting with social studies by becoming citizens themselves throughout the unit. They utilized 21st century skills of collaboration, creativity, communication and critical thinking," says Bromley, from working in teams to write lyrics to designing their music and analyzing primary resources like images and interviews that can help in marketing their work.

Students are encouraged to spread the music beyond the classroom

"We are asking kids to be civically engaged-record their music and send it to the governor or a senator or the Human Rights Commission," says McGuire, who is also working with a teacher in Yakima who is going to pilot this program for fourth graders. "In the end we want students to see that their voice matters."

On May 31, Bromley's class presented their original songs and shared their music studio journey in a Grammy Awards-style performance and awards ceremony.

For Bromley, there were several key takeaways from this Storypath experience.

"Witnessing my students overcome matching lyrics to their chosen melodies and overcoming performance anxiety when singing their songs," she explains. "And compromising on what items go into their music studio rooms, while understanding that music motivates people to want to take action or be a part of a movement."

There are countless students across the country who have been part of Storypath through the years and McGuire says she often hears from them years later, carrying forth the lessons instilled in them through the unit. One of those students became involved in the 2016 presidential election and another ran for office. One staffer on a campaign shared with McGuire that it was Storypath that inspired her future path.

"Storypath is Margit's legacy," says Stevahn.

Learn more about Storypath.

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College of Education professor designs teaching units that make learning social studies meaningful, interactive and fun.

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The GLBT Historical Society is one of the biggest history museum focused on the LGBT history and has events all the time!

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Upcoming Events — GLBT Historical Society

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The GLBT Historical Society collects, preserves, exhibits and makes accessible to the public materials and knowledge to support and promote understanding of LGBTQ history, culture and arts in all their diversity.

Founded in 1985, we are recognized internationally as a leade…

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Our very own Cameron Katz interviews Globe Press to discuss posters and their history in civic action.

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This year, Made By Us is hosting the second annual Civic Season, a time to connect with the past, take action in the present and shape the future by participating in activities contributed by over 300 history and cultural organizations nationwide. And what better way for young Americans to celebrate what they stand for than with a bright and inspiring poster?

The Civic Season official poster asks participants to share what they stand for and how they do it, but there's a story behind this moving poster - it was printed by Globe Press, history's go-to printer for everything from culture to politics to music.

Made By Us' community engagement manager, Cameron Katz, sat down with Allison Fisher, manager of the Globe Collection and Press at MICA to learn about the history of the press and how art is impacting our democracy today.
Cameron Katz: On your website, it says that Globe was founded over a card game. Can you tell us that story?
Allison Fisher: Lore has it that a printer and businessman were playing cards and decided to go into business together. They folded a map of the U.S. in half and the crease landed on Baltimore. We can't confirm that is how Globe Baltimore came to be; however, descendants of Norman Shapiro, the original owner of Globe have been researching their family history and found that the Shapiros were a family of printers who founded more than a dozen print shops across the U.S. in places like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta. Some used the name Globe, others operated under different names.
Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter Samples of historic posters from the printers at Globe What a fascinating history. So, can you walk us through what the printing process is like?
Globe Collection at MICA Samples of historic posters from the printers at Globe Samples of historic posters from the printers at Globe It's really interesting to see how Globe has been able to maintain many of its historic practices while still bringing in today's technology. On that note, how do you think that the importance of posters in American culture has changed over time?
Globe Collection at MICA
Globe is a working collection, which means that we use beautiful wood types and printing blocks from the collection to make new work. Globe is known for its use of Day-Glo colors, bold bursts of colors, and gothic wood type. When we are designing something like a concert poster, we start with the black text layer first and set the type. We pull a single proof of the type on a letterpress and scan the print to lay in colored backgrounds digitally. True to Globe's history, we screen print the background one color at a time. Screen printing is a process where you have a mesh screen with a stencil that allows ink to pass through for the image to be printed. We then put the type back on press and the final letterpress layer is printed.
And that's one reason why so many artists came to Globe over the years. What else brought so many iconic voices, like Marvin Gaye and the Beach Boys, to Globe?
Back in their heyday, Globe also built the text layer first, but then instead of using digital tools, they would use wax paper and an X-Acto knife to cut a stencil for screen printing. Historically, Globe did not get client approval before printing a job. You called in your order and told them the who, when and where. Clients put a lot of trust in Globe to deliver eye-catching posters. Today, most of our clients want to see a proof of the design before we print.

Globe's process is unique because we are mixing screen printing and letterpress rather than doing one or the other. Globe started using this combination in the 1950s so we are carrying that tradition forward.
It's interesting to learn about Globe's operations during the late 20th century when there was so much social change happening. In that vein, why do you think art is important to democracy?
My favorite definition of "poster" comes from Poster House in New York City, who is actually in the Made By Us partner network. They define a poster as "a public-facing, printed notice meant to persuade, entertain, or influence." Posters used to be a primary means of communication. It was an inexpensive way to communicate to everyday people, but as technology evolved, we started getting our public-facing information from new, faster and cheaper sources. Posters were a struggling industry in the '70s and '80s when many cities passed "post no bills" laws that could leave you with hefty fines for hanging them. For many poster shops, that was the final straw and they were forced to close.
So how do these posters inspire civic participation today?
Made By Use
For many people posters have taken on a commemorative role, we don't see a poster and go to a concert because it persuaded us, we buy the poster at the concert to remember the experience. I think in the last few years posters have begun to have a resurgence, both as a means of advertising and civically. We work for a lot of clients in Baltimore and D.C. who love the Globe style. They know that a Globe poster brings a sense of nostalgia to their audience because generations of people grew up seeing them on every corner. We see posters at protests - they express the sentiment of the crowd. Posters are ephemeral and accessible. You do not need to have access to technology to make one of your own. It can be done at home with what you have on hand.

Globe printed inexpensive posters for everyday people, but there are a few things about Globe Baltimore that I think really made them a go-to printer for so many artists. Globe posters were cool. They used fluorescent colors with black, so against the backdrop of bricks, trees and roads, they stood out. Fluorescent colors reflect light if they were illuminated by a street light or headlights, so you could read them at night. Plus, Globe had a staff artist named Harry Knorr, who was likely a sign painter by trade. Harry's lettering complemented the gothic type and gave the poster rhythm and bounce.
Thank you!
Another reason many artists used Globe was because they did not turn away business based on the color of your skin. Globe printed for thousands of Black artists during segregation. Artists knew they could rely on Globe at a time when getting on the radio had a lot of barriers and newspaper ads did not reach a lot of people. Posters were inexpensive but effective - you could hang a poster that thousands of cars a day would see on their way to work. If you hang another one across the street they see it again on their way home.

For lack of better wording, democracy can feel very corporate - slick sans serifs, clean design and slogans developed by PR people can feel very run of the mill and exclusive. In a time where the future of democracy is incredibly fragile, art can be a way to engage people who feel excluded from the democratic process. Art should make you think and ask questions.

The posters Globe created for Civic Season asks participants to fill in the prompt "I stand for ____ when I ________." The blanks are to be filled in by participants of all ages, backgrounds and orientations. Leaving space to be filled in means viewers become active participants. The posters are also framed out by a border of suggestions for how to become civically engaged in everything from voting to neighborhood clean-up efforts - a lot of people already participate in civic engagement even if they don't call it that!

The design is inspired by materials from Globe's archive, wood textures, bursts of color, and bold wood type. The design is meant to be loud and joyous.

This has been so great! Thank you so much, Allison!

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Bringing history's posters to today's civic action efforts: A Q&A with Globe Press

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The second annual Civic Season is a time to shape the future by participating in activities contributed by over 300 history and cultural organizations nationwide. One way young Americans can celebrate what they stand for is with a bright and inspiring poster.

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Made By Us and Civic Season's podcast, Democracy Vibe Check captures the spirit and youth of the audience it looks to capture.

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New Podcast "Democracy Vibe Check" Explores How Gen-Z Engages in Civic Season, a New American Tradition

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The seven-episode series explores ways young people across the country are engaging in a new American tradition, Civic Season.

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The Wyoming State Museum helped us launch Civic Season! See some pictures from the event as we take our talents all the way to every state.

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(PHOTOS) Wyoming State Museum festival promotes history, civic engagement

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To localize the efforts of Civic Season, the Wyoming State Museum staff hosted the Civic Season Festival this evening.

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Latinos and baseball have a long history. The NMAH seeks to show that history in this virtual exhibit for all to see.

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Baseball is the national pastime. But it's also an American export, one with a tradition that's constantly evolving. ¡Pleibol! shares the experiences of Latinas and Latinos whose love for the game and incredible talent have changed baseball and transformed American culture forever.

Throughout the last century, Latinas and Latinos have used baseball to chase their dreams, challenge prejudice, and build communities. Whether in the barrios or the big leagues, in rural backyards or barn-storming travel teams, they left a mark on how we see, hear, and play the game.

¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues is made possible through close collaborations with communities in 14 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico to help bring visibility to Latina/o histories through baseball.

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Baseball is the national pastime. But it's also an American export, one with a tradition that's constantly evolving. ¡Pleibol! shares the experiences of Latinas and Latinos whose love for the game and incredible talent have changed baseball and transformed American culture forever.Throughout the last century, Latinas and Latinos have used baseball to chase their dreams, challenge prejudice, and build communities.

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Black art is important, and recognizing and supporting it remains just an important endeavor year-round.

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Object Details

Caption

The Union of Saint and Venus was created in response to the exhibition Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe that was on view at the Walters Museum in Baltimore in 2012. According to Ekpuk, the painting "was inspired by the portrait of Alessandro de Medici, also known as il Moro ("the Moor"), the black Duke of Florence and Penne (1530-1537). He is rumored to have been born out of a relationship between Pope Clement VII from the Medici family and a black slave woman, Simonetta da Collevecchio."

In the painting, two of the pope's golden croziers, or staffs, are literally translated into a symbolic phallus that penetrates, or more specifically rapes, the figure of Sarah Baartman. Baartman (c. 1770s-1815) was a South African Khoikhoi woman who was exhibited in Europe in the early 19th century as a medical oddity because of her large buttocks and given the moniker the "Hottentot Venus." After her death her body was dissected and her brain, skeleton and genitals were displayed at public museums in Paris for over a century. Her remains were not returned to South Africa until 2002. Baartman's violated body is also symbolizes the continent of Africa.

Description

Painting depicting the pope's mitre composed of red-tinted textual clippings and encrusted with faux-jewels. The text includes both Latin and English copies of the Dum Diversas, images of the Brookes Slave Ship, and advertisements for the purchasing of enslaved persons. A white line figure wears the mitre and uses two golden croziers as a symbolic phallus to penetrate the black abstract figure of the South African Khoikhoi woman Sarah Baartman, which lies horizontally beneath the pope figure. The light grey background is composed of many varied and repeating abstract figures including a ship carrying enslaved persons, shackles, a trio of enslaved figures, and crosses.

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Victor Ekpuk, Nigerian American, born 1964

Subject of

Saartjie Baartman, Khoekhoen, died 1815

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Medium

acrylic paint with paper, plastic and glass on Masonite

Dimensions

H x W: 72 × 42 × 2 5/16 in. (182.9 × 106.7 × 5.8 cm)

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Caption The Union of Saint and Venus was created in response to the exhibition Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe that was on view at the Walters Museum in Baltimore in 2012. According to Ekpuk, the painting "was inspired by the portrait of Alessandro de Medici, also known as il Moro ("the Moor"), the black Duke of Florence and Penne (1530-1537).

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Williamsburg LWV takes on Voting Restoration

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Williamsburg LWV takes on Voting Restoration

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As women-led groups have done for centuries, the LWV is taking on the right for some felons to have their right to vote restored. An interesting read and issue to consider!

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Whether it's called "Right to Vote" or "Voting Restoration", it is the same thing. May 1, 2023, the Louisiana League of Women Voters joined in a lawsuit to stop the state from disenfranchising those with felony convictions calling the new actions unconstitutional and illegal under federal voting rights law. Louisiana now requires that felons obtain an additional document from the Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPSC) to be re-established on the rolls. Those who are convicted, but registering to vote for the first time, do not have this restriction, creating two classes of "felony" voters.

In April 2023, the Florida League of Women Voters joined in a lawsuit against the state for its changes to the voter registration rules even following a constitutional amendment to allow ex-felons to vote. The lawsuit challenges the lack of clarity in the new language that makes it almost impossible to determine who can ask for restored rights.

In June, the Virginia League will consider making voting restoration an issue to be taken up as a cause. Virginia was working its way to restoring voting rights with the first passage of a constitutional amendment (SJ272, Senator Locke, 2021). Under the amendment, once released from incarceration, a person's right to vote was automatically reinstated without any further action. The amendment did not pass the second time in the current General Assembly. And so, it continues that anyone convicted must petition the Governor for reinstatement, which is granted on a case-by-case basis.

In Maryland, felons, once released, can vote, unless convicted of buying and selling votes. In North Carolina, once incarceration is completed, the citizen simply has to re-register to vote. In West Virginia, voting rights are automatically restored once the full sentence is complete.

Virginia has been the outlier for a while, by not having automatic restoration. This may be a contentious issue for the next few years, but it only goes to emphasize that those who can vote must vote this November.

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Right to Vote - Message from LWV-WA President - League of Women Voters of Williamsburg Area

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Susan Bivins, LWV-WA President's Message - May 4, 2023 Whether it's called "Right to Vote" or "Voting Restoration", it is the same thing. May 1, 2023, the Louisiana League of Women Voters joined in a lawsuit to stop the state from disenfra

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As a Richmonder and Wahoo, monuments are something constantly on my mind. The Library of Virginia offers a way to talk about them peacefully and civilly.

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Free and open to the public, this small-group discussion series encourages informed conversations around complex topics affecting Virginia. On the second Wednesday of each month, the Library will screen a segment from a documentary film, followed by a round-table conversation with input from a moderator and historical expert from the Library. Attendees are encouraged to share their perspectives with the group.

Addressing the Statue exhibit in Akeley Gallery AMNH

January 8, 2020's event featured a short documentary from the American Museum of Natural History, The Meaning of a Monument, about the Theodore Roosevelt monument in New York City. Our conversation centered around historical and contemporary landmarks. The Library of Virginia's director of Public Services and Outreach, Gregg Kimball, moderated the discussion and brought his historical experience and perspective to the table. For more information, contact Emma Ito at emma.ito@lva.virginia.gov or 804.692.3726.

As of June 21, 2020, this monument of Theodore Roosevelt in New York City is set to come down.
Potential Discussion Questions:

What does it mean to memorialize someone or honor a moment in time? Does it feel like a requirement for memorialization that the symbol be in a public space? Does it need to remain in the place we choose? Even many years into the future? Will later generations understand what they are seeing?

How do we curate and contextualize what we feel is important for later generations to know? Do we make it obvious that we are choosing which facts to portray? Should we share where to study any facts we choose to edit out? Will this symbol and story feel vital and relevant to future generations? For that matter, should it be expected to retain vitality or is this just for us? Will we leave future generations the option to determine their own relationships to and interpretations of this person or event?

Public spaces are in a constant state of flux given the needs and priorities of communities. How much history should remain in place and prominent in a public space to be considered respectful? Are museums a respectful domain for historical items for which we no longer have room in our public spaces?

Is there any relationship between how a community honors its history in "town squares" and how families honor their history in their communal living spaces? What happens there when we run out of room?

Are current generations facing a dilemma about the physical footprint of humanity? IF they feel there is now good reason to have less physical "stuff," will they feel the same about physical memorials? Do they keep their own physical memorial objects? Do current generations have a different level of awareness on the personal nature of their connection to an object vs. what it may mean to a stranger, an outsider or someone from another time frame?

Are there ways to honor the artistic and creative integrity of a monument while no longer honoring the conscious or even unconscious intellectual concepts that were being embodied?

Does it take future generations or outsiders to recognize the unconscious biases that may be on display in a memorial? Should those biases be ignored? Do we cling to those biases in order to cling to a community? Should communities adapt and change to newer awareness? How do we know when a new awareness is intrinsically positive for society and that it may be time to "update" our communal spaces to reflect the new ideals we honor now?

How can we transition respectfully from old ideals to new ones? Change is hard for all of us. How can we open ourselves to change when it isn't our own idea?
LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA RESOURCES

Archival Materials: From the Library's UncommonWealth Blog: Webpages

Rumors of War by Kehinde Wiley photographed by Travis Fullerton for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Books: Documentaries and Video:

The website for the American Museum of Natural History exhibition Addressing the Statue can be found here. The Meaning of a Monument documentary that we discussed during our Conversation can be found here.
Updates to the Removal of the Theodore Roosevelt monument in New York City:

See how historians are using the Clio app to offer interpretations of monuments and historic markers around the country, such as a walking tour of Richmond's Monument Avenue. You can join in this crowd-sourced guide to history in your own backyard.

Atlanta History Center created a Confederate Monument Interpretation Template This template is designed to guide researchers in providing factual information to use in a community dialogue about Confederate monuments. If the community decides that contextualization is the best option, this template can also be used to write a new historical marker.

City of Charlottesville Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials, and Public Spaces: Report to City Council, December 19, 2016

A list of the historic Confederate monuments erected in Southwest Virginia, as well as recent battlefield and commemorative markers by the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech.

On Monument Avenue, a series of blogs from the American Civil War Museum

The Monument Avenue Commission website

NPR Code Switch episode "What Our Monuments (Don't) Teach Us about Remembering the Past"

Frederick Douglass, Speech at Arlington National Cemetery on Decoration Day, Virginia, May 30 1871.

2 blog posts from Civil War Memory on W.E.B. DuBois' thoughts around the Confederate Monuments and Robert E. Lee.

Memorial Mania: Public Feeling in America by Erika Doss

Rumors of War Sculpture Created for VMFA

C-SPAN "Overview of Civil War Monuments" American Civil War Museum, Thomas Brown, February 25, 2017

60 Minutes "What happened to Two Removed Confederate Monuments" March 11, 2018

National Council for the Humanities "Confederate Monuments and Contested Civic Space in the United States, 1865 to the 21st Century" W. Fitzhugh Brundage and Kevin M. Levin, Uploaded to YouTube, April 3, 2018

Washington & Lee University "A Vexing and Awkward Dilemma: The Legacy of a Confederate Landscape," W. Fitzhugh Brundage, Vimeo, February 14, 2018

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CIVIC CONVERSATIONS: A Conversation about Monuments

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Free and open to the public, this small-group discussion series encourages informed conversations around complex topics affecting Virginia. On the second Wednesday of each month, the Library will screen a segment from a documentary film, followed by a round-table conversation with input from a moderator and historical expert from the Library.

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Music is an important part of our culture, and diversity to be spread should be an important message too.

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Civic Music’s 94th season brings musical diversity, from orchestral work to bagpipes

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With its 2023-2024 season, Burlington Civic Music Association promises a bit of everything for everybody with six diverse performances for its 94th season of artistry on the river.

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AAPI month may be over, but that doesn't mean people should stop learning about AAPI history and its involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.

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Moline filmmakers part of national ‘Civic Season’

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Moline filmmakers part of national ‘Civic Season’

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Different filmmakers contribute to Civic Season with excerpts of their films as activities in the Civic Season catalogue.

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Moline's Fourth Wall Films is among over 300 cultural and civic institutions across the nation participating in the third-annual Civic Season event that runs from Juneteenth to July 4th.

This new summer tradition for learning and action is co-designed with Gen Z, the future inheritors of our democracy, according to a Fourth Wall release. Civic Season is a time to explore your story - and how it connects to U.S. history - through events, activities and resources from credible sources.

The season begins on Saturday, June 17 with celebrations across the nation, but the specially selected content and resources are online now.

Several excerpts from Fourth Wall Films' award-winning documentary catalog are included in the Civic Season online activities HERE.

Among them are a story about the birthplace of Flag Day from "Country School: One Room - One Nation"; Harriet Beecher Stowe and slavery from "Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe"; citizenship and the environment with "Over & Under: Wildlife Crossings"; "Tanilo's Story" and "Riding the Rails" from the Hero Street documentary series; and a piece about the 1837 Ioway Map and a Native American boarding school from the "Lost Nation: The Ioway" limited series.

"We are always looking for ways to put our work out in front of new audiences," director Kelly Rundle of Fourth Wall said. "This not only does that, but it helps viewers appreciate what citizenship in America means. It's a project we are very pleased to be part of."

"I'm just proud that all of the short films we submitted were accepted and programmed, because each of them means something special to us," Fourth Wall partner Tammy Rundle said. "It's an honor to be included in this important online resource."

Other organizations in the region who are also participating in Civic Season include the Putnam Museum and Science Center, State Historical Museum of Iowa, Living History Farms, Chicago History Museum, and the Illinois State Museum.

2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and Civic Season lays the groundwork for a meaningful, vibrant commemoration for all, the release said.

Civic Season is developed by Made By Us, a partnership collectively led by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, National Archives Foundation, First Americans Museum, Atlanta History Center, Senator John Heinz History Center, New-York Historical Society, and Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

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Moline filmmakers part of national 'Civic Season'

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Moline's Fourth Wall Films is among over 300 cultural and civic institutions across the nation participating in the third-annual Civic Season event that runs from Juneteenth to July 4th. This new summer tradition for learning and action is co-designed with Gen Z, the future inheritors of our democracy, according to a Fourth Wall release.

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The Indigenous Child Welfare Crisis of the 1960s and 1970s

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The Indigenous Child Welfare Crisis of the 1960s and 1970s

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At the bottom of the page, one can view an hour lecture on the crisis of Indian child welfare in the '60s and '70s. Furthermore they can explore more work by the lecturer.

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Margaret Jacobs is the Director of the Center for Great Plains Studies and the Charles Mach Professor of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She held a Carnegie Corporation of New York fellowship from 2018-2020 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019. In 2015-16 she served as the Pitt Professor of American History and Institutions at Cambridge University. Her research and teaching focuses on women, gender, indigenous peoples, and colonialism in the American West and other settler colonial contexts. She has published over a dozen articles and two award-winning books, Engendered Encounters: Feminism and Pueblo Cultures, 1879-1934 (1999), White Mother to a Dark Race: Settler Colonialism, Maternalism, and the Removal of Indigenous Children in the American West and Australia, 1880-1940 (2009), which won the Bancroft Prize, and A Generation Removed: The Fostering and Adoption of Indigenous Children in the Postwar World (2014). Most recently, she is the author of After One Hundred Winters: In Search of Reconciliation on America's Stolen Lands (2021). She has launched a new digital history project on the Genoa Indian Boarding School in Genoa, Nebraska and cofounded a new multimedia project called Reconciliation Rising.

NEW IN 2021: After One Hundred Winters: In Search of Reconciliation on America's Stolen Lands

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OAH Distinguished Lecturer Profile | OAH

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Margaret Jacobs is the Director of the Center for Great Plains Studies and the Charles Mach Professor of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She held a Carnegie Corporation of New York fellowship from 2018-2020 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2019.

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To harness the political power of young voters, teach civics | Opinion

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To harness the political power of young voters, teach civics | Opinion

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It’s election season now, but civic education should be a year-round priority

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Amid the elections across the state this spring - dozens of candidates vying for seats on city councils and school boards, a highly competitive mayoral race in Philadelphia, a vacant seat on the state Supreme Court and many others - the Pennsylvanians with the most at stake in our May primary are chronically underserved by the candidates.

Maybe because most of them aren't yet old enough to vote. But they are old enough to have an impact - and they must.

Building their electoral power begins with a renewed investment in civic education by their schools.

I serve as interim president and COO of Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan nonprofit with bipartisan support, which has promoted fair elections and integrity in government for more than a century. We believe elections should be more free, fair, safe and secure, and we want every eligible voter to vote, to be informed when they vote, and to vote with confidence.

Starting with our youngest voters.

It's election season now, but civic education should be a year-round priority. It's about more than just encouraging people to vote. It's about teaching how government works, helping students trace the line from pressing a button in the voting booth to how clean the streets are in their neighborhood and how safe their schools are. When students understand those links, and the power they have to control their environment, the motivation to vote takes care of itself.

Teaching civics isn't enough. We need to teach information literacy. The Capitol riot proved it | Opinion

Amid other pressing educational matters, civic education has gotten lost. Eleven states have no civics course requirements-including New Jersey and Delaware. A 2018 Brown Center Report on American Education, from Brookings, found that even as reading and math scores have improved - due in part to a heightened focus on STEAM education - civics knowledge has lagged.

The results are evident across our commonwealth, where courts just issued a historic ruling that found our school funding formula to be unconstitutionally unequal. That inequality didn't just happen. It's the result of decades of disinvestment and choices made by people in power, people unaccountable to students who had yet to learn about the impact they can have if they are organized and engaged.

It's evident in districts like Central Bucks, in suburban Philadelphia, where students and educators are protesting discriminatory policies. Even as the school board's actions are the result of one-sided civic engagement - in which those seeking to change the district's rules ran for office and got elected - those who are demonstrating are also getting a civics education of their own.

For those still standing on the sidelines: It's not too late to get involved, and get informed.

Welcome to Day Zero. Now let's rebuild America's civics infrastructure

Democracy works better when we earn and hold trust: in local election officials, in the integrity of our systems, and in each other. Though we've seen that trust erode in recent years, the best way to build trust is to get involved and become a part of the democratic process, and to work toward a government that is as transparent and accountable as possible.

Resources are out there. The PA Civics Coalition has lesson plans and tools to prepare students for active citizenship in their communities. PA Youth Vote, which the Committee of Seventy has worked with to develop a full elections and voting curriculum, is a nonpartisan collaboration of young people, educators, and organizations working to elevate youth voices, improve public school civics education, and empower youth as civic actors.

At the local level, Vote That Jawn brings 18-year-olds and other first-time voters to the polls - beginning a process toward a life of active citizenship - to advocate for youth safety, agency, and inclusion. And the Committee of Seventy just launched its first Teacher Advisory Council, a group of Pennsylvania high school teachers who will help develop resources and conduct outreach to educators across the commonwealth. This is in addition to mock elections that C70 facilitated for 1,200 students across 15 schools last year, with a goal of reaching more students this year.

The Committee of Seventy believes that active citizenship is the only path toward a vibrant and open democracy. The first step is learning what power each of us has, and how that power is magnified when we work together. Approaching problems through a bipartisan framework will lead to outcomes that improve our city, our state and our country - particularly for those who will be here the longest.
Lauren Cristella is interim president and COO of the Committee of Seventy. She writes from Philadelphia.

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To harness the political power of young voters, teach civics | Opinion - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

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It's election season now, but civic education should be a year-round priority.

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Nation’s Report Card shows America is flunking at civics | Opinion

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Nation’s Report Card shows America is flunking at civics | Opinion

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America has just received its civic education report card − and it’s not good. Given the threats to our democracy in recent years, the results should rattle the nation out of its civic slumber.

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America has just received its civic education report card − and it's not good. Given the threats to our democracy in recent years, the results should rattle the nation out of its civic slumber.

The recent release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for civics shows that schools are not teaching students enough about democratic norms, values and institutions. Only 13% of eighth graders were proficient in history and 22% in civics. These low rates have been flatlining since 1998 when they were first measured.

Such deficits aren't just academic, they have dangerous effects.

Every state constitution puts the cultivation of citizens at the center of education. The drafters knew that without an educated citizenry − without knowledge of our history, Charters of Freedom, and citizens' role in electing representatives, checking political corruption, and ensuring policies reflect the will of majorities − the country would not sustain a healthy democracy.

And today, our democracy is unhealthy.

Support for democracy is declining, particularly among the younger generations. Slightly more than half of young Americans believe that it is "very important" that the United States remains a democracy, and 52% believe the country's democracy is "in trouble" or "a failed democracy."

It is hard to support something you don't fully understand. As former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has noted, citizens aren't born but made.

Neglecting civic education also deprives Americans of their fascinating history, milestone moments and inspiring stories. Students know such learning matters − given twice as many students who perform well in civics or U.S. government believe they can make a difference in their communities compared to those who do not.

We all should know more about what happened at Independence Hall, Trenton, Gettysburg and Little Big Horn − at Seneca Falls, Selma and the Lincoln Memorial. Historians agree that most transformational change has come from the ground up, often with people with no public title or institutional authority. In a democracy, "citizen" − not president, senator or governor − is the highest office in the land.

Our country's independence was propelled by Thomas Paine's pamphlet "Common Sense;" our national park system by George Catlin, John Muir, and William Henry Jackson; and our rights movements by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Martin Luther King, Jr. Fannie Lou Hamer, and Dennis Banks. Our leaps in science and innovation are full of names like Thomas Edison, Rachel Carson, Richard Feynman, Vera Rubin, Gladys West and Jonas Salk. When individuals understand our past is replete with stories of Americans just like them changing our country for the better, it is instructive and motivating.

It should not be such a hard lift to put civic learning back at the center of education. Recent polling and reports indicate voters and parents of school-aged children across the political spectrum want more and better funded civic education for their children. Civics does not need to be confined to a single course. It can be integrated across the curriculum. Students in biology can learn about how scientists have cured disease, in math about the role of mathematicians in the moonshot, and in history about how social entrepreneurs improved our world.

The most recent NAEP results are hardly a surprise given civics' marginalization: Although 47 states require some civics instruction in high school, only seven states require a full year, most elementary schools allot only 30 minutes per week to the social studies, and only seven states have stand-alone civics requirements for middle school.

So, what's to be done? A landmark Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy (EAD) - funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities under both the Trump and Biden Administrations - provides a framework for excellence in civics and history education and invites students to engage with primary sources, prompting the exploration of many points of view.

In 2022, Congress boosted support for civic education from $7.75 million to $23 million, and the administration's proposed budget would triple that support. Congress should pass the bipartisan, bicameral Civics Secures Democracy Act for a generational investment.

State legislatures also are turning the tide. In the last biennium, 16 states adopted 17 bipartisan policies advancing civic education, and this spring, more than 65 bills to advance civic education were filed in 24 states. We should support such efforts.

The most recent NAEP scores also indicate eighth graders who learned about civics in a designated class outperformed those where it was embedded in another class, with a wider gap for those with no civics instruction.

The NAEP results should further propel these federal and state policy advances. As the nation nears its 250th birthday, let's ensure that students in all 50 states graduate with the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for informed, effective, and lifelong civic engagement. Our democracy depends on it.
John Bridgeland is a native of Cincinnati. He is CEO of More Perfect and former director of the White House Domestic Policy Council for President George W. Bush. Louise Dubé is executive director of iCivics, an organization founded by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Both are leaders of More Perfect, an initiative with all 14 Presidential Centers working to renew democracy.

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Nation's Report Card shows America is flunking at civics | Opinion

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Schools are not teaching students enough about democratic norms, values and institutions.

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Is It Time for a New Constitutional Convention?

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Is It Time for a New Constitutional Convention?

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As the country rapidly approaches its 250th birthday, it is not too early to define how it will be marked. Our resident humanities scholar wants to return to the Jefferson idea of rewriting the constitution — one that is for and by all Americans.

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Is It Time for a New Constitutional Convention?

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As the country rapidly approaches its 250th birthday, it is not too early to define how it will be marked. Our resident humanities scholar wants to return to the Jefferson idea of rewriting the constitution — one that is for and by all Americans.

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The Fulcrum team believes in the deep connection between the creative arts and democracy - music in all its forms, poetry, theater, dance, literature and drama.

This playlist curated by Made By Us for Civic Season appeals to the human spirit; spirit that expresses the joys, sorrows and harmonies of the heart and soul. Indeed, culture is the quintessence of humanity's expressive hope; the realm of endeavor in which our senses - sight, sound, smell, touch and taste - can be shared in family, community and country.

Listen to this wonderful playlist of music and see if you agree with us that collection speaks to our history as a nation and to our hopes and desires for an America that represents our ideals.

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This playlist curated by Made By Us for Civic Season appeals to the human spirit; spirit that expresses the joys, sorrows and harmonies of the heart and soul. Indeed, culture is the quintessence of humanity's expressive hope; the realm of endeavor in which our senses can be shared in family, community and country.

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Civic Season, uniting America's oldest holiday with its newest

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Civic Season, uniting America's oldest holiday with its newest

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Civic Season, uniting America's oldest holiday with its newest

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2 Investigates Home Experts Steals and Deals

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‌

ost restaurant dishes are bound to be forgotten. Delicious, sure, but still consumed in a fleeting moment of hunger and then lost in the parade of unremarkable meals to follow. Sometimes a meal is memorable enough that you crave it long after the plates are cleared. But it's the rare dish that truly changes the way Americans eat for generations to come.

How did we find the 101 dishes that broke the restaurant mold and forever changed the flavor of America? We looked for dishes that have been endlessly adopted or outright copycatted on other menus, kicked off a lasting trend, or became staples that still define the way we eat today in 2018.

That meant a simple sandwich creation that became a nationwide staple so beloved anyone can tell you the ingredients. It meant a landmark dish from a paradigm-shifting chef. It meant a reimagining of a classic that cast a once-famous dish in an entirely new light, or an overseas sensation that made its mark from thousands of miles away. While the backstories and particulars may vary, these 101 restaurant dishes all left an enduring imprint on America, and life quite simply wouldn't taste the same without them.

1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s

1. Hot Dog

Year: 1916
Restaurant: Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs
Coney Island, New York
How it happened: The story as to how Nathan's Famous officially came to fruition has many versions, but the founder's official tale (as reported by The Daily Sentinel in 1974) goes as such: German immigrant Nathan Handwerker was working as a low-level employee at Feltman's German Gardens on Coney Island, when two of the restaurant's singing waiters complained about the price of Feltman's 10-cent hot dogs, and challenged the young bread slicer to create a cheaper, better coney. And that's what he did. Handwerker undercut his old employer's prices by a full 5 cents, and used his young bride (and business partner) Ida's secret spicing recipe to create a better tasting dog. The uptick in quality and downtick in pricing made all the difference. Feltman's has become a historic blip on the wiener-radar, while Nathan's has become a national institution, with more than 14,000 locations all over world -- and one incredibly famous annual hot dog eating contest right where it all started in Coney Island, 102 years ago.
Why it's important: Nathan and Ida Handwerker certainly didn't invent the hot dog. Nor did they even lay the framework for the coney dog as we know it today. They took something that was already popular, made it better and cheaper than the competition, and created a scalable business model in the process. "I think our role in how popular hot dogs are today is substantial. We have been satisfying hot dog lovers for generations, and we are the No. 1 selling premium hot dog for a reason," said Phil McCann, Senior Director of Marketing for Nathan's Famous. Nathan's set the mold for every American restaurant that would follow in its dirty-water wake: You don't necessarily have to be "the first" to succeed. But it certainly helps to be the best... and it definitely helps to be the cheapest. -- WF
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

2. Coney Island Hot Dog

Year: 1917
Restaurant: American Coney Island
Detroit, Michigan
How it happened: Technically, the coney dog -- which has absolutely nothing to do with New York, thank you very much -- first appeared in Jackson, Michigan. But it was in Detroit circa 1917 that American Coney Island first started dropping its wet, immaculately spiced chili on dogs, paving the way for legions of Greek immigrants to follow suit, among them the rival coney Lafayette right next door, founded by a Keros family member and the topic of an oft-misunderstood and exaggerated "feud" of Detroit food lore. But it was American that started it all, transforming that dripping, mustard- and onion-covered masterpiece on a bun into the unofficial food of lower Michigan.
Why it's important: "Detroit is industrial, automotive; this is a working-class town, a working-class state. It was affordable back then and now, is quick and comforting and filling: That's how it became such an important part of the city and state, and why you can't find coneys (anywhere else)" said Grace Keros, third-generation owner (along with brother Chris Sotiropoulos) of Michigan's oldest family-run restaurants. Because of American, the coney became a paragon of the Greek-diner experience, one that still thrives throughout the Midwest even as the institutions close across the rest of the countries. Such is the power of the perfect hot dog. -- AK
Photo: Jeff Waraniak / Thrillist

3. The French Dip

Year: 1917
Restaurant: Philippe the Original
Los Angeles, California
How it happened: The details of the origin of the French dip are hazy, and get hazier depending on who's telling it, with both Philippe's and Cole's claiming to have invented it in a nearly century-long rivalry. If Philippe is to be believed, the dish itself came about by accident: "It originated in 1917," fourth-generation owner Mark Massengill told TV show Cheap Eats. "Philippe Mathieu was carving a roast beef sandwich for a fireman and the bread accidentally dropped into the roasting pan... " Other variations say it was a cop named French, and it was gravy from roast pork. No matter. Philippe's makes 2,000 of them a day, but the dish's influence swept through the sandwich world, helping it embrace sogginess, whether it's via dipping a hoagie in a side of au jus or dunking the whole damn thing in a bucket of gravy, dry cleaning be damned.
Why it's important: The French dip -- arguably LA's most iconic food despite most people thinking it has more in common with Paris than Hollywood -- has become one of America's favorite sandwiches, emulated in nearly every diner in the US. It's so pervasive that even Arby's has a version. Regardless of who truly created the first one, Philippe's made it an icon. -- AK
Photo: Dustin Downing/Thrillist

4. The Reuben

Year: c. 1920
Restaurant: The Blackstone Hotel
Omaha, Nebraska
How it happened: The Reuben's origins have endured more shade than almost any other dish. When writer Elizabeth Weil penned a back-page New York Times piece titled " My Grandfather Invented the Reuben Sandwich. Right?" she received enough to warrant a thinkpiece in Saveur four years later. As Weil whimsically (and sometimes doubtingly) tells it, and many believe, the sandwich was invented when her hotelier great-grandfather was playing poker after hours in the Blackstone Hotel. A customer named Reuben Kulakofsky asked for a sandwich with corned beef and sauerkraut. "In the kitchen, my grandfather, who spent the previous year perfecting his sauces and ice-carving skills, drained the sauerkraut and mixed it with Thousand Island dressing," Weil wrote. "The sandwich was a hit." That's a huge understatement.
Why it's important: Many poke holes in this family story. Others lay claim to it. But in addition to representing a wonderful modern tall tale that sprang to life and still riles debate, the Reuben is, in and of itself, a wonderfully Midwestern affair. It's a non-kosher mashup of Jewish deli mainstays that has become a go-to at the delis that inspired it, plus every other diner, sandwich shop, and brewery in the country. Plus, if you do believe Weil's story, you can still get a taste of the original, though not at the Blackstone itself: Across the street, beer bar Crescent Moon still uses the old Blackstone recipe from an old typewritten transcript. And they still insist, as tradition demands, that it's the original. -- AK
Photo: Cole Saladino; Styling: Ali Nardi

7. Cobb Salad

Year: 1926
Restaurant: The Brown Derby
Los Angeles, California
How it happened: The oft-debated story goes: In 1926 Bob Cobb, owner of the famed Brown Derby restaurant, felt peckish after closing time, so he threw together leftovers he came across in the kitchen -- iceberg lettuce, frisée, romaine, watercress, tomato, chicken, avocado, bacon, hard-boiled egg, and blue cheese -- and tossed them with French dressing. He enjoyed it so much that he put it on the menu. It subsequently became a favorite of local celebrities, and a salad sensation was born. The dish was "one of the most sought-after salads since the discovery of lettuce," Gail Monaghan wrote in The Wall Street Journal. "This main-course salad was a culinary breakthrough that continues to hit the spot almost a century after its invention."
Why it's important: Not since the Caesar has a salad been so famous. The Cobb introduced the concept of a main-course salad ( very California), a hearty, protein-laden assemblage in a giant bowl. Its Hollywood-esque origin story has been so legendarily disputed that it is even winked at on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Though the original Brown Derby closed in 1985, the Cobb salad remains a staple of menus across the country, including at a recreation of the Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida. -- K. Squires

14. Fried Chicken

Year: 1940
Restaurant: Kentucky Fried Chicken
North Corbin, Kentucky
How it happened: These days, we think of Harland Sanders as a lovable, shape-shifting Kentucky colonel with the body of Billy Zane and the voice of Reba McEntire. But back in the day, Sanders was a magnificent huckster, traveling the land with a dream: to give every city a solid bucket of fried chicken that would taste the same anywhere, thanks to the secret recipe and a unique pressure-frying system that ensured that extra-crispy bird, punched up by the signature 11 herbs and spices. The first franchise was established in 1952. Today, KFC operates more than 4.200 stores worldwide.
Why it's important: "Part of how he grew the company was by developing solid franchise partnerships across the US, some of which are still in place today," said Kevin Hochman, US President of KFC. "Ensuring they make our hand-prepared world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken consistently in our kitchens across the US is no easy feat." But the feat proved worth the effort, with Sanders becoming the poster-colonel for the American fast-food franchise model, and his iconic, faithfully recreated chicken recipe becoming a staple at picnics, family reunions, and impossibly busy weeknights worldwide. -- AK
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

15. Deep-Dish Pizza

Restaurant: Pizzeria Uno
Year: 1943
Chicago, Illinois
How it happened: Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo had but a humble vision when they decided to go into the restaurant business: create something that would satiate the voracious hunger of Midwesterners. They created a monster. "The vision was to create a meal, not just a pizza with a little bit of toppings and some cheese," said Skip Weldon, chief marketing officer for Uno Restaurants. Pizzeria Uno's creation is still enough to give eaters pause: buttery, thick crust; sauce up top, hiding enough cheese and toppings to feed an entire section at Wrigley. Hundreds of Chicago restaurants now serve a variation on Sewell and Riccardo's creation, which is now as associated with the city as hot dogs and the blues.
Why it's important: We'll leave the debate about whether it's really pizza to angry New Yorkers: Deep-dish pizza is a cultural phenomenon, and its originator is the global ambassador, having begun franchising in 1970s and spreading the love of gut-busting Chicago pizza across the globe (and into the mail system, as they recently started shipping pies). Even Chicago's other institutions-turned-chains can be traced back to Uno's. "(It) spawned a lot of different restaurants trying their hands at deep-dish pizza," said Weldon. "In fact, Lou Malnati's father Rudy Malnati worked at Pizzeria Uno. Giordano's, Gino's East, all of those restaurants had connections back to the original Pizzeria Uno. It's kind of the deep-dish family tree." -- AK
Photo: Courtesy of Uno Pizzeria & Grill

17. Hot Chicken

Year: 1945
Restaurant: Prince's
Nashville, Tennessee
How it happened: Turns out, revenge is a dish best served hot. In the 1930s, a woman in Nashville found out that her lover, Thorton Prince, had been spending his time with multiple women around town. Fed up with his cheating ways, she decided to get revenge by sabotaging his favorite dish: fried chicken. She dumped a ton of cayenne pepper and spices onto a batch of freshly fried chicken that she'd made for him one Sunday morning and waited for him to take a bite and double over in pain. To her surprise, not only did he eat the entire batch of chicken, he loved it and asked for seconds. Thorton even saved some of the spicy chicken and brought it to his brothers who loved it, too. In 1945, Thorton and his brothers opened the first location of Prince's Hot Chicken in Nashville, Tennessee with a recipe that they've perfected and worked on for years.
Why it's important: Hot chicken stayed a local Nashville specialty until 2007, when the city of Nashville hosted its first Music City Hot Chicken Festival, introducing non-Nashvillians to the dish. Since that festival, the gospel of hot chicken has spread across the country and has even been adopted by fast-food chains. KFC introduced their Nashville Hot Chicken meal in 2015, complete with bread and butter pickles. In the era where food television can propel local, regional dishes to a national audience, hot chicken was the perfect subject for chef-y shows like Food Paradise and Mind of a Chef. Andre Prince Jeffries, Prince Thorton's great-niece who runs the restaurant today, said she's not phased by the competitors. "My customers, they try all these different places that are popping up," she said. "They come right back here." -- Korsha Wilson
Photo: Courtesy of Prince's

19. Chimichanga

Year: c. 1950
Restaurant: El Charro
Tucson, Arizona
How it happened: This deep-fried burrito with Southwestern roots is just one of many famous dishes that fall into the "oops, I invented a classic" category. According to Ray Flores, fourth-generation owner of El Charro, the chimichanga came to be in the early 1950s, while his great-great-aunt Tía Monica Flin, founder of the Tucson restaurant, was looking after her nieces at a slumber party. As she prepared a mountain of beef burritos for the girls, one slipped off the stack and into a pot of bubbling oil. "Flin was angry but refrained from muttering the Mexican expletive ' chingada' in front of the kids," journalist Margaret Regan wrote in Edible Baja Arizona. "Instead she blurted out a variant: chimichanga."
Why it's important: After Flin's test audience went gaga over the chimichanga, she added it to El Charro's menu, where it has remained ever since. Established in 1922, El Charro is the country's oldest Mexican restaurant continually operated by the same family, and one of the most influential. The chimichanga spread far and wide, to chains like Chili's and TGI Fridays, helping solidify Tex-Mex as one of America's beloved cuisines. -- LR

20. The Jucy Lucy

Year: c. 1950
Restaurant: Matt's Bar
Minneapolis, Minnesota
How it happened: A gloriously simple bar burger stuffed with molten cheese, the humble Jucy Lucy has been providing accidental burns to the mouth for decades: "You boys know you need to wait a minute or two," a Matt's Bar waitress told our burger critic on one visit. "Or you'll get burned." Two Cedar Avenue bars in Minneapolis claim to have invented the thing -- 5-8 Club and Matt's -- though it can now be found at pretty much any Minnesota bar that operates a grill. Given the bars' close proximities to one another, it's entirely plausible that the same weirdo customer who originally ordered two patties with cheese in the middle just walked up and down Cedar Avenue ordering the same thing, and both Matt's and 5-8 put it on the menu. But Matt's has stuck to its story much more consistently, and made the burger an icon thanks both to its delicious execution and its steadfast misspelling of "juicy."
Why it's important: Long before Doritos Locos Tacos and mac & cheese-stuffed Cheetos, stunt food was a much simpler endeavor. The Jucy Lucy is a precursor to that, but it's also an important milestone in the evolution of hamburgers themselves, leading the charge for industrious chefs (and more than a few infomercial entrepreneurs) to begin stuffing their burgers. -- AK
Photo: Ashley Sullivan/Thrillist

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23. White Clam Pie

Year: c. 1960
Restaurant: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
New Haven, Connecticut
How it happened: In New Haven, it ain't pizza, it's "apizza," and you can credit the signature style of tomato pie (and purposeful misspelling) to Frank Pepe himself. The Italian immigrant opened his coal-oven pizza restaurant in 1925, giving his thin pies a signature char on the outside and a pleasant chewiness on the inside that New Haven's now known for. Although the history of the now-iconic clam-topped white pie that was added to the menu in the 1960s is hazy, we do know this much: Pepe started putting chopped littleneck clams on the crust, pairing them with little more than garlic, grated cheese, oregano, and a slick of olive oil, and a hit was born. "The littleneck clams mingles nicely with the garlic and herbs, but it wouldn't work out with the mozzarella so many pizza places utilize. Instead, the pecorino romano lets the clams take the starring role, and you have one of the -- if not the -- best pizzas in America..." gushed Men's Journal.
Why it's important: New Haven, and its singularly New England clam pie, has officially been on the pizza map for nearly a century. Not only that, but the pie has taken on new life at modern spots like the now-shuttered Franny's in Brooklyn, Manhattan's Pasquale Jones, and Pizzeria Delfina in San Francisco. Most importantly, it helped solidify seafood's place as a viable topping option. --Karen Palmer
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

26. Filet-O-Fish

Year: 1962
Restaurant: McDonald's
Cincinnati, Ohio
How it happened: McDonald's franchise owner Lou Groen realized his Cincinnati-area restaurant was suffering a plummeting, potentially devastating drop in sales during the 40-day period of Lent, as much of the Catholic-heavy population of southwest Ohio would abstain from meat on Fridays -- or even altogether -- per Vatican tradition during the season of repentance. "On Fridays we only took in about $75 a day," Groen, who passed away in May of 2011, told The Cincinnati Enquirer in 2007. "All our customers were going to Frisch's [ the local fried fish joint]. So I invented my fish sandwich, developed a special batter, made the tartar sauce and took it to headquarters." McDonald's head honcho Ray Kroc begrudgingly allowed the fish sandwich to grace Groen's menu alongside his own new vegetarian creation, the Hula Burger (a clearly misguided pineapple and cheese sandwich). He told Groen whichever dish sold more over Lent would earn a permanent spot on the national menu. And, well, have you ever heard of a Hula Burger?
Why it's important: Not only did the success of Groen's Filet-O-Fish single-handedly create the concept of nationally available fast seafood, it ushered in a new era of experimentation and menu expansion for the Golden Arches, and by extension, all of fast food. "My fish sandwich was the first addition ever to McDonald's original menu," Groen said. "It saved my franchise." The floodgates were now open. It made chain restaurateurs realize the value of menu diversity, and reading customer needs -- and it laid the template for the next half-century of fast-food innovation. -- WF
Photo: Courtesy of McDonald's

31. Animal Style Fries

Year: c. 1969
Restaurant: In-N-Out Burger
Baldwin Park, California
How it happened: The origins of In-N-Out Burger's legendary "Animal Style" fries is a SoCal secret shrouded in more mystery than the next Star Wars script. And even the woman who literally wrote the book on In-N-Out can't be fully sure how exactly it came to fruition. But legend posits that the clean-cut chefs who ran the flagship In-N-Out location in Baldwin Park, California in the '60s had an intense disdain for the rowdy surfers who would frequent the location, often referring to them as "Animals." When they needed shorthand for the customized special sauce these scruffy teens liked to put on their fries and burgers (basically, Thousand Island dressing with cheese, and grilled onions), they naturally just called it "Animal Style." Regardless of the origins, it remains the flagship item on In-n-Out's secret (but not-so-secret, anymore) menu.
Why it's important: "Secret menus" have long been fodder for blogs, fan groups, and food journalism deep-dives ( this website being no exception) -- and all the clandestine ordering started here. In-N-Out has only added to its cult-like status as one of the most beloved fast-food restaurants in the world by not only accommodating guests who want to play mad scientist with their menus, but fully embracing the movement. If you've ever felt the thrill of ordering a McGangBang, or even reading about it, you have In-N-Out and their ubiquitous "Animals" to thank. -- WF

32. California Roll

Year: c. 1970
Restaurant: Tokyo Kaikan
Los Angeles, California
How it happened: The California roll needs no introduction, yet its history is far from clear. The invention of this ubiquitous roll has been claimed by many over the years. First is Tokyo Kaikan, one of LA's first sushi restaurants, where a chef named Ichiro Mashita allegedly opted to replace the expensive and difficult-to-source fatty toro with creamy avocado, plentiful as they are in California. International Marine Products Inc, which owned the now-shuttered Tokyo Kaikan, still claims to be "the birthplace of the now famous California roll." Another contender, however, is Hidekazu Tojo, a Japanese sushi chef who emigrated to Canada in the 1970s, and who claims that he invented the roll, originally called "Tojo-maki," because Westerners were put off the flavors of raw fish and seaweed, which he replaced with cooked crab and avocado. "A lot of people from out of town came to my restaurant -- lots from Los Angeles -- and they loved it. That's how it got called the California roll," he told the Globe and Mail in 2012.
Why it's important: Regardless of who invented it or how closely it resembles traditional Japanese maki, the California roll has long served as the gateway drug to a broader appreciation of sushi for many Westerners -- and sushi restaurants have boomed as a result. Not only that, but the highly palatable roll might well be responsible for the rise of grocery store sushi, which comprised a $705 million market in the US in 2015, per Forbes. That's one hell of a lot of avocados. -- MZ
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

33. General Tso's Chicken

Year: c. 1970
Restaurant: Uncle Tai's Hunan Yuan and Hunan
New York, New York
How it happened: Sugar-shellacked and a shade of otherworldly red, General Tso's chicken has remained a staple of American Chinese menus for decades. The original version, however, barely resembles its Western cousin. It was devised by Peng Chang-kuei, who served as the official banquet chef for the Chinese government after World War II, before emigrating to Taiwan where he created the sour, salty, and spicy dish he would name after a 19th-century Hunanese military hero. In the early 1970s, David Keh, who owned Uncle Tai's Hunan Yuan, and chef TT Wang, who owned Shun Lee Dynasty and Shun Lee Palace, and who cooked at Hunan Restaurant, independently traveled to Taiwan and decided to put Peng's chicken dish on the menus of their competing restaurants back in New York City -- but with a jolt of sugar added. "They both felt, as many Chinese chefs who are feeding Caucasian people around the world do, the need to emphasize the sweet side of the food for non-Chinese people," said restaurateur Ed Schoenfeld, who worked at Uncle Tai's in the 1970s. Ultimately, however, Schoenfeld says that it was TT Wang's blueprint for the dish that became popular the world over.
Why it's important: By some estimates, General Tso's chicken is the most popular Chinese dish in America, even if Peng, who died in 2016, would hardly recognize it. "Chef Peng was baffled by the broccoli in all the photos of General Tso's chicken from America," said Jennifer 8 Lee, who co-produced the 2014 documentary The Search for General Tso. As Lee wrote in The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, the dish is as American as apple pie: "You can now eat the general's chicken in all-you-can-eat $4.95 supper buffets along interstate highways, at urban takeouts with bulletproof windows, and in white-tablecloth establishments that have received starred reviews in The New York Times." -- Matthew Zuras

36. Egg McMuffin

Year: 1972
Restaurant: McDonald's
Santa Barbara, California
How it happened: It might seem borderline ludicrous now, as the Egg McMuffin is as synonymous with American mornings as the Today show, but the inventor of the fast-food breakfast icon was initially scared to show his boss his new idea. Herb Peterson, the operator of a McDonald's in Santa Barbara, refused to tell McDonald's founder Ray Kroc any details about his breakfast sandwich, and insisted he show it to him, firsthand. "He didn't want me to reject it out of hand, which I might have done, because it was a crazy idea," Kroc stated in his autobiography. "I boggled a bit at the presentation. But then I tasted it, and I was sold." Peterson based the idea around a handheld, stripped-down version of eggs Benedict -- complete with cheese, Canadian bacon, and a griddle-fried egg -- and it helped solve a problem Kroc and company had grappled with for years: getting people in the door for food before noon.
Why it's important: If you've ever hit up a fast-food restaurant before 11:30am -- you have the Egg McMuffin to thank. Not only did it popularize the fast and easy on-the-go breakfast, it introduced the entire country to the concept of a breakfast sandwich. "McDonald's came out with the McMuffin in the early '70s, and it became a known and available commodity all over the country," said food historian and sandwich expert Joel Jensen. "Now, everyone in the country could drive a couple miles and get a breakfast sandwich. It was introduced into the cultural consciousness." The Egg McMuffin turned Micky D's into a breakfast joint, invented the concept of fast-food breakfast, and let millions of customers all over the world grab a few extra minutes of sleep -- as breakfast was now just a drive-thru stop away. -- WF
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

37. Loaded Potato Skins

Year: 1974
Restaurant: TGI Fridays
Dallas, Texas
How it happened: Other restaurants (most notably R.J. Grunts of the Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You empire) have competing claims surrounding the creation of the potato skin, but the version that ultimately conquered America's hearts and your grocer's freezer traces its lineage to Fridays, back in its heyday as a swinging '70s singles bar. A chef in the midst of a batch of mashed potatoes decided to toss some skins in the fryer, and after some Cheddar cheese and bacon joined the party, a bar food sensation was born. "It was mind-bogglingly successful," said Walt Henrion, one of the partners who convinced founder Alan Stillman to extend his NYC bar to franchises around the country, starting in Dallas. "We started selling them at $1.65 for a little basket of six halves. In one month we went from $1.65 to $4.25 because we couldn't produce for the demand."
Why it's important: According to Henrion, it took longer than it should have for other competing chains to notice how many potato skins Fridays was slinging, but a few years later, copycat versions were appearing everywhere, and before long it was an appetizer staple on par with Buffalo wings and nachos. Beyond that, today's menus feature all manner of "loaded" potato items for which everyone understands without so much as a glance at the description that "loaded" will entail melted cheese and crispy bits of bacon. That said, no permutation of potato perfectly harnesses a concentrated payload of toppings quite the way a well-hollowed potato skin does. -- ML
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

40. Pasta Primavera

Year: 1977
Restaurant: Le Cirque
New York, New York
How it happened: While it sounds like it was created in a nonna's kitchen in the hills of rural Tuscany, pasta primavera was actually born during a trip to Nova Scotia with a group that included New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne, and Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni and his wife Egi, who were in charge of cooking a Sunday lunch. "My father said, 'Let's just do our family tradition,' which is pizza and pasta on Sunday,'" Sirio's son Marco Maccioni recalled. "My mom woke up to make the pizza. My father, slept a little bit more. My mom used tomatoes for her pizza sauce. And when my father woke up, he found there were no more tomatoes. He was planning on serving handmade spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and olive oil. He said, 'How am I going to make spaghetti with fresh tomatoes if you used all the tomatoes?' My mom said, 'You should have woken up.'" Sirio used what he could find: frozen broccoli, peas and asparagus, fresh zucchini and mushrooms... and two measly tomatoes. He tossed them in a pan with cream, basil, garlic, and pine nuts, shaved on some Parmesan, and served it over the spaghetti. "Craig Claiborne asked, 'What is this fabulous pasta?' My father answered, 'It's primavera,' because it was springtime," Marco said.
Why it's important: Back in New York, Craig Claiborne asked the Maccionis to cook the same pasta at his home in Amagansett. They did, and Claiborne published the recipe in The New York Times in October 1977. Immediately, the dish became Le Cirque's signature, though it has never actually appeared on the menu. The tableside service of the pasta caused so much buzz that diners didn't have to see it on the menu to order it. It became perhaps the longest-running "off-the-menu" item in restaurant history, not to mention the go-to vegetarian entree option at hotel restaurants around the country. -- Kathleen Squires
Photo: Cole Saladino; Styling: Perry Santanachote

41. Gargouillou

Year: 1980
Restaurant: Lou Mazuc
Laguiole, France
How it happened: Reared in the rambling French countryside, Michel Bras was always drawn to nature. Before opening his eponymous restaurant in 1992, the self-taught chef helmed Lou Mazuc, his parents' hotel-restaurant. It was during this time, inspired by a walk through pastures in bloom, that he dreamed up his refined rendition of an old Auvergne stew with potatoes called gargouillou: a stunning assemblage of some ever-changing 60 vegetables, herbs, and flowers like fern, amaranth, nasturtium, and Alpine fennel along with a grounding base of cured ham. This composition of myriad shapes and textures is arguably the world's most remarkable salad. "For me, his gargouillou is an incredible display of technique and a clear example of a chef's true understanding of vegetable cookery," wrote New York chef Wylie Dufresne in an essay for Saveur about cooking for Bras, his idol.
Why it's important: Bras championed the vegetable with sincerity and elegance well before other chefs, leading them to consider the merits of their own backyards. The delicate, vibrant gargouillou has since spawned a number of Stateside versions from chefs like David Kinch (Into the Garden at Manresa in Los Gatos, California) and Daniel Patterson (Abstraction of Garden in Early Winter at San Francisco's Coi). "Michel Bras is one of the most imitated chefs in the world, and with good reason," Dufresne added. -- AA
Photo: Cole Saladino; Styling: Ali Nardi

44. Goat Cheese Salad

Year: 1981
Restaurant: Chez Panisse
Berkeley, California
How it happened: In American cheese circles, one of the most important meet-cutes of the 20th century just might be between Alice Waters, proprietor of the beyond-influential Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and Laura Chenel, a cheesemaker in Sonoma County. Legend has it that Waters was so impressed by Chenel's goat cheese during an early 1980s tasting that she placed a standing order for the restaurant -- thus creating one of her most iconic dishes, a humble combination of breadcrumb & thyme-coated goat cheese baked and served with greens and garlic toast. "Goat cheese was not really available in those days, or at least not goat cheese made in America," said Waters. "Laura Chenel was one of the first ones who made it commercially available, and I loved it." Waters noted in 1999's Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook that the dish is one of two they've had on the Cafe's menu since day one. As for its origins, "I can't remember exactly where the recipe for the salad came from, but my mind was in the South of France," said Waters.
Why it's important: In a 1983 article in the New York Times about the growing popularity of goat cheese that included a recipe for the salad, then-food editor Craig Claiborne noted, "Alice Waters, the owner-chef of Chez Panisse in California, was one of the first to experiment with baked goat cheese in this country. As a result, she has become justly well known for her baked goat cheese with garden salad..." Aside from Waters' countless other contributions to the food world, one could also say she's responsible for the ubiquity of goat cheese salads on menus around the country. -- KP

46. Salmon Pizza

Year: 1982
Restaurant: Spago
Los Angeles, California
How it happened: In 1982, a 33-year-old chef named Wolfgang Puck opened a restaurant on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood called Spago, serving what would soon be known as "spa cuisine" -- meaning French technique applied to California ingredients with the occasional nod to Asian cuisine. He was working in the kitchen one night when legendary actress Joan Collins ordered smoked salmon with buttery brioche bread. Puck panicked. He didn't have any brioche left to make the actress' order. Improvising, he topped a freshly baked pizza crust with creme fraiche, dill, smoked salmon, and a spoonful of caviar on each slice. The actress loved it. Word spread about the dish, and soon, celebrities filled the dining room to try Puck's salmon pizza. Spago's location may have changed from West Hollywood to Beverly Hills, but the smoked salmon pizza has been on the Spago menu since it opened.
Why it's important: If you like toppings on your pizza besides the standard pepperoni and vegetables, you have Puck to thank. The salmon pizza, which is the official dish of the Oscars, helped usher in a new era of stunt pizzas, where people started to become more adventurous with their pies. In particular, the salmon pizza served as the base for a new style of distinctly California pizza, which favored fresh ingredients over heavy cheese, sauce, and greasy toppings. -- KW
Photo: Cole Saladino; Styling: Ali Nardi

49. Tableside Guacamole

Year: 1984
Restaurant: Rosa Mexicano
New York, New York
How it happened: Chips and guac are basically a must-do first step when sitting down at a Mexican restaurant, but there's something extra special about the increasing number of establishments that take the effort to prepare it tableside. You can thank Josefina Howard for that, the founder of Rosa Mexicano, a New York-based chain that now boasts locations across the country. "Tableside guacamole was something that was being done at home by Josefina Howard," said Chris Sellati, Rosa Mexicano's regional executive chef. "The point of Latin hospitality is to invite people in as if they had stepped into our home, or, in this case, our kitchen." Having a trained guacamole expert roll up to your table and gently fold hunks of avocado with bits of onion and sprigs of cilantro right in front of you makes it an occasion. "It's dinner and a show," said Sellai.
Why it's important: Guacamole had graced the menus of America's Mexican restaurants long before Rosa Mexicano made tableside guac a mainstay, but the increasingly popular ritual has given Mexican restaurants another avenue to elevate the dining experience and give customers a peek behind the curtain. The hunger-inducing satisfaction that comes with observing a pile of ripe avocado mashed into creamy guacamole undoubtedly played a role in creating the current avocado-obsessed world in which we find ourselves. -- Amy Schulman
Photo: Courtesy of Rosa Mexicano

54. Chicken for Two

Year: 1987
Restaurant: Zuni Café
San Francisco, California
How it happened: Despite a crystal-clear menu disclaimer that it will take "approximately 60 minutes" to prepare, glance around San Francisco's beloved Market Street institution Zuni Café and you'll notice that nearly every single table is topped with an order of the late Judy Rodgers' Chicken for Two. According to a 2013 Eater interview, Rodgers came up with the now-famous bird when a wood-burning oven was installed at Zuni and she "wanted to ensure the restaurant didn't turn into a pizzeria." Instead of roasting squab, she settled on a whole chicken inspired by spatchcocked ones she'd had in France, telling Eater, "The simplest things are often the best." Cured in sea salt and pepper and roasted at a high temperature in that wood-burning oven, the birds are served over a toasted ciabatta salad inflected with garlic, scallions, vinegar-plumped currants, and pine nuts and a smattering of baby red mustard greens. The chicken drippings soak into everything down below, making every bite's chicken-ness unmistakeable -- and worth the hour-long wait.
Why it's important: Say what you will about Jacques Pépin's poulet rôti or Julia Child's lemon-stuffed Favorite Roast Chicken, in the restaurant world, Rodgers' is the one against all others are judged. It also helped usher in the popularity of ordering a piece of meat that is meant to serve two. -- KP

57. Bloomin' Onion

Year: 1988
Restaurant: Outback Steakhouse
Tampa, Florida
How it happened: In the late '80s, American restaurateurs Tim Gannon, Robert Basham, and Chris Sullivan wanted to open a Western-themed steakhouse chain, but they needed a twist -- so, they went Down Under. It might seem random now, but at the time " Australian Fever," (thanks in part to Crocodile Dundee) was sweeping the nation, and Outback became a cultural hit. The Bloomin' Onion, a calorie-laden, battered and deep-fried full onion splayed out like a flower, was always at the forefront of its menu -- even if wasn't really from the Outback. "... the idea was to apply New Orleans seasonings to the onion, so that not only did you have something pretty, but you also had something with an exciting flavor profile," Gannon told F&B Magazine in the November/December 1993 issue. Despite the cultural smokescreen, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America called the Bloomin' "one of the most recognizable menu items at any American restaurant," and it would be hard for anyone to counter that claim.
Why it's important: Outback didn't invent the dish, as it had been casual bar fare for years before the chain opened -- but it did help perfect it, even creating a patented device that will split onions into even, 27 petal portions for deep frying. Imitation is obviously indicative of success, and the Bloomin' Onion has been consistently copied by rival chains (most notably, Chili's "Awesome Blossom"). The Bloomin' is a hedonistic, highly visual deep-fried app that help set the standard for what people expected from new chains: they want a showstopper. If Instagram existed in the 1980s, you can bet your last boomerang that #Bloomin would be blowing up your newsfeed. And frankly, it still might be. -- WF

58. Tuna Tartare

Year: 1988
Restaurant: Gotham Bar & Grill
New York, New York
How it happened: In the annals of food history, tuna tartare's exact origins are disputed. Some credit Parisian restaurant Le Duc with devising it in the 1970s, while The Atlantic attributes it to Japanese-born chef Shigefumi Tachibe, who reportedly invented it in 1984 at Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills. It wasn't until late '80s, however, that chef Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar & Grill debuted his take on tuna tartare, and that set the standard for every tuna tartare to follow. His version, made with sushi-grade tuna, shiso, scallions, and a ginger vinaigrette, all molded and piled high with croutons and herb salad, epitomized the "tall food" trend of the 1980s. At that time, Portale said, tuna loin was treated like a steak: "It was served au poivre, with red wine sauce, or as a seared carpaccio dish. So it occurred to me: what about a tartare?"
Why it's important: As New York magazine's Adam Platt wrote in 2006, "If Jean-Georges is the multitalented Willie Mays, and Batali is Babe Ruth, then Alfred Portale is the Lou Gehrig of the city's dining world." It wouldn't be outrageous to say that tuna tartare may be the secret to the chef's home run streak, considering that it has remained on the Gotham menu for three decades, surviving every hard right turn of restaurant trends in the process. Tall food might be over, but the tartare remains standing nonetheless. -- MZ
Photo: Courtesy of Gotham Bar & Grill

60. Lettuce Wraps

Year: 1993
Restaurant: P.F. Chang's
Scottsdale, Arizona
How it happened: When Cali-based restaurateur Paul Fleming moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, he couldn't find any Chinese food he liked, much to his chagrin. When he told his close friend, professional food consultant, and Asian-food royalty Philip Chiang (his mother Cecilia, often described as the Julia Child of Chinese food, ran the Mandarin Restaurant in San Francisco) about his problem, they did the logical thing and opened up their own Chinese restaurant in a Scottsdale strip mall. Using Chiang's culinary chops, his mother's recipes, and Fleming's American business savvy, the restaurant was almost an immediate success, bringing a higher-end, Westernized Chinese-food experience to a mainstream audience. Their signature lettuce wrap appetizer, a traditional recipe perfected by Cecilia complete with spicy, tangy chicken, is still the highlight of the menu, and indicative of their overall mission to expose a wider swath of America to the intricacies of traditional Asian cooking in a comfortable setting. That (super-secret!) lettuce wrap recipe made them famous, and continues to lure people past those iconic, Forbidden City horse statues, and through the mood-lit doors.
Why it's important: "P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps have been an approachable entry point for people to discover fresh, simple, scratch-made, and inspired Asian cooking, which is now one of the fastest-growing food segments worldwide," said P.F. Chang's chief marketing officer, Dwayne Chambers, who also notes that other restaurant concepts now offer versions of the dish. Beyond just bringing an idiosyncratic Eastern appetizer to American tables, it proved that lettuce, in lieu of bread, is not just a healthier option, but can be decidedly delicious in its own right. -- WF
Photo: Courtesy of P.F. Chang's

62. Avocado Toast

Year: 1993
Restaurant: Bills
Sydney, Australia
How it happened: The simple dish that has taken over Instagram and is supposedly the reason why millennials can't afford a house is often credited to chef Bill Granger of Bills in Sydney, Australia. Granger added an avocado toast to his menu of easy and casual breakfast dishes at his restaurant and even added a smashed avocado toast with cilantro and lime to his 1999 cookbook, Sydney Food. His menu is recognized as the first appearance of the dish in the world and his cookbook the first appearance of it in print. It was just in time for the health food craze that would shape restaurants.
Why it's important: Can you a remember a world before avocado toast? The simple, green dish is now a staple breakfast and brunch item on many continents around the world. The dish can be found in the average coffee shop to influential breakfast spots like Sqirl in LA. A mentee of Granger and the founder of Sqirl, chef Jessica Koslow added her own version of the avocado toast to her menu topped with changing seasonal ingredients. And in case you needed more proof that avocado toast is everywhere, look no further than this cookbook dedicated solely to the dish. -- KW
Photo: Cole Saladino; Styling: Perry Santanachote

63. Bone Marrow

Year: 1994
Restaurant: St. John
London, England
How it happened: Chef Fergus Henderson is known as one of the founding fathers of the nose-to-tail movement (that is, using up every last bit of the animal). And you can't get much more "whole animal" than eating the inside of the bones. Since St. John's opening in 1994, Henderson has been roasting veal bones, procured from London's Smithfield Market, until the marrow softens and becomes spreadable. A simple salad of parsley, capers & shallots, a couple of slices of toasted bread, and a small pile of salt come out with the bones -- the idea being that you slather a little marrow onto the bread, sprinkle with salt, pile on some salad, and let the acidity cut through all that oozy goodness. "He identified a great underused ingredient and a perfect way to serve it... Every chef gets stuck with a signature dish that they cannot ever take off the menu, and he's going to have to serve it and talk about it for the rest of his life..." Anthony Bourdain wrote in The Guardian in 2014. In fact, Henderson told Eater that same year, "I'm married to this dish."
Why it's important: Countless chefs, among them Chris Cosentino and April Bloomfield, have followed Henderson's lead and gone whole hog on the nose-to-tail movement. It's not unusual to see organ meats and so-called off-cuts competing for menu space with more standard steaks and chops -- with bone marrow being one of the most prized and sought after. -- KP
Photo: Elliot Sheppard

64. Miso Black Cod

Year: 1994
Restaurant: Nobu
New York, New York
How it happened: It's kind of funny that one of the most famous sushi chefs on the planet, chef Nobu Matsuhisa, is most well-known for a cooked fish dish. Matsuhisa was already a successful chef in Los Angeles when he was approached by actor Robert De Niro and restaurateur Drew Nieporent to open a restaurant in New York City. "Around 1989, Bob sent me a ticket to go to New York," Matsuhisa remembered. "He explained to me that he wanted to make a restaurant there. But it was too early to open another restaurant." Four years later, he accepted and opened Nobu in Tribeca and introduced the world to his take on a classic Japanese fish preparation where fish is marinated in a mixture made with mirin, sake, and a white miso paste. The dish was an instant hit.
Why it's important: Matsuhisa may have been already been a great sushi chef, but Nobu -- with its club atmosphere and celebrity sightings paired with dishes like the miso black cod -- helped propel him to becoming a household name. The miso black cod dish was imitated by many restaurants in New York and around the world, further proof of Matsuhisa's influence as a chef. "Here it is, a plump wedge of miso-glazed black cod, the culinary equivalent of a Cole Porter standard, covered and interpreted by so many artists that you may not recall where and when you experienced it first," Frank Bruni wrote in 2005 in a review of Nobu sister restaurant, Nobu 57. The dish helped further what Japanese cooking could look like in America, with more and more chefs learning to embrace ingredients like miso. -- KW
Photo: Courtesy of Nobu

66. Oysters and Pearls

Year: 1994
Restaurant: The French Laundry
Yountville, California
How it happened: When a then-relatively unknown chef named Thomas Keller took over a Napa Valley farmhouse in 1994 and morphed it into a tasting menu-only restaurant, he did so with a wink and a smile, serving playfully named tiny courses like Coffee and Doughnuts (cinnamon-sugar donuts served with cappuccino custard topped with foamed milk) and a stunning opener of Oysters and Pearls, pearl tapioca sabayon with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar. When asked by Saveur what he'd like to eat as his last dish on Earth, acclaimed Alinea chef (and Keller disciple) Grant Achatz said of Oysters and Pearls, "I was 23 when I first ate it and it literally shaped my entire career-it was exciting, revelatory. As you get older those moments become rarer. It's harder to get excited."
Why it's important: Most modern American fine dining can be classified as BTFC and ATFC -- that is, "Before the French Laundry" or "After The French Laundry." With dishes like Oysters and Pearls, Keller made it possible for chefs like Achatz and others, whose own tasting menu restaurants have taken off, to not take themselves too seriously, while still chasing perfection. -- KP
Photo: Deborah Jones/The French Laundry

68. Cupcakes

Year: 1996
Restaurant: Magnolia Bakery
New York, New York
How it happened: Whether you blame it on Sex and the City or their undeniable cuteness factor, Magnolia cupcakes were the "it" dessert at the turn of the century: the perfect individual portion of sweet cake crowned with an even sweeter, pastel swirl of frosting. Back in 1996, partners Allysa Torey and Jennifer Appel had extra batter after baking a cake and rather than waste it, poured the remaining cake into muffin tin molds, and voila: cupcakes. Come 2000, after a 30-second clip of Carrie Bradshaw noshing on a cupcake aired on Sex and the City, "the store had lines all the time," explains Sara Gramling, vice president of public relations at Magnolia Bakery. "People wanted to have that economical Sex and the City experience. Not everyone can buy Manolo Blahniks, but everyone can afford a cupcake."
Why it's important: As Magnolia's cupcakes skyrocketed into fame, other cupcake stores popped up, capitalizing on the trend: the now-defunct Crumbs launched in 2003, boasting supersized cupcakes in a host of eccentric flavors, and Baked By Melissa did the opposite, baking colorful, bite-sized cupcakes, while countless other participants in the "cupcake boom" found varying degrees of success and staying power. Regardless, the pint-sized cake paved the way for the glut of dessert trends we see now: Cronuts® and Cruffins, wildly inventive donuts, and candy-studded milkshakes. -- AS
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

70. Bucatini all'Amatriciana

Year: 1998
Restaurant: Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca
New York, New York
How it happened: When Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca opened in 1998, it immediately made waves, thanks to chef Mario Batali's already estimable ( and now deeply compromised) reputation at his first New York restaurant, Po. This venture, with then-new partner Joe Bastianich, was packed with grander intentions -- and even more rebellious style. But the menu was grounded by regional Italian dishes, including one little-known standout on the menu since Day 1: bucatini all'Amatriciana. "We always wanted to represent the classics, but with some innovation," said Bastianich. Babbo's Amatriciana used house-cured guanciale (aka pork jowl), a simple tomato sauce, and plenty of chili flakes and grated pecorino just like the classic does. But the unconventional touches made it shine: the one-two punch of garlic and red onion (a uniquely Batali twist). It's a bigger, bolder, uniquely American approach to Italian flavor that was Babbo in a nutshell -- one that probably wouldn't go over well in the mother country. "In Italy, if you tried to do that, they would kill you," Bastianich said.
Why it's important: The liberties that Batali took with the dish, highlighting its savory, porky, spicy appeal, gave rise to a new breed of chefs that were both deeply inspired by regional Italian cooking and free to embellish and refine old standards according to modern tastes. And in light of 2016's tragic earthquake, which devastated much of the town of Amatrice, the dish is even more essential now than ever. -- Adina Steiman

72. Braised Short Ribs

Year: 2001
Restaurant: Craft
New York, New York
How it happened: Fresh from his star turn at Gramercy Tavern, Tom Colicchio opened Craft, a restaurant devoted to his favorite techniques. Braising was among them -- an entire section of the menu was dedicated to it at the time -- and his hulking, tender short ribs caused Food & Wine to christen him "a master with meat." Braised for 24 hours in red wine and vegetables, the dish was a juicy revelation for an inexpensive cut with a reputation for being tough. It was a new kind of comfort food.
Why it's important: During a time when people were pinching their pennies, Colicchio offered inexpensive meat served in a luxurious way in a high-end restaurant. The dish caused other restaurateurs, and also home cooks, to think about using off cuts, while reviving the art of braising. It became so popular that in his 2003 book, Craft of Cooking, Colicchio said he was going through 500 pounds of short ribs a week. Thanks to him, too, the once-cheap cut is not so cheap anymore. -- K. Squires
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

77. Lacto Ferments

Year: 2003
Restaurant: Noma
Copenhagen, Denmark
How it happened: Beyond the foraging that he's famous for, chef René Redzepi of Noma has fully embraced lacto-fermentation, an older-than-the-hills curing process that starts with salt and water, and is followed by healthy bacteria's conversion of sugars into lactic acid, a natural preservative. For example, plums, sealed in a plastic bag with salt get the lacto-fermented treatment in this Noma fermentation video. In a 2011 Eater interview, Redzepi, encouraged by the success of lacto-fermented gooseberries that he incorporated into the Noma menu, describes the technique as "a whole new cornerstone that we can use in our cuisine. It's a way of adding flavor, brightness, and complexity to your purées, sauces, and fish. It's just incredibly delicious." Case in point, lacto-fermented foods get the spotlight in Redzepi's forthcoming cookbook Foundations of Flavor: The Noma Guide to Fermentation.
Why it's important: Lacto-fermentation isn't just for the pickle that comes with your deli sandwich. Agenda-setting chefs are getting in on the action. David Chang has his own fermentation lab, while Jessica Koslow of Sqirl makes lacto-fermented hot sauce for her famous grain bowls. This method of pickling is now found on menus across the country. What's more, Redzepi's passion for this ancient method of preservation is a clear response to the hyper-futuristic molecular gastronomy movement that came before him, effectively moving the culinary conversation in an organic direction. -- AA
Illustration: Murphy Lippincott

78. Pork Belly Bun

Year: 2004
Restaurant: Momofuku Noodle Bar
New York, New York
How it happened: David Chang is arguably one of the most famous chefs alive today, but back in 2004, he was a first-time restaurateur trying to make his mark on New York City with a playful approach to Asian cooking. One of the early standouts from his menu at Noodle Bar in the East Village was a style of pork bun called gua bao, or steamed bao that has long been a staple in Taiwanese food markets. In order to make it his own, Chang had to do some research and testing. He found a steamed bun producer in Brooklyn to produce the soft, chewy, textured buns that are crucial to the dish. He then tested and perfected a recipe for the pork belly, a recipe that requires the pork to be cured in salt and sugar for 24 hours and then roasted at a slow temperature for a few hours. The pork belly bun is still one of Noodle Bar's most popular dishes to date.
Why it's important: The pork belly bun itself is not new, but the way that Chang used it to create his own brand of food heralded a different era of fine dining techniques applied to simple dishes. "I've always said we wouldn't be where we are today if not for the pork bun," said Chang. The pork bun also encapsulated Chang's unique brand of culinary brashness and commitment to sourcing. The pork is a heritage breed, and it went through months of testing to make sure that it was absolutely right. Pork belly was also not so commonly found on restaurant menus, but chefs started paying attention to the fatty cut again thanks to Chang. -- KW
Photo: Cole Saladino / Thrillist

79. Ramen

Year: 2004
Restaurant: Momofuku Noodle Bar
New York, New York
How it happened: David Chang didn't invent ramen, but one could argue that he reinvented how Americans look at it. When he opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004, he was inspired by "the great ramenyas of Tokyo" and was determined to serve delicious food in a give-no-fucks setting. After some initial hiccups -- Chang writes in the Momofuku cookbook that the first few weeks were "going out of business slow" -- the shop started to take off, thanks to its signature ramen that tipped its hat to Japanese tradition, but with a heavy sprinkle of chef-ification. Momofuku's ramen starts with a pork broth that's been simmered for the better part of seven hours, which is then layered with fresh noodles, fat slices of pork belly, shreds of roasted pork shoulder, a slow-poached egg, market vegetables, and a few other fixings that may or may not have ever appeared in a classic noodle shop. "Everyone says ramen is rigid; that it has to be one exact thing," Chang writes. "It isn't, and it doesn't."
Why it's important: Just look at what the Momofuku has become in less than 15 years: from humble-ish noodle shop to international chain and multimedia juggernaut. But even only five years after Noodle Bar opened, Frank Bruni -- in a review of the exceptional Japanese ramen chain Ippudo -- noted the restaurant's influence on the national noodle scene. Ramen is now everywhere in the United States. Before Momofuku, "ramen" meant the cheap instant noodles beloved by college students everywhere. Now, it's come to represent big bowls of slurpable noodles in flavor-packed broths. -- MZ

80. Gnudi

Year: 2004
Restaurant: The Spotted Pig
New York, New York
How it happened: Almost as soon as The Spotted Pig opened in the West Village, it became the place to hobnob with celebrities, wait way too long for a table, and, yep, eat gnudi. These pillowy puffs of sheep's milk ricotta, encased in a thin layer of semolina flour and doused in brown butter and sage, were "on the menu at The Pig from the very first day," recalled chef April Bloomfield. In an episode of Mind of a Chef, she calls them "naked ravioli." Soon, everyone was talking about gnudi (years before everyone started talking about co-owner Ken Friedman's sexual harassment scandal). While Bloomfield popularized the dish Stateside, she first learned to make it more than a decade earlier at The River Cafe in London, where it's a mainstay. But like many young chefs who leave the nest, Bloomfield improved on her mentors' recipe, serving the gnudi not just with brown butter and sage sauce, but with a creamy butter sauce, too. "One day I swear I'm going to take gnudi off the menu at The Pig," Bloomfield remarked in her cookbook, A Girl and Her Pig. "We'll probably end up closing down, because it's one of the most popular items."
Why it's important: It took a non-Italian restaurant -- the country's first gastropub, no less -- to introduce Americans to the beauty of this simple Italian dumpling. Once gnudi became the restaurant's signature dish, their little cousins gnocchi seemed downright passé in comparison... and pub grub the country over got a major wakeup call. -- A. Steiman
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

81. The Hot-N-Ready

Year: 2004
Restaurant: Little Caesars
Detroit, Michigan
How it happened: Detroit-based Little Caesars has contributed more to pizza culture than it really gets credit for, from the old-school "Pizza Pizza" days to franchising and totally winning every Midwestern birthday party where Crazy Bread is on offer. But in 2004 -- after years of feeding hungry college kids via "customer appreciation days" and the famous Monday Madness specials that featured $5 pizzas -- Caesars took the pizza chain to grab & go territory, with cheese and pepperoni pies ready on demand for a crisp Lincoln. Little changed about the restaurant's recipes; it simply streamlined the process, making it possible for families to have pizza night on demand, and on the cheap.
Why it's important: "I think (founder Mike) Ilitch was as much of an innovator in the pizza industry as Ray Kroc was for fast food," said CEO David Scrivano. "He was truly a visionary. His ideas, including Hot-N-Ready, were way ahead of their time." True to that innovator status, the Hot-N-Ready didn't just change the chain pizza game; it threw down the gauntlet, forcing competitors like Domino's and Pizza Hut to implement value menu deals across the board and step up the efficiency as Caesars itself developed a Detroit-style deep dish option to go along with the classic pies. In a pizza war, it seems, there are no losers. -- AK
Photo: Courtesy of Little Caesars

84. Ike's Fish Sauce Wings

Year: 2005
Restaurant: Pok Pok
Portland, Oregon
How it happened: When Andy Ricker went backpacking through Southeast Asia in the '80s, he didn't expect that his emergent love of street food would help put Portland on the map as a food destination, or that he'd go on to win a James Beard Award for popularizing the oft-overlooked and frequently misunderstood fare. But that's exactly what happened when Pok Pok opened up its doors, a Thai restaurant that eschewed mainstays like drunken noodles and pad Thai. But one dish, which Ricker learned while traveling in Vietnam, really blew minds. "They are umami bombs," Ricker said of Ike's fish sauce wings, his crispy, tender, impossibly addictive dish that's a mainstay of all Ricker's now-expanded restaurant empire (there's even a Pok Pok Wing outpost in Portland). While we can debate all day about the broader implications of a white guy becoming a Thai food trailblazer, Ricker's immersion in Thai and Viet culture have made him an unlikely (and widely embraced) ambassador.
Why it's important: "Hopefully, the existence of Pok Pok for the last 12 years has contributed to the conversation about the diversity of food in Thailand in a positive way," Ricker humbly posited. Given that Thai street food has emerged as a must-eat staple -- from Los Angeles' Night+Market to New York's Fish Cheeks and everywhere in between -- of the American dining experience, it sounds like Ricker's goal has been achieved. Pok Pok's helped America latch onto something at once familiar and completely new to them, fueling a desire to explore Thailand's food culture with increasing vigor. -- AK
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

85. Spherical Olives

Year: 2005
Restaurant: elBulli
Roses, Spain
How it happened: Blame Unilever for molecular gastronomy's best-known party trick. Developed in the 1950s, the process of spherification involves blending sodium alginate into a given liquid, which is then dropped into a solution of calcium chloride, forming a skin-thin membrane around the droplets. While it was originally intended as a drug-delivery system, it didn't enter the culinary lexicon until chef-pioneer Ferran Adrià introduced it to the elBulli kitchen, most famously in the form of trompe-l'œil olives: little globes of sieved olive juice presented plainly on a spoon. It's a throwback to a classic tapas course, but infused with the element of surprise. Simple as it seems, it was a long time in development. "The first preparation we were able to materialize with spherification was spherical pea ravioli. We chose this name because the sensation in the mouth was precisely that of a liquid ravioli," Ferran and his brother Albert wrote on their website. It took two years of R&D before the famed olives appeared on elBulli's menu -- and considering the splash they made, it was time well spent.
Why it's important: The olive course "made me laugh out loud," wrote British food critic A.A. Gill in his review. The olive helped propel molecular gastronomy to a respected and coveted place in the haute cooking world, with chefs tripping over themselves to learn the tricks. While the technique may have fallen out of style in recent years, elBulli's olives will forever remain the Platonic ideal of spherified food. -- MZ

86. Kale Salad

Year: 2007
Restaurant: Franny's
Brooklyn, New York
How it happened: Call it a pile of greens that ignited a revolution. Back in the mid-aughts, the only people who were crazy about bitter, hearty kale were health-food nuts, until it debuted on the menu at a popular neighborhood pizza spot on Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue. While playing with a number of raw vegetable salads, then-chef Joshua McFadden cut a bunch of kale into thin ribbons and dressed it simply with olive oil, lemon, garlic, chili flakes, pecorino Romano, and a blitz of dried bread crumbs. "Very few were accustomed to eating kale raw. At first read, it seemed kind of crazy, but once people realized that healthy tastes good, it simply spread," Franny's co-owner Francine Stephens said. That's putting it mildly: After a 2007 write-up by The New York Times' Melissa Clark, the salad became a sensation.
Why it's important: Kale juice. Kale chips. Kale cupcakes. #KaleYeah. The humble green is now ubiquitous on our plates and on our Pinterest feeds. According to a recent article in TASTE, Whole Foods sells 9 million bunches of the green a year -- and that's just one grocery chain. You'll find kale salads on the menu at your favorite fine dining restaurant, your go-to fast-casual salad chains and yes, as of 2016, even McDonald's. -- KP
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

88. Brisket

Year: 2009
Restaurant: Franklin Barbecue
Austin, Texas
How it happened: When Aaron Franklin opened his humble BBQ joint, he wasn't trying to change the landscape: He just wanted to smoke some meat. "I suppose it's in our genetics to sit around a fire and 'ooga booga' and cook a piece of meat in a cave somewhere," he told Thrillist outside his now-iconic BBQ destination. Ooga booga he did, smoking what quickly became the most lusted-after piece of meat in the Lone Star State, drawing hours-long lines of hungry BBQ fanatics and creating Austin's most famous food destination. Now reopen after a 2017 fire, the lines persist, and waiting has become an essential part of many die-hard food lovers' bucket lists. It helps that there's one of the best pieces of meat in the known universe at the end.
Why it's important: If Texas BBQ is a religion, Aaron Franklin might as well be the young pope. Pitmasters have been manning their briskets for generations in Texas, but Franklin started cutting his meat just as internet food culture was heating up, and word traveled fast. So while he didn't put Texas BBQ on the map, Franklin serves as a beacon, one that has drawn people from all over the world, and one that has inspired a BBQ boom that has spanned well beyond Texas. "Now there's BBQ everywhere. It's just salt, pepper, meat, and fire. No big deal," Franklin said. "The internet's been a huge part of that -- people blogging about food and that kind of excitement is pretty infectious." -- AK
Photo: Franklin Barbecue

91. Carolina Gold Rice Pudding

Year: 2010
Restaurant: Husk
Charleston, South Carolina
How it happened: During the Colonial Period, coastal South Carolina, and its enormous slave population, was the country's largest producer of rice. One of the most prized varietals was Carolina Gold, a long grain rice coveted for its versatility, clean flavor, and lush texture. Over time, however, growers switched to other types of rice, nearly forgetting Carolina Gold -- until the 1990s, when passionate seed-saver Glenn Roberts revived the staple under his company Anson Mills. Roberts quickly attracted the attention of Charleston chef Sean Brock. A Virginia country boy by origin, Brock grew up immersed in agricultural tradition. Working closely with Roberts, Brock incorporated Carolina Gold into a number of dishes when he launched his restaurant, Husk, in 2010, including rice pudding. "One of the things I love about Carolina Gold Rice is its aromatic nature," Brock wrote in his cookbook, Heritage, which features a recipe for the pudding with candied kumquats. "It's floral and sweet and a natural fit for rice pudding."
Why it's important: More than a restaurant, Husk is a repository of Southern tradition: Brock collects and studies 19th-century Southern cookbooks and incorporates historical ingredients and techniques into his decidedly modern cooking. In doing so, he helps ensure that these storied dishes remain part of the cultural conversation. Stephanie Burt of The Southern Fork podcast, who calls Husk's rice pudding iconic, said of its star ingredient: "This is the rice that Charleston was built on. So you're really tasting history on the plate." -- LR
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

92. The Double Down

Year: 2010
Restaurant: KFC
Louisville, Kentucky
How it happened: The Double Down arrived in our lives not with a whimper, but a bang that reverberated through the internet... and in many cases, our own stomachs. Reports and rumors of the stunt-tastic cheese and bacon sandwich that swapped fried chicken patties for bread had been seeping through food blogs and national outlets for years during its testing phase, but in the spring of 2010, the Double Down was officially unleashed, and people went bonkers. John Linn of the Palm Beach New Times said people were both "incensed" and "enticed" by the sandwich's egregiousness. One think piece-happy conservative blogger even tried to chalk its existence up to the Recession. At any rate, KFC certainly snubbed their finger-lickin' noses at any and all semblance of health consciousness, and pulled out every stop in their breaded arsenal to facilitate a food moment that would create an unprecedented amount of buzz.
Why it's important: The amount of sheer public outcry and light-hearted outrage alone is one of the most memorable (and influential) moments of fast food history this century. It helped create a subset of food stunting that KFC may not have perfected, but certainly lubricated with their gut-busting Frankenfood. David Cho, writing for The Awl, might have said it best: "America, we did it! We, like the Double Down, are pretty much exactly what people think we are." The Double Down is an unapologetic masterstroke in junk food hedonism... and more importantly, a media-stirring publicity behemoth between two slices of fried chicken. And honestly, it did taste pretty good, too. Just admit it. -- WF

93. Meat Fruit

Year: 2011
Restaurant: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
London, England
How it happened: Chicken liver and foie gras mousse is a recipe that dates back centuries, so when chef Ashley Palmer-Watts and Heston Blumenthal thought about adding it to the menu, they knew they had to find a way to make it modern. "We always start looking backwards at history and take inspiration from that," Palmer-Watts said. "It sparks an idea and it ties into something that we think might work." What Blumenthal and his team came up with is a three-day process of making chicken liver mousse, encasing it in mandarin jelly, and serving it on a wooden board with a slice of perfectly grilled bread. "So here comes a glossy bright-orange mandarin on a wooden board, complete with dimpled skin. But it turns out to be a ball of the softest chicken liver parfait you have ever eaten, with a subtle zing of citrus to its gel peel," wrote Jay Rayner, the food critic for The Guardian in 2011.
Why it's important: The meat fruit dish shows old school dishes can be updated using new techniques and diners can still be surprised by the dishes that they thought they knew. At a time where molecular gastronomy had been eschewed in favor of wood-fired stoves, open kitchens, and tables sans white tablecloths, the meat fruit dish showed that there's still a place for highly technical dishes. "This one item - it is barely a dish - is destined to become a culinary icon," Jay Rayner said in his review of the restaurant. The impact of this dish can be seen on menus all over the world, including Eleven Madison Park's foie gras and cabbage dish meant to look like a head of purple cabbage sliced into quarters. -- KW

95. Mapo Tofu

Year: 2012
Restaurant: Mission Chinese
San Francisco, California
How it happened: Danny Bowien was thinking about giving up cooking entirely until he had his first bite of real Sichuan mapo tofu. So, fittingly, it was the first dish he wanted to crack when Mission Chinese was opening in San Francisco. Without the aid of a mentor or YouTube video tutorials on how to make it, Bowien parlayed techniques he learned from his background in an Italian kitchen -- the base was a Bolognese -- into a 33-ingredient behemoth of a recipe that he would tweak incessantly. "After a while, it was too much to deal with, so we started taking away steps," Bowien said, "mostly because we were getting really busy so there wasn't as much time to nerd out on it." Today, it's been pared down and streamlined into 12 ingredients.
Why it's important: Along with a multitude of contributing factors, including other singular MCF dishes like kung pao pastrami and thrice-cooked bacon, Bowien's mapo tofu became a polarizing talking point that rocketed the restaurant from a cool place to eat to a three-locations-and-a-TV-show institution. On Bowien's season of Mind of a Chef, he cooks a version of his mapo tofu with lamb for a small consortium of renowned Chinese chefs who resoundingly approve of his non-traditional take. It's unforgettable experiencing the first searing, deep red spoonful packed with Sichuan peppercorns that tingle and numb your lips and tongue, and to this day, it remains a signature dish for Mission Chinese. "I would love to be remembered as breaking away from fine dining and for making food that isn't the most comfortable or safe, like our Sichuan mapo tofu," Bowien said. "Food is sometimes uncomfortable to eat, and that's how I feel about cooking and what it should do." -- LB
Photo: Mission Chinese

97. Doritos Locos Taco

Year: 2012
Restaurant: Taco Bell
Irvine, California
How it happened: In 2009, as the chain approached its 50th anniversary, CEO Greg Creed issued a modest challenge to his team: reinvent the crunchy taco just in time for the half-century celebration in 2012. From day one, a singular idea from their initial brainstorming session -- seemingly hatched from the mind of a stoned teenager with too much time and a well-stocked pantry -- stood out. And while the concept of using a giant Dorito as a taco shell was immediately appealing, logistically it was an R&D nightmare. It took over 40 iterations before they augmented the chip's DNA enough to land the right level of crunch, strength, and tactile cheese dust. But, as we all know, they nailed it. The DLT was not only a successful experiment, selling millions of units within the first week of release, it helped increase Taco Bell's overall sales numbers by 13% in just one year.
Why it's important: Don't call it a "stunt food." If anything, call it the stunt food. The Doritos Locos Taco helped redefine how the company innovates its menu, and raised the cheese dust-covered bar for every other fast food brand looking to make a splash with an eye-popping menu aberration or cross-brand collaboration. "Taco Bell's Doritos Locos Tacos was an innovation that shattered the menu norm and paved the way for food and brand collaborations," said Matt Prince, ‎Sr. Manager, Public Relations & Brand Experience for Taco Bell. "At the time of launch in 2012, 15,000 jobs were created to keep up with the demand. And to this day Taco Bell has sold over 2 billion Doritos Locos Tacos." It was a well deserved birthday present for Taco Bell, and we all reaped the benefits. -- WF
Photo: Courtesy of Taco Bell

98. Cronut®

Year: 2013
Restaurant: Dominique Ansel Bakery
New York, New York
How it happened: French pastry chef Dominique Ansel ran a small and quaint bakery in New York City in 2013, and he was looking for a new pastry to add to the menu for Mother's Day. A staffer suggested he make a donut. There was just one problem: "I'm French... so I didn't have any recipes for donuts," recalled Ansel. But being French, he did have a croissant recipe, so after tinkering for a couple of months, he created the Cronut®, a flaky hybrid between the two beloved treats. The process to make a Cronut®, which is now a trademarked name, takes three full days, and Ansel changes the flavor available each month, never repeating flavors. So far, he has come up with 114 unique flavors.
Why it's important: When was the last time you saw someone line up for a pastry? When is the last time you saw someone line-up at 4am for a pastry? When was the last time you saw people line up every day for the past five years straight for a pastry? Well, all of this has happened for the Cronut®. Ansel inadvertently invented the hybrid pastry to launch all future hybrid pastries. Since the launch of the Cronut®, there have been a number of knockoffs around the world (even Dunkin' Donuts has a croissant donut on the menu). But the dessert has also unleashed the era of the stunt croissant that doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. While Ansel continues to turn out an impressive range of playful desserts across bakeries in NYC, London, and Tokyo, the Cronut® has helped him become a household name. -- K. Shah
Photo: Cole Saladino/Thrillist

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Editors: Matt Lynch & Khushbu Shah
Contributing Editor: Gabriella Gershenson
Writers: Alia Akkam, Leanne Butkovic, Wil Fulton, Gabriella Gershenson, Andy Kryza, Karen Palmer, Lauren Rothmans, Amy Schulman, Khushbu Shah, Kathleen Squires, Adina Steiman, Korsha Wilson, Matthew Zuras
Editorial Assistant: Amy Schulman
Copy Editing: Will Robinson
Motion Designers: Megan Chong & Fredy Delgado
Graphic Designers: Evan Lockhart & Maggie Rossetti
Photographer: Cole Saladino
Photo Direction: Drew Swantak
Food Styling: Ali Nardi, Perry Santanachote
Special Thanks to Kate Heddings
Additional Image Credits: Shutterstock & Getty Images

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‌ ost restaurant dishes are bound to be forgotten. Delicious, sure, but still consumed in a fleeting moment of hunger and then lost in the parade of unremarkable meals to follow. Sometimes a meal is memorable enough that you crave it long after the plates are cleared.

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New-York Historical Society Civic Season 2021 x Made By Us

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New-York Historical Society Civic Season 2021 x Made By Us

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Smithsonian Magazine: "A New Summer Tradition, a Three-Week ‘Civic Season,’ Asks Americans to Reflect on the Past and Future"

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Smithsonian Magazine: "A New Summer Tradition, a Three-Week ‘Civic Season,’ Asks Americans to Reflect on the Past and Future"

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In a dimly lit gallery at the National Museum of American History resides one of the Smithsonian's marquee artifacts, the Star-Spangled Banner. To protect the 30-foot by 34-foot, 200-year-old American flag, visitors may not take photographs and the chamber is pressurized and equipped with 24-hour temperature and humidity sensors. This much-loved relic flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry to celebrate the end of the 25-hour British siege on September 13, 1814. Its appearance that morning, as the British ships fled the harbor, would inspire Francis Scott Key-a lawyer and slaveholder -to scribble the lyrics that would later become the national anthem. The gigantic banner is an impressive sight for the millions of annual museum visitors, but it's only one exhibition in a museum filled with other artifacts that impart the rich, complex narrative of the American story.

And that full history of the country-and how it might inform what citizens want for the future-is the focus of a new national tradition in the making. Civic Season, a three-week period that stretches from Flag Day on June 14 through the Fourth of July, and includes Juneteenth and Pride Month, is a new initiative arising from a broad coalition of museums and non-profit organizations. The project aims to ask Americans, and young people in particular, to stretch the usual bounds of the red-white-and-blue festivities to include a new mission of reflection and civic engagement.

Through online resources as well as in-person exhibitions and events nationwide, the Civic Season offers "a chance to look back at this full story of how we got here, all the people and movements and moments that shaped the country that we now inhabit," says the museum's Caroline Klibanoff, who is the managing director of the civics-meets-history coalition Made by Us. "It reminds us that going forward, we are a part of that continuum. What we do today really matters to shape the next chapter."

Spearheaded by Made by Us along with Civics Unplugged, the project is focused on 18- to 30-year-olds-a demographic museums often struggle to connect with-and helping them activate in the democratic process. This age range also coincides with when young people first wield civic power through voting.

"We started to pick up on a sentiment among young people, that they really had a lot of conflicted feelings around July 4th as just a wholesale celebration of the country," says Klibanoff. "We heard an eagerness to do more with that holiday to lean into the history and lean into the opportunities for civic engagement." So, out of this need, Civic Season was born.

Civic Season is meant to be activity-based; its organizers hope this will be the first of many annual observances during which Americans make time to learn about our democracy's past and then take steps to work toward the future they want, in the same way that Giving Tuesday marks a time where people all participate in the shared activity of charitable giving. To guide celebrants, the Civic Season website features a roster of 450 educational resources and events, an impressive pooling of museum resources in a publicly accessible way. "No matter if you have five minutes or an hour, whether you're interested in racial justice or climate change, or whether you prefer to, you know, stream a podcast or attend a live event, there's something for you to do," says Klibanoff.

Contributed by organizations across the country, the online and in-person offerings range from the "Seizing Freedom" podcast, which recounts the end of slavery in the U.S. through the archived words of African American people who lived through that history; livestreamed lectures and a walking tour about LGBTQ history; oral histories of students who attended segregated schools; an exhibition from the Museum of Chinese in America that allows viewers to virtually walk through the gallery; and opportunities to help transcribe suffragist documents.

The variety of Civic Season programming also attests to history's complexities and contradictions. There are patriotic celebrations of country and service like a from the half-day tour about the "Forgotten Women of Arlington National Cemetery" or attending a naturalization ceremony at Monticello, while making space for clear-viewed acknowledgement that the nation's history also includes travesties like the Freedom Summer murders of June 21, 1964 and colonization. (The Civic Season site highlights, for instance, a virtual exhibtion online citizenship quiz Albuquerque Museum about Indigenous resistance in New Mexico.) Alongside the historical events and resources are nonpartisan political participation offerings, like a "Constituent Guide to Contacting Your Representative" and an from the New York Historical Society.

"As we're celebrating July 4th, you can still have a hot dog," Klibanoff says. "It only becomes a stronger celebration and more meaningful celebration of country if you are aware of and acknowledge all of the many moments that have shaped our history...We tend to celebrate July Fourth as a victory. In many ways it was, but it was really the middle of a story."

To reach out to Gen Z and Millennials, Civic Season went digital-friendly, creating graphics for participants to share on Instagram, organizing conversations on the buzzy audio social network Clubhouse, and enlisting young activists like Jamie Margolin and Sara Mora to spread the word about the new tradition. And the many digital-first offerings on the Civic Season website make its humanities treasure trove more accessible to people who may not live near a museum, so long as they have internet and personal computer access.

The 21-day period offers a chance to look at the linkage between the lessons in museums and our day-to-day experiences head-on. "We all know that the past exists, but this Civic Season helps us think more instead of just taking the past for granted-asking how and why it informs our present day," says Modupe Labode, a National Museum of American History curator who focuses on African American social justice history. "Keeping the historical dimension in mind is somewhat like keeping gravity in mind," she explains-it's at play all around us.

And while the weight of history can be daunting, Labode says examining the past also can provide inspiration. She cites the resistance of enslaved people and suffragist's fight to secure women the vote even when they themselves had no political voice as examples of how individuals can affect change even when confronted with deeply entrenched obstacles. History also offers examples of individual civic engagement and celebration, Labode points out, activists like Georgia Gilmore, who helped to feed and fund the Montgomery bus boycotters, or the African American people who hosted community picnics-pre-Civil War-to rejoice over the end of slavery in the West Indies.

"I was kind of just in awe of people in the past [and] their imagination to say, 'I want something different. I want something better. I want to build on this and make something better.' That's worth acknowledging, and then working in that vein," Labode says. Civic Season is about taking stock of our national history-stars and stripes, sins and successes-and then using it as a launching pad to move forward.

The Civic Season 2021 is June 14-July 5. Browse the ways to commemorate this first Civic Season on its .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A New Summer Tradition, a Three-Week 'Civic Season,' Asks Americans to Reflect on the Past and Future

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In a dimly lit gallery at the National Museum of American History resides one of the Smithsonian's marquee artifacts, the Star-Spangled Banner. To protect the 30-foot by 34-foot, 200-year-old American flag, visitors may not take photographs and the chamber is pressurized and equipped with 24-hour temperature and humidity sensors.

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Civic Season at The Library of Virginia x Made By Us

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Civic Season at The Library of Virginia x Made By Us

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The Library of Virginia partners with Made by Us for Civic Season! Learn more here.

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American Association for State and Local History Blog: "How Civic Season can Help History Organizations Serve the Next Generation"

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American Association for State and Local History Blog: "How Civic Season can Help History Organizations Serve the Next Generation"

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The American Association for State and Local History is a partner of Made By Us, an initiative of history and civics organizations to inspire, inform, and empower Millennials and Gen Z as they shape our country's future. In this post, Cameron Katz, community engagement manager, explains how history organizations can get involved in the Civic Season, a new tradition created by Made By Us.
By Cameron Katz, Community Engagement Manager, Made By Us

As new voters, taxpayers, activists, and consumers, young people have an extraordinary influence on our democracy, and they need support from history organizations to make an informed impact. As the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University has found, young people have the potential to determine this year's congressional elections. But civic engagement extends beyond voting - it can include everything from helping a neighbor to recycling to advocating for a cause - and young people are engaging in these other ways too.

So how can local and state history organizations support young people who are already politically active? What can museums and historic sites do to encourage more young people to get involved?

It's simple: let's join forces on a new tradition that makes use of our strengths to meet their needs. And it can start this summer, with Civic Season.

While Gen-Z and Millennials have already leveraged social media to discuss important cultural, political, economic, and societal issues, history organizations can provide the essential context behind today's hot topics. Most importantly, a shared moment, co-created by young people and museums, can build trust and encourage collaboration - which is exactly what we need to preserve our democracy.

Enter Civic Season, a new tradition between Juneteenth and July 4th that invites 18-30 year olds to celebrate what they stand for. Hosted by Made By Us and cultural institutions across the country, Civic Season aggregates hundreds of credible, nonpartisan programs and resources that can help people explore, learn, and act. It's a way for young people to connect with others who share their passions and find joy in the work they're doing.

Civic Season makes it easy for history organizations to join in:

By accumulating programs and resources from organizations across the country, the Civic Season starts a conversation between institutions and 18-30 year olds. Organizations can learn how to serve young people, and young people can appreciate history institutions as tools to navigate the world.

Furthermore, museums can use their authority to help young people share their ideas. Museums are the most trusted sources for historical information among Americans, so history institutions can use this legitimacy to amplify the voices of young people and demonstrate that America's youth is passionate and informed.

Civic Season is also the perfect channel to lead into election season in the fall. As 18-30 year olds become more influential in our elections, Civic Season can ensure that young voters know which issues are important to them, understand the history behind those issues, and have the confidence to speak their minds.

Whether a young person is just beginning their civic journey or is already involved, Civic Season can provide a platform for anyone to share what they stand for with our country's history organizations and our nation. Together, young people and our institutions can forge a path forward towards a country by and for all.

For more information on participating in Civic Season and submitting your programs, visit thecivicseason.com.

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How Civic Season Can Help History Organizations Serve the Next Generation

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The American Association for State and Local History is a partner of Made By Us, an initiative of history and civics organizations to inspire, inform, and empower Millennials and Gen Z as they shape our country's future. In this post, Cameron Katz, community engagement

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Thomas Jefferson Monticello: Civic Season 2023 x Made By Us 

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Thomas Jefferson Monticello: Civic Season 2023 x Made By Us 

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Join us for a live sneak peek and Q&A with Monticello and Made By Us representatives on Civic Season, the three-week, nationwide celebration and exploration of American history from Juneteenth to the 4th of July.

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Civic Nebraska will serve as the fiscal agent and distribute the funding at the discretion of the Community Builder Coalition, a group of community builders and organizers from local organizations developed out of Prosper Lincoln's Strong Neighborhoods initiative.

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This Civic Season - from Juneteenth to Independence Day - let's celebrate the story of America and rededicate ourselves to our nation's founding creed.

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Return to your favorite museums with Airbnb Experiences and Made By Us

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As guests return to cities, Airbnb and Made By Us have curated a wishlist of new Airbnb Experiences, to help travelers plan their visits to museums, theatres, archives and more.

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My Wish For U.S.: What's your wish for America's future?

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Made By Us x Teen Vogue: Overlooked History.

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Made By Us x Teen Vogue: Overlooked History.

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Get the latest on Overlooked History from Teen Vogue. Find articles, slideshows and more.

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Smithsonian Magazine: Civic Season  2021.

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Smithsonian Magazine: Civic Season  2021.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In a dimly lit gallery at the National Museum of American History resides one of the Smithsonian's marquee artifacts, the Star-Spangled Banner. To protect the 30-foot by 34-foot, 200-year-old American flag, visitors may not take photographs and the chamber is pressurized and equipped with 24-hour temperature and humidity sensors. This much-loved relic flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry to celebrate the end of the 25-hour British siege on September 13, 1814. Its appearance that morning, as the British ships fled the harbor, would inspire Francis Scott Key-a lawyer and slaveholder -to scribble the lyrics that would later become the national anthem. The gigantic banner is an impressive sight for the millions of annual museum visitors, but it's only one exhibition in a museum filled with other artifacts that impart the rich, complex narrative of the American story.

And that full history of the country-and how it might inform what citizens want for the future-is the focus of a new national tradition in the making. Civic Season, a three-week period that stretches from Flag Day on June 14 through the Fourth of July, and includes Juneteenth and Pride Month, is a new initiative arising from a broad coalition of museums and non-profit organizations. The project aims to ask Americans, and young people in particular, to stretch the usual bounds of the red-white-and-blue festivities to include a new mission of reflection and civic engagement.

Through online resources as well as in-person exhibitions and events nationwide, the Civic Season offers "a chance to look back at this full story of how we got here, all the people and movements and moments that shaped the country that we now inhabit," says the museum's Caroline Klibanoff, who is the managing director of the civics-meets-history coalition Made by Us. "It reminds us that going forward, we are a part of that continuum. What we do today really matters to shape the next chapter."

Spearheaded by Made by Us along with Civics Unplugged, the project is focused on 18- to 30-year-olds-a demographic museums often struggle to connect with-and helping them activate in the democratic process. This age range also coincides with when young people first wield civic power through voting.

"We started to pick up on a sentiment among young people, that they really had a lot of conflicted feelings around July 4th as just a wholesale celebration of the country," says Klibanoff. "We heard an eagerness to do more with that holiday to lean into the history and lean into the opportunities for civic engagement." So, out of this need, Civic Season was born.

Civic Season is meant to be activity-based; its organizers hope this will be the first of many annual observances during which Americans make time to learn about our democracy's past and then take steps to work toward the future they want, in the same way that Giving Tuesday marks a time where people all participate in the shared activity of charitable giving. To guide celebrants, the Civic Season website features a roster of 450 educational resources and events, an impressive pooling of museum resources in a publicly accessible way. "No matter if you have five minutes or an hour, whether you're interested in racial justice or climate change, or whether you prefer to, you know, stream a podcast or attend a live event, there's something for you to do," says Klibanoff.

Contributed by organizations across the country, the online and in-person offerings range from the "Seizing Freedom" podcast, which recounts the end of slavery in the U.S. through the archived words of African American people who lived through that history; livestreamed lectures and a walking tour about LGBTQ history; oral histories of students who attended segregated schools; an exhibition from the Museum of Chinese in America that allows viewers to virtually walk through the gallery; and opportunities to help transcribe suffragist documents.

The variety of Civic Season programming also attests to history's complexities and contradictions. There are patriotic celebrations of country and service like a from the half-day tour about the "Forgotten Women of Arlington National Cemetery" or attending a naturalization ceremony at Monticello, while making space for clear-viewed acknowledgement that the nation's history also includes travesties like the Freedom Summer murders of June 21, 1964 and colonization. (The Civic Season site highlights, for instance, a virtual exhibtion online citizenship quiz Albuquerque Museum about Indigenous resistance in New Mexico.) Alongside the historical events and resources are nonpartisan political participation offerings, like a "Constituent Guide to Contacting Your Representative" and an from the New York Historical Society.

"As we're celebrating July 4th, you can still have a hot dog," Klibanoff says. "It only becomes a stronger celebration and more meaningful celebration of country if you are aware of and acknowledge all of the many moments that have shaped our history...We tend to celebrate July Fourth as a victory. In many ways it was, but it was really the middle of a story."

To reach out to Gen Z and Millennials, Civic Season went digital-friendly, creating graphics for participants to share on Instagram, organizing conversations on the buzzy audio social network Clubhouse, and enlisting young activists like Jamie Margolin and Sara Mora to spread the word about the new tradition. And the many digital-first offerings on the Civic Season website make its humanities treasure trove more accessible to people who may not live near a museum, so long as they have internet and personal computer access.

The 21-day period offers a chance to look at the linkage between the lessons in museums and our day-to-day experiences head-on. "We all know that the past exists, but this Civic Season helps us think more instead of just taking the past for granted-asking how and why it informs our present day," says Modupe Labode, a National Museum of American History curator who focuses on African American social justice history. "Keeping the historical dimension in mind is somewhat like keeping gravity in mind," she explains-it's at play all around us.

And while the weight of history can be daunting, Labode says examining the past also can provide inspiration. She cites the resistance of enslaved people and suffragist's fight to secure women the vote even when they themselves had no political voice as examples of how individuals can affect change even when confronted with deeply entrenched obstacles. History also offers examples of individual civic engagement and celebration, Labode points out, activists like Georgia Gilmore, who helped to feed and fund the Montgomery bus boycotters, or the African American people who hosted community picnics-pre-Civil War-to rejoice over the end of slavery in the West Indies.

"I was kind of just in awe of people in the past [and] their imagination to say, 'I want something different. I want something better. I want to build on this and make something better.' That's worth acknowledging, and then working in that vein," Labode says. Civic Season is about taking stock of our national history-stars and stripes, sins and successes-and then using it as a launching pad to move forward.

The Civic Season 2021 is June 14-July 5. Browse the ways to commemorate this first Civic Season on its .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A New Summer Tradition, a Three-Week 'Civic Season,' Asks Americans to Reflect on the Past and Future

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In a dimly lit gallery at the National Museum of American History resides one of the Smithsonian's marquee artifacts, the Star-Spangled Banner. To protect the 30-foot by 34-foot, 200-year-old American flag, visitors may not take photographs and the chamber is pressurized and equipped with 24-hour temperature and humidity sensors.

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Chicago History Museum: Civic Season 2023.

# data[].attributes.subject
Chicago History Museum: Civic Season 2023.

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Events:
Civic Sundays
Juneteenth Kickoff
Independence Day Event (Free Admission to Museum)

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Civic Season at CHM - Chicago History Museum

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This summer, CHM is reimagining our celebrations, together. Instead of one commemorative event on Independence Day, CHM will be presenting our own "Civic Season" in partnership with Made By Us.

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Thomas Jefferson Monticello: Civic Season 2022 Recap.

# data[].attributes.subject
Thomas Jefferson Monticello: Civic Season 2022 Recap.

# data[].attributes.body
Events:
Feast of Reason

Juneteenth Event
Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony
Civic Season Digital Content

Live Q&A: Civic Season 2022

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Civic Season at Monticello is a series of events, programs, and digital activations hosted during a time that inspires Americans to be active participants in democracy, invite others into the conversation, reflect on history and our vision for the country, and stand up for what they believe in.

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Events:
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display
JUNETEENTH Celebration in the Healdsburg Plaza
Oakland First Fridays
SAN FRANCISCO: “The City Is The Campus”
The Last Hoisan Poets: A Tribute to Hung Liu
Film Screening: A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks

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From Juneteenth to the 4th of July, we invite you to participate in the second annual #CivicSeason through self-guided public art visits in San Francisco, as well as in-person and online events that invite civic engagement through the arts.

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Events:
Civic Season Photo Contest

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The Heinz History Center is inviting young people in Western Pa. to share and celebrate what they stand for as part of the second annual Civic Season, held in partnership with the Made By Us coalition.

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Atlanta History Center: Guide to an ATL Civic Season.

# data[].attributes.subject
Atlanta History Center: Guide to an ATL Civic Season.

# data[].attributes.body
Events:
Juneteenth at Atlanta History Center
A Slice of History: Civic Season Kickoff at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Civic Season is a nationwide celebration spanning Juneteenth to July 4 th that encourages historically-informed civic engagement by the inheritors of our democracy. More than 400 organizations across the country have created thousands of events, activities, and resources that focus on helping participants discover their place in the American story. Atlanta History Center is on the Steering Committee of the Made By Us coalition, the organizer of Civic Season, and also presents our annual Juneteenth program as part of our Civic Season.

What will your summer look like? Read on for suggestions about how to get involved in Civic Season-but first! Do you know your Civic Superpower? Take the quiz to discover your superpower and get advice on which types of events and activities might appeal most to your interests and skills.

Looking to celebrate your Civic Season in person? Look no further than Made By Us member organizations right here in Atlanta: Atlanta History Center and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Sunday, June 18th, 10am-4pm

Join us as we celebrate Juneteenth 2023 (and Father's Day) by honoring the history of Black genealogy and agricultural practices. This year's event features something for everyone- live music, powerful storytelling, interactive crafts, and delicious food. Our workshops and talks will provide valuable insights into the history of Juneteenth and offer tips on how to research your family tree and preserve family artifacts. Bring the entire family and mark this important occasion with us for this free event.

Saturday, June 17th, 6-8pm

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights and Made by Us are hosting a Slice of History, a meet-up for young adults ages 18-30, to kick off Civic Season 2023. The event features free pizza, drinks, a live DJ, and a trip back to the past to discover some lesser-known parts of history through a history scavenger hunt. Y2k attire is highly encouraged.

Being an active participant in your community is more than just voting (though, voting is a great way to participate!) History can help inform and contextualize our current moment by providing information to explain how we got here and give us valuable information to make future decisions. Learning about each of our personal stories can also help us better relate to our families and communities, inspiring us to be more involved. At Atlanta History Center, our digital storytelling department produces a variety of content designed to tell undertold stories and encourage curiosity and perspective-a perfect way to celebrate Civic Season.

Here are our top picks of AHC Originals for the summer:

Explore the controversial history of the Stone Mountain carving through online resources and a documentary film.

Viola Ross Napier and Bessie Kempton Crowell made history as the first women to hold elected office in Georgia. As legislators they faced opposition and a political ceiling that made their journey difficult. Despite this, Napier and Kempton Crowell left a lasting legacy visible even today.

At the end of the Civil War, millions of enslaved people living in the United States became free. "Freedom Across Georgia" explores the experiences of six formerly enslaved people from Georgia and their individual stories of freedom.

Learn about iconic artifacts from the African American regiments during the Civil War who fought for freedom and to restore the Union, risking their lives or re-enslavement in the process.

With all of the hustle and bustle of daily life, it's important to stop and take time to reflect and recharge-including on your civic journey. Luckily, Goizueta Gardens at Atlanta History Center offer the perfect place to do that. Spending time in nature is hugely beneficial to health and wellbeing. While at Goizueta Gardens, you'll also have the opportunity to spend time in intentionally curated outdoor spaces that directly tie to Georgia's history, including through native plant collections, formal gardens reflective of horticultural traditions, heirloom agricultural plants, walking trails through secondary growth forests, and more. If visiting Goizueta Gardens inspires you to think about how you can more responsibly steward your local environment as part of your civic duty, check out these resources on composting and other green practices.

While reflecting on your civic journey, do certain individuals come to mind who are worthy of recognition? Points of Light, headquartered in Atlanta, offers the opportunity to nominate an individual for their Honor Roll as part of their Civic Season.

Looking for More?

Did you know that Civic Season has an official podcast? Check out Democracy Vibe Check, produced by Atlanta's own NPR station, WABE, for nationwide conversations about Civic Season, and the opportunity to contribute your own ideas to the conversation.

Even if you're not in Atlanta, or unable to make it to the in-person events, there are still many ways to celebrate your civic season online or in other cities. To get a full list of events, visit thecivicseason.com to filter by location or by virtual options. You can make your own curated list of activities and events and get inspired by the Civic Season guides who offer their top picks.

What will your story be this summer? We look forward to seeing how all of Atlanta's Civic Superheroes make the most of Civic Season 2023.

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Your Guide to an ATL Civic Season | Atlanta History Center

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Civic Season is a nationwide celebration spanning Juneteenth to July 4th that encourages historically-informed civic engagement by the inheritors of our democracy. Atlanta History Center is on the Steering Committee of the Made By Us coalition, the organizer of Civic Season, and also presents our annual Juneteenth program as part of our Civic Season.

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Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown: Civic Season Programs/Activities.

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Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown: Civic Season Programs/Activities.

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Events:
Civic Season Community Food Drive
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: “Trivial” Moments in History
Community and You

Liberty Celebration

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Civic Season | Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, VA

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National Archives Foundation: Civic Season 2023 Discover Your Story.

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National Archives Foundation: Civic Season 2023 Discover Your Story.

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Events:
Juneteenth Family Day
Gen Z and Civic Engagement: A Conversation with Congressman Matthew Frost and Journalist Soledad O’Brien
National Treasure Hunt: One Step Short of Crazy
July 4th at the National Archives

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Civic Season 2023: Discover Your Story - National Archives Foundation

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Gen Z is engaged and civically active, but they don't always seek out legacy institutions. That's why Made By Us, a coalition of over 300 historic sites, institutions, and museums, co-created Civic Season with members of Gen Z. Between our ...

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Harriet Beecher Stowe House: Slice of History Civic Season Event.

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Harriet Beecher Stowe House: Slice of History Civic Season Event.

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Want a Slice of History? - Ohio History Connection

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Grab a slice with friends and explore a bite-sized walking tour of 5 Walnut Hills historic markers. You'll never see the neighborhood the same way again. Starts and ends at the at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, 2950 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45206. Free Fireside Pizza for first 20 participants.

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Watch These 9 Documentaries to Get Inspire to Live Your Best Civic Life

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Watch These 9 Documentaries to Get Inspire to Live Your Best Civic Life

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Especially watching the Social Dilemma was fascinating for me. Though I can recommend all the movies from this list

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Points of Light regularly explores ways you can lead a more civically engaged life, from volunteering to donating to using your purchase power wisely.

The Points of Light Civic Circle is a framework that was designed to help individuals connect to opportunities and understand that doing good comes in many forms. The Civic Circle represents your unique power as an individual or organization to lead, lend support and take action for causes you care about.

Since a big part of being civically engaged is being informed, we're offering nine interesting, must-see documentaries that will educate, inspire and stay with you as you continue on your own journey to make the world a better place.
Note: As these documentaries are capturing real situations and circumstances from across the globe, viewers may find some scenes to be graphic or disturbing. Parents and caregivers, we recommend being mindful to screen these films first before showing them to children.
This incredible documentary has won more than 60 international film festival honors. It challenges each of us to consider whether what we're contributing could actually be part of a big problem that has developed in the world of philanthropy. With over 200 interviews filmed in 20 countries, the film will empower you to donate your dollars, goods and time more consciously.

When this film was released on Netflix, it became one of the most-viewed documentaries the streaming network had seen. In a world where many people are receiving the bulk of their information via social media, which, unlike credible news media or peer-reviewed publications, isn't vetted by experts. This film gives some great insight into how this phenomenon is shaping public opinion.

Fashion can be a fun and unique way to express oneself, but "fast fashion" has devastated many critical cause areas, including the environment and workers' rights. This film documents the lives of real people around the world living in poverty and war-torn areas, who make clothes for the world's fashion. It will have you thinking twice about doing your research on clothing brands you support and how to spend your dollar in a way that supports sustainable fashion.

This film, narrated by Annette Bening, has garnered accolades too numerous to count. It dives into the nearly six decades of the trials and transformations of this agency through stories from its incredible host country nationals, Peace Corps Volunteers and staff, as well as scholars and journalists.

This fascinating documentary will not only help you understand the concept of social entrepreneurship but also follows the journeys of three Millennial changemakers who are prioritizing meaning and purpose above financial considerations. You'll finish this film feeling inspired by how entrepreneurial-minded people are using their skills to find creative ways to solve some of the world's toughest issues.

Tune into this intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis, following his life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism, from the bold teenager on the front lines of the Civil Rights movement to the legislative powerhouse he was throughout his career.

It will leave you feeling empowered in your right to vote in every eligible election and championing the right for all people to vote.

When it comes to the power of one voice to make an impact on an issue or cause area, perhaps few modern people come to mind as vividly as Greta Thunberg. This compelling documentary follows the teenage climate activist from Sweden on her international crusade to get people to listen to scientists about the world's environmental problems.

Volunteers share their time and talent with organizations working to advance the causes they care about. Volunteering is one of the best ways you can directly support the solutions to any issues that you're passionate about, but volunteering comes with responsibility too. This documentary illuminates the impact of international volunteering on local communities. If you're interested in volunteering overseas, you'll want to watch this first so that you can plan to do so consciously.

Who says that businesses and their employees can't use their for-profit work as a way to change the world for the better? Real Value is an award-winning economics documentary that interviews top leaders in the world of agriculture, apparel, insurance and biofuel. This inspiring look at what happens when businesses value the planet and its people in the same way as its profit will leave you both informed and inspired to make change in your own workplace and want to support socially-minded businesses too.

With nine documentaries highlighting nine different ways to lead a civically engaged life, we know you'll find one that speaks to your specific passions and interests. Once you've watched, tag us on social media to share your favorite, and use your new education as empowerment to get moving on the issues you care about.
This post is part of a series that highlights the many ways you can activate the Points of Light Civic Circle using various tools. Check out our last feature that focuses on nine social justice apps that will help you become more engaged today and every day.

Author(s)

Interim President and CEO

Points of Light

Diane Quest is the chief operating officer at Points of Light and has served as an executive leader with the organization since 2016. The Points of Light Board of Directors has appointed her interim President and CEO, beginning December 1. An accomplished nonprofit executive, she brings 20 years of experience in management, strategy, and external affairs, including marketing and communications, event production and experience, and partnerships. In her tenure at Points of Light, she has served in a variety of roles as a member of the executive leadership team responsible for enterprise strategy, and most recently she served as chief external affairs officer, where she was responsible for brand strategy, the annual Points of Light Conference, The George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards and Celebration, and The Daily Point of Light Award. Diane has an extensive background in strategic and crisis communications. In her previous role at MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership she successfully led a rebranding effort, a strategy that resulted in increased visibility in earned media and social media, and the doubling of registration at the organization's annual national conference. Prior to MENTOR, she was a consultant with Camino Public Relations, a boutique firm with a focus on social justice nonprofit clients. She served at The Pew Charitable Trusts as the communications manager for a jointly sponsored advocacy project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Prior to her work at Pew, Diane was the national media director at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She managed the development and implementation of media relations campaigns to advance the mission of the $1 billion reproductive health care and advocacy organization. In addition to her nonprofit work, Diane also has experience working within the federal government. She was the media and legislative affairs liaison for the inspector general at the U.S. Department of State. Before entering the field of communications and public relations, she was a television journalist. She has a Master of Arts in political science from American University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Watch These 9 Documentaries to Get Inspire to Live Your Best Civic Life - Thrive Global

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Since a big part of being civically engaged is being informed, we're offering nine interesting, must-see documentaries that will educate, inspire and stay with you as you continue on your own journey to make the world a better place.

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Gen Z, Millennials Stand Out for Climate Change Activism, Social Media Engagement With Issue

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Gen Z, Millennials Stand Out for Climate Change Activism, Social Media Engagement With Issue

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https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/05/26/gen-z-millennials-stand-out-for-climate-change-activism-social-media-engagement-with-issue/

Gen-Z doesn't limit itself to online engagement. I find it interesting how the rhetoric around Gen-Z so often emphasizes a lack of real-world activism. Yet we see how when it's about issues that matter to this generation, their engagement clearly stands out!

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Meaningful Citizen Engagement in Urban Planning

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Meaningful Citizen Engagement in Urban Planning

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The article emphasizes the importance of meaningful citizen engagement in urban planning processes. It highlights how involving citizens in decision-making can lead to more inclusive and effective outcomes for cities. We see various methods and approaches that enable citizens to participate actively in urban planning, such as participatory budgeting, citizen advisory committees, and digital platforms for feedback and collaboration. Again, this is a foreign article but I thought it was cool to see how civic engagement is linked to seemingly distant fields like Urban Planning.

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A key part of democracy at the local level is providing citizens with the opportunity to take action on the issues that are important to them. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the area of urban planning. When planning processes meaningfully take into account community perspectives, local governments can better focus on local priorities, ensure that services meet local needs, and build a sense of shared ownership of valuable local assets.

In contrast, where local communities are excluded from these processes and key planning decisions are made behind closed doors, communities can feel alienated and quickly lose trust in their local elected leaders.

On behalf of the Northern Ireland Open Government Network, I documented this in the case of two large scale development proposals, one in Newry Mourne and Down District Council and one in Mid Ulster District Council (Northern Ireland). In both cases, the local governments carried out robust consultation exercises with the community but at a time when decisions had already been made and significant funds had already been invested. As a result, strong opposition to key elements of the proposals that emerged from the consultation processes had little influence over the projects.

For example, in the case of Mid Ulster, despite receiving more than 1300 letters of objection to the business park proposal, with many residents preferring to see the high school grounds transformed into a local park, the local government approved the proposal on the basis that it did not conflict with the existing planning policies or other "material considerations". In the case of Newry, despite the widely expressed view among consultees that plans to build a new set of local government offices as part of the local council's regeneration programme was the lowest priority, the offices remain the key focus of the government's plans. These cases are symptomatic of a planning system that prioritizes economic growth and private interests above community needs or environmental sustainability. Considering the ongoing planning reform efforts and collaboration between government and civil society, our could help catalyze a constructive dialogue at the local level about what short term improvements could be made, as well as addressing the need for systemic reform.
What does meaningful citizen engagement look like?
While the experience of the two districts of Northern Ireland provides a cautionary tale, my other research on open government approaches at the local level provides an illustration of the potential of proactive citizen engagement initiatives in urban planning.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, for example, has introduced a dynamic urban map of the city to help build awareness of the new urban code and planning regulations among citizens living in the area and incorporated user experiences into improvements to the public cycling system in the city resulting in a tenfold increase in the use of bicycles between 2009 and 2020.

In Kaduna State, Nigeria, the government's "Eyes and Ears" project has enabled citizens to provide feedback on the quality of government projects and services, allowing the government to better prioritize spending. The share of infrastructure projects completed on time has increased significantly as a result, and contractors are blacklisted based on citizens' reports of unsatisfactory work.

Both Austin, U.S. and Paris, France have involved citizens in the development of their city's climate plan and in addressing homelessness. Austin included the perspective of people experiencing homelessness throughout the contracting process of the Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC).

Paris established a "Solidarity Factory" as a space to facilitate exchanges between citizens and government representatives on issues related to solidarity, homelessness, and COVID-19.

These experiences offer a set of lessons on what needs to be in place to ensure that citizen engagement efforts are meaningful and have more chance of contributing positively to local democracy:

Open government initiatives that address salient problems that are directly relevant to the day-to-day experiences of citizens (such as those that involve citizens in urban planning) are likely to have greater reach and impact and get more traction and support from senior officials and politicians.

Engaging local communities early is essential, especially at an initial planning stage to let citizens shape the planning vision for their local areas. As the Northern Ireland cases illustrate, citizen input should be sought early on enough to help shape proposals before key decisions have been made. Consultation processes should play a key role throughout the decision-making process.

Embedding government feedback and reasoned response Ongoing dialogue between stakeholders during the development of an OGP action plan is critical to the plan's success. Specifically, communicating back to stakeholders the ideas received and decision... into engagement efforts is critical for these initiatives to gain legitimacy. Where citizens are offered opportunities to monitor government activities, provide feedback on government proposals, or submit complaints, it is essential that the government provides a clear response, closes the feedback loop and demonstrates concrete follow-up action.

Ensuring that monitoring frameworks for such efforts specifically include benchmarks and targets on the quality of community engagement and not just on the quantity of outputs (e.g. in the case of Northern Ireland, the number of planning applications processed). Measurements which focus too much on quantitative outputs are likely to create false incentives which mean that important but more difficult to quantify metrics, such as community engagement, are neglected.

As experience has shown, the government's responsibility is clear: guarantee that citizen input makes its way early into the decision-making process, communicate openly about how the input is being addressed and ensure According to OGP's Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when "government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... transparency More allowing citizens to monitor the process throughout. Meaningful citizen engagement can make a fundamental difference in how public services are provided and the results they yield. It is up to governments to make it happen.

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Meaningful Citizen Engagement in Urban Planning - Open Government Partnership

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A key part of democracy at the local level is providing citizens with the opportunity to take action on the issues that are important to them. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the area of urban planning. When planning processes meaningfully take into account community perspectives, local governments can better focus on local priorities, [...]

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Pia Mancini: How to upgrade democracy for the Internet era

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Pia Mancini: How to upgrade democracy for the Internet era

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The talk is a bit older but still has really cool perspectives on how we can adjust institutions for the modern era. Also interesting to see how similar issues exist in Argentina and around the world

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

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Pia Mancini: How to upgrade democracy for the Internet era

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Pia Mancini and her colleagues want to upgrade democracy in Argentina and beyond. Through their open-source mobile platform they want to bring citizens inside the legislative process, and run candidates who will listen to what they say.

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Photo of the filled out Civic Superpower Quiz with "Connector" checked

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The great thing about the Civic Superpowers is how interconnected they are. We need all the superpowers working together to be Civic Superheroes. I took the quiz today and felt called most to the Connector, but if I take it next week perhaps I will be a Defender, or an Amplifier in a month!

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how to amplify your voice and others: listen to a podcast

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how to amplify your voice and others: listen to a podcast

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One of my favorite podcasts is Philosophize This!, which presents a historical account of various schools of thought in the west and east and how they relate to the contemporary world. At first glance, this podcast may seem unrelated to activism; however, every time I listen to this podcast I gain a deeper understanding of the thought processes that shaped our social world today, and I begin to consider the different ways that I can engage and connect with others so that we may shape and strengthen our society!

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Listen to Philosophize This! on Spotify. A Free Podcast Dedicated To Sharing The Ideas That Shaped Our World! Beginner friendly if listened to in order! For anyone interested in an educational podcast about philosophy where you don't need to be a graduate-level philosopher to understand it.

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Is there anything more personal than family recipes? The American Heritage recipe got me thinking about my mom's Thanksgiving recipes. As an immigrant, she never grew up celebrating the holiday. This has allowed her to remix traditional recipes in ways that someone with a childhood love for stuffing might not. I feel lucky to watch her use her talents and create an American Thanksgiving, reflecting her journey.

I'd love to know if your family does anything like that for Thanksgiving! My mom's stuffing has ground lamb, spinach, and mushrooms, and it's one of my favorite meals in the world.

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5 Inspiring Quotes From Women In History

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5 Inspiring Quotes From Women In History

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqdu-NzuGf6/

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5 Environmentalists In History You Should Know!

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5 Environmentalists In History You Should Know!

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What Do You Think Every American Should Know?

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What Do You Think Every American Should Know?

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We are crowdsourcing ideas from a wide range of Americans by asking the following question: What are 10 terms or references that you think every American should know?

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What Every American Should Know, an initiative of the Aspen Institute's Citizenship and American Identity Program, is a nonpartisan exploration of the elements of cultural and civic social literacy for our increasingly diverse nation. We are crowdsourcing ideas from a wide range of Americans by asking the following question: What are 10 terms or references that you think every American should know? We are inviting submissions in the form of top 10 lists, which then automatically aggregate into a national list of what every American should know.

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What do you think every American should know? - Civic Season

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What Every American Should Know, an initiative of the Aspen Institute's Citizenship and American Identity Program, is a nonpartisan exploration of the elements of cultural and civic social literacy for our increasingly diverse nation. We are crowdsourcing ideas from a wide range of Americans by asking the following question: What are 10 terms or references [...]

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Understand Life at Sing Sing Prison in 1825

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Understand Life at Sing Sing Prison in 1825

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Every chapter in the history of criminal justice and incarceration in the United States has a few pages written about Sing Sing Prison. The 1825 Cellblock is a rare example of the architecture of confinement. Despite many attempts to demolish this monumental landmark, the massive stone walls have survived.

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Every chapter in the history of criminal justice and incarceration in the United States has a few pages written about Sing Sing Prison. The 1825 Cellblock is a rare example of the architecture of confinement. Despite many attempts to demolish this monumental landmark, the massive stone walls have survived.

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Understand Life at Sing Sing Prison in 1825 - Civic Season

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Every chapter in the history of criminal justice and incarceration in the United States has a few pages written about Sing Sing Prison. The 1825 Cellblock is a rare example of the architecture of confinement. Despite many attempts to demolish this monumental landmark, the massive stone walls have survived.

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Learn about Civil Rights Leader Samuel Tucker

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Learn about Civil Rights Leader Samuel Tucker

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In August of 1939, the Civil Rights movement in Alexandria came to the forefront during the Alexandria Library Sit- in, one of the first Civil Rights actions to take place in a library. Learn more about leader and lawyer Samuel Tucker and this historic event in Alexandria.

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Learn about Civil Rights Leader Samuel Tucker - Civic Season

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In August of 1939, the Civil Rights movement in Alexandria came to the forefront during the Alexandria Library Sit- in, one of the first Civil Rights actions to take place in a library. Learn more about leader and lawyer Samuel Tucker and this historic event in Alexandria.

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An interactive program for students on the processes behind Congress!

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The Legislative Process: Congress at Work - Civic Season

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You will analyze historical records of the House and Senate to understand the sequence of steps in the legislative process.

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This Civic Season, museums and historical organizations are inviting guests to learn more about their communities and country through Airbnb Experiences -- and all while taking part in the institutions that are the keepers of our stories.

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These are the stays and experiences I'm dreaming about on Airbnb.

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Governor Spencer Cox on Civic Season!

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Utah Governor Spencer Cox - Civic Season PSA

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Using History Posters to Power the Present!

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Using History Posters to Power the Present!

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Made By Us' community engagement manager, Cameron Katz, sat down with Allison Fisher, manager of the Globe Collection and Press at MICA to learn about the history of the press and how art is impacting our democracy today.

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This year, Made By Us is hosting the second annual Civic Season, a time to connect with the past, take action in the present and shape the future by participating in activities contributed by over 300 history and cultural organizations nationwide. And what better way for young Americans to celebrate what they stand for than with a bright and inspiring poster?

The Civic Season official poster asks participants to share what they stand for and how they do it, but there's a story behind this moving poster - it was printed by Globe Press, history's go-to printer for everything from culture to politics to music.

Made By Us' community engagement manager, Cameron Katz, sat down with Allison Fisher, manager of the Globe Collection and Press at MICA to learn about the history of the press and how art is impacting our democracy today.
Cameron Katz: On your website, it says that Globe was founded over a card game. Can you tell us that story?
Allison Fisher: Lore has it that a printer and businessman were playing cards and decided to go into business together. They folded a map of the U.S. in half and the crease landed on Baltimore. We can't confirm that is how Globe Baltimore came to be; however, descendants of Norman Shapiro, the original owner of Globe have been researching their family history and found that the Shapiros were a family of printers who founded more than a dozen print shops across the U.S. in places like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta. Some used the name Globe, others operated under different names.
Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter Samples of historic posters from the printers at Globe What a fascinating history. So, can you walk us through what the printing process is like?
Globe Collection at MICA Samples of historic posters from the printers at Globe Samples of historic posters from the printers at Globe It's really interesting to see how Globe has been able to maintain many of its historic practices while still bringing in today's technology. On that note, how do you think that the importance of posters in American culture has changed over time?
Globe Collection at MICA
Globe is a working collection, which means that we use beautiful wood types and printing blocks from the collection to make new work. Globe is known for its use of Day-Glo colors, bold bursts of colors, and gothic wood type. When we are designing something like a concert poster, we start with the black text layer first and set the type. We pull a single proof of the type on a letterpress and scan the print to lay in colored backgrounds digitally. True to Globe's history, we screen print the background one color at a time. Screen printing is a process where you have a mesh screen with a stencil that allows ink to pass through for the image to be printed. We then put the type back on press and the final letterpress layer is printed.
And that's one reason why so many artists came to Globe over the years. What else brought so many iconic voices, like Marvin Gaye and the Beach Boys, to Globe?
Back in their heyday, Globe also built the text layer first, but then instead of using digital tools, they would use wax paper and an X-Acto knife to cut a stencil for screen printing. Historically, Globe did not get client approval before printing a job. You called in your order and told them the who, when and where. Clients put a lot of trust in Globe to deliver eye-catching posters. Today, most of our clients want to see a proof of the design before we print.

Globe's process is unique because we are mixing screen printing and letterpress rather than doing one or the other. Globe started using this combination in the 1950s so we are carrying that tradition forward.
It's interesting to learn about Globe's operations during the late 20th century when there was so much social change happening. In that vein, why do you think art is important to democracy?
My favorite definition of "poster" comes from Poster House in New York City, who is actually in the Made By Us partner network. They define a poster as "a public-facing, printed notice meant to persuade, entertain, or influence." Posters used to be a primary means of communication. It was an inexpensive way to communicate to everyday people, but as technology evolved, we started getting our public-facing information from new, faster and cheaper sources. Posters were a struggling industry in the '70s and '80s when many cities passed "post no bills" laws that could leave you with hefty fines for hanging them. For many poster shops, that was the final straw and they were forced to close.
So how do these posters inspire civic participation today?
Made By Use
For many people posters have taken on a commemorative role, we don't see a poster and go to a concert because it persuaded us, we buy the poster at the concert to remember the experience. I think in the last few years posters have begun to have a resurgence, both as a means of advertising and civically. We work for a lot of clients in Baltimore and D.C. who love the Globe style. They know that a Globe poster brings a sense of nostalgia to their audience because generations of people grew up seeing them on every corner. We see posters at protests - they express the sentiment of the crowd. Posters are ephemeral and accessible. You do not need to have access to technology to make one of your own. It can be done at home with what you have on hand.

Globe printed inexpensive posters for everyday people, but there are a few things about Globe Baltimore that I think really made them a go-to printer for so many artists. Globe posters were cool. They used fluorescent colors with black, so against the backdrop of bricks, trees and roads, they stood out. Fluorescent colors reflect light if they were illuminated by a street light or headlights, so you could read them at night. Plus, Globe had a staff artist named Harry Knorr, who was likely a sign painter by trade. Harry's lettering complemented the gothic type and gave the poster rhythm and bounce.
Thank you!
Another reason many artists used Globe was because they did not turn away business based on the color of your skin. Globe printed for thousands of Black artists during segregation. Artists knew they could rely on Globe at a time when getting on the radio had a lot of barriers and newspaper ads did not reach a lot of people. Posters were inexpensive but effective - you could hang a poster that thousands of cars a day would see on their way to work. If you hang another one across the street they see it again on their way home.

For lack of better wording, democracy can feel very corporate - slick sans serifs, clean design and slogans developed by PR people can feel very run of the mill and exclusive. In a time where the future of democracy is incredibly fragile, art can be a way to engage people who feel excluded from the democratic process. Art should make you think and ask questions.

The posters Globe created for Civic Season asks participants to fill in the prompt "I stand for ____ when I ________." The blanks are to be filled in by participants of all ages, backgrounds and orientations. Leaving space to be filled in means viewers become active participants. The posters are also framed out by a border of suggestions for how to become civically engaged in everything from voting to neighborhood clean-up efforts - a lot of people already participate in civic engagement even if they don't call it that!

The design is inspired by materials from Globe's archive, wood textures, bursts of color, and bold wood type. The design is meant to be loud and joyous.

This has been so great! Thank you so much, Allison!

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Bringing history's posters to today's civic action efforts: A Q&A with Globe Press

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The second annual Civic Season is a time to shape the future by participating in activities contributed by over 300 history and cultural organizations nationwide. One way young Americans can celebrate what they stand for is with a bright and inspiring poster.

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How To Host a Meaningful Fourth of July Gathering with Citizen University

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How To Host a Meaningful Fourth of July Gathering with Citizen University

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"Our friends at Citizen University have put together resources and inspiration to help you create a meaningful Independence Day. From poetry to original music to discussion prompts, you can infuse thoughtful elements into your BBQ, block party, or even breakfast."

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Anchored by two dates that highlight the gap between our nation's promises and practices - Juneteenth and the Fourth of July - Civic Season is a new tradition to rewind, reflect and re-imagine our story. As we come to the end of Civic Season this year, we know that the Fourth of July can bring up lots of conflicting feelings: pride and gratitude, cynicism and frustration, or just relief to have a day off.

Navigating this Independence Day can feel hard. How can we spend the holiday doing something meaningful, intentional, and rejuvenating?

Our friends at Citizen University have put together resources and inspiration to help you create a meaningful Independence Day. From poetry to original music to discussion prompts, you can infuse thoughtful elements into your BBQ, block party, or even breakfast. The Gathering Guide is based on their nationwide gathering framework called Civic Saturday, which brings friends and strangers together to connect around the values and practices of being an active citizen.
Dive into the Fourth of July Gathering Guide →
Together, the Civic Saturday recording and the Gathering Guide give you a basic plan to help you make the most of the Fourth of July.
Need some inspiration? Here are some Civic Season resources to add some sparkle to your Gathering!
Turn & Talk Resources
Given the many limits of the nation that the Revolution established, can the Declaration still be a source of commitment and identity for Americans today? Explore these "Revolutionary Questions" ™!
The Gathering Guide makes space for small group conversation. Here are some great conversation starters and guides from partners across the U.S. that can be used to get you talking.
This conversation guide is an opportunity to reimagine our civic life - to embrace our interdependence and to create just and productive communities.
Revolutionary Questions from ActiVote + National Museum of American History
To the point, these cards will jumpstart your convo.
Civic Renewal Conversation Guide from Living Room Conversations
Start your Civic Season with these conversation starters! Discuss Juneteenth, Fourth of July, as well as the Bill of Rights, Civil Rights and Service to Others.
Provocation Card Deck from Civics Unplugged
The Feast of Reason card deck helps you navigate the strong opinions many of us hold about "civic issues" so that breaking bread together can bring us closer.
Recipe Cards for Civic Conversation from The Family Dinner Project

Feast of Reason Cards from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Music Resources

Civic Saturday encourages singing - which can be uncomfortable but also build connections. If you are looking for some tunes to inspire your civic action, check out the Spotify Playlist created by our young Civic Season Design Fellows!

Discuss Resources

Eric Liu, co-founder of Citizen University, ends this special Civic Saturday with a good question to ponder. On this 4th of July he asks us to consider: What shall we mutually pledge to do so our country can live up to its promise?

This Civic Season, we offer a few activities that explore what you stand for and how you can take action TODAY. Try one of these activities!

Share what you stand for with your very own Civic Season poster.
What experience will you craft? Learn more about Civic Saturday + Fourth of July from Citizen University !
Add your voice to the Civic Season Zine and be part of the historical record.

Find your Civic Superpower - take the quiz to see if are you an Amplifier, Defender, Nurturer or Connector.

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How to host a meaningful Fourth of July Gathering with Citizen University

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Anchored by two dates that highlight the gap between our nation's promises and practices - Juneteenth and the Fourth of July - Civic Season is a new tradition to rewind, reflect and re-imagine our story.

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Your Daily Affirmation-With Some Help From History

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Your Daily Affirmation-With Some Help From History

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Which affirmation are you feeling today?

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Check out this Instagram post to learn more about us!

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Decorating Your Space Can Be A History Lesson in You!

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Decorating Your Space Can Be A History Lesson in You!

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"Stepping into Oxford Pennant’s vibrant, cozy offices on Main Street, where the brick walls are lined with pennants and flags shouting song lyrics, slogans and hometown pride, feels welcoming and intriguing. There’s just a lot to look at — and it’s right in the heart of downtown Buffalo, known for its thriving theater district, historic architecture, and industrial past."

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January is all about clearing out the old to make room for the new, but take it from your fav crew of history museums at Made By Us - keeping echoes of the past around can ground you in context, give you a daily dose of perspective, and remind you of ties into your community, your roots or your passions.

That might mean painting your bedroom a color inspired by a famous home. Or buying a print of a historic poster or map from a local archive or museum gift shop. Maybe you have family photos of older generations you've been meaning to hang.

When we visited Buffalo, New York for a meeting of the Association of State and Local History, we got an unexpected crash course in the history of a popular home decor item: felt pennants. Made By Us Director Caroline Klibanoff joined the founders of Buffalo's own Oxford Pennant, Brett Mikoll and Dave Horesh, for a chat about the history of manufacturing, why design entrepreneurs might return to traditional production processes, and where to find inspo for your home - and your life.

Stepping into Oxford Pennant 's vibrant, cozy offices on Main Street, where the brick walls are lined with pennants and flags shouting song lyrics, slogans and hometown pride, feels welcoming and intriguing. There's just a lot to look at - and it's right in the heart of downtown Buffalo, known for its thriving theater district, historic architecture, and industrial past.

It was this past that was key to the success of Oxford Pennant. It's hard enough to start your own business, but it's even harder if you don't understand the foundation you're building on. When Brett Mikoll and Dave Horesh teamed up in 2013, they were two Millennials with the dream of crafting really nicely designed and manufactured pennants. (Mission now accomplished). They set out to understand how pennants were traditionally made in the past, and what made them special and high-quality, in order to create the type of product they had in mind.

With the advent of mass manufacturing and fast fashion, alongside labor trends and migration of people, some knowledge and tools for producing high-quality, durable goods have diminished over time. But as people turn to upcycling, thrifting, heritage gardening, and other forms of re-use, that knowledge is resurfacing, and being preserved and shared.

Brett and Dave bumped into this as they faced production and logistical challenges to creating the pennants of their dreams. They began to look around their hometown of Buffalo to understand how small manufacturing businesses had gotten started before. How did they find the equipment and skills needed in town, using existing infrastructure from Buffalo's manufacturing heyday? What assets did Buffalo bring - like a nearby college, proximity to other cities, and hometown pride? This research kept history core to Oxford Pennant's business model, and now Dave and Brett are part of a long continuum of manufacturing that has changed the face of Buffalo, and left an indelible mark on its story along the way.

Pennants used to be a popular marker for displaying an affinity - whether with a college or university, a sports team, or a city or an event you attended. Over time, they entered the political sphere with pennants and flags waving for candidates running for office, anti-war protests or specific causes.

Today, pennants make for collectible, punchy home decor that feel personal and meaningful, in an era of mass-produced Live Laugh Love signage. Whether you want to showcase your favorite band, your hometown pride or your values, Oxford Pennant probably makes a pennant for that.

Many of us today are no strangers to wearing our political or social identities on our sleeves - t-shirts, hats and tote bags boast slogans for our causes or beliefs. Like our iconic Civic Season posters created with the Globe at MICA for last summer's festivities, pennants are one more personal space to display your message.

We like nostalgia just as much as anyone else - we're watching those 1990s remakes, too! But the way Oxford Pennant makes their merch goes beyond just old-school aesthetic. They produce hand-sewn, felt pennants using the production techniques of previous eras, before mass production. The result is a historically-inspired piece that feels custom and high quality.

Plus, they're doing their research. Brett scours eBay and thrift stores for vintage pennants, curating an extensive collection that spans decades and regions. His archive of pennants provides a look at how trends changed over time and gives inspiration to today's designers.

Pennants are a reflection of YOU and what you choose to claim, own, and celebrate in yourself and in the world. Oxford Pennant's motto is "Celebrate Everything" - which we can get on board with.

At Made By Us, where we find history in everything, we have our eyes on one big upcoming celebration: the 250th birthday of the United States in 2026. (You going? Meet us there.) We're exploring what and how we'll mark that occasion, with your help and input. That's why we created Civic Season, held from Juneteenth through July 4th, every year through 2026 and beyond. Civic Season is a new annual tradition to step into active citizenship - learning about our past, exploring your skills and beliefs, and taking action with others to shape the nation's future. So as we think about waving a flag for Civic Season and the 250th birthday of the U.S. - what should that flag say?

Start with some inspiration below, and check your results with the Civic Superpower Quiz.

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How Decorating Your Space Can Be a History Lesson in *YOU*

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January is all about clearing out the old to make room for the new, but take it from your fav crew of history museums at Made By Us - keeping echoes of the past around can ground you in context, give...

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Need Gifts For History Lovers? Made By Us Has You Covered!

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Need Gifts For History Lovers? Made By Us Has You Covered!

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From clothes to books and everything in between-check out the ultimate gift guide for history lovers!!

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by Kate Doak-Keszler, Social Media Manager
Without doubt someone in your circle is celebrating one of the many holidays in December. In a *historical* year like 2020, you might be looking for gifts that remind us of how we've persevered in the past - or give hope for the future. Or, maybe you just want to help out a good cause! Made By Us has got you covered on all three fronts, with this handy gift guide we've compiled from the online stores of our many partners: museums, historical sites and civics education initiatives across the country that connect our past, present and future.

Whether you're looking to support cultural organizations, or just here to browse fresh new ideas, here are our picks for gifts that support history, democracy and learning!

Looking to history to help power the future? Check out merch designed by youth who are working together to build a democracy that is out of this world! This purchase supports Civics Unplugged.

Wear the change you want to see! Inspired by a pin produced for suffragists in 1900, this v-neck shirt is just as relevant today. This purchase supports the New-York Historical Society.

March with famous revolutionaries like Shirley, Ida, Elizabeth when you wear this tee. This purchase supports the National Women's History Museum.

Czech yourself with this one-gallon beer ingredient kit for Czech pilsner, designed by BIY Homebrew Supply. This purchase supports the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library.

Chill out with Black Basalt Whiskey Stones - non-porous, odorless, and tasteless, these stones won't dilute your spirits! This purchase supports George Washington's Mount Vernon.

Historically speaking, musing and boozing go hand in hand. Now enjoy your next pint in a historic quote glass. Choose between four different quotes! This purchase supports Colonial Williamsburg.

You may not have Thomas Jefferson's 1,000 foot long terraced vegetable garden, but you can still enjoy fresh heritage produce! This collection of vegetables and herbs is perfect for small spaces. This purchase supports Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

Make a statement with this reproduction of service ware from the 1909 suffrage rally at Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island. That tea is hot! This purchase supports the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Pottery has a long history in the Genesee Valley, New York. Now you can take home a piece of handcrafted history with one of these beautiful mugs, or take a look at the full collection. This purchase supports Genesee County Village and Museum.

At the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, you can visit Julia Child's kitchen - and grab a book of her most quotable lines on eating, drinking, love, travel and life. This purchase supports the Smithsonian.

March is the first in a trilogy of books illustrating John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights. The book tells John's first hand account of the march in Selma, Ala., on March 7, 1965. This purchase supports the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

George Takei's personal account of childhood in American concentration camps is told in They Called Us Enemy., describing life for the 120,000 Japanese Americans imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. This purchase supports the Japanese American National Museum.

They are the very foundation of U.S. democracy, defining what makes Americans, well, Americans. But how many of us truly know our founding documents? Explore pocket-sized editions of the Declaration of Independence, U.S Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. This purchase supports the U.S. National Archives.

How about some history - for your walls? Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia has a gorgeous print that's also a reproduction of a WPA-era poster. If we can't travel right now, at least we can feel like we're in Philadelphia. This purchase supports Carpenters' Hall.

Women's History, travel sized. Learn about amazing women in American history with the Women's History Trading Cards packs. Grab one of three packs - Persistent Sisters, The Supremes or Women in Politics. This purchase supports the Kentucky Historical Society.

Origami, but make it motion. For those who like their traditions a little EXTRA. Start simple with a light or two or go full origami robot. This purchase supports the Illinois State Museum.

If 2020 has made it hard to get things together, we understand. Make it official with this corner-less puzzle, created by artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis to commemorate the 2017 Women's March. This purchase supports the North Carolina Museum of History - and you can learn more about the fight for women's suffrage through their exhibit, "You Have to Start a Thing."

Show your DISSENT along with the Notorious RBG! This purchase supports the National Museum of American Jewish History.

A colorful collage composed of graphics from landmark human rights movements, this mural centers those demanding to be counted. This purchase supports the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

mu·se·um nerd / m y o o · z e e · u h m / n u r d / noun: one devoted to museums of artistic, historical, or scientific interest and single-minded in their pursuit of culture. Prove your pedigree with this sticker. This purchase supports The Historic New Orleans Collection.

"The Word on the Street" takes our common symbols and replaces the negative wording with positive affirmations. Get a little boost with this sticker collection. This purchase supports the Oakland Museum of California.

Won't you be our neighbor and share some of Mr. Roger's wisdom with these bumper stickers? This purchase supports the Senator John Heinz History Center.

If you want even more, check out #MuseumStoreSunday on social media. May you enjoy seeking out the perfect gift that gives back!

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Your Guide to #MuseumStoreSunday: Gifts to Celebrate the Past, Present and Future

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by Kate Doak-Keszler, Social Media Manager Without doubt someone in your circle is celebrating one of the many holidays in December. In a *historical* year like 2020, you might be looking for gifts that remind us of how we've persevered in the past - or give hope for the future.

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What do YOU stand for? Join the conversation by creating your own poster at TheCivicSeason.com/Share

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Becky, Creator and CEO of Democrasexy, Gives A Tarot Card Reading For The Country 🔮

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Becky, Creator and CEO of Democrasexy, Gives A Tarot Card Reading For The Country 🔮

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"I don't believe in telling the future but I DO believe in creating the future. We are creating the future with every decision we make, so any tool that helps s be more thoughtful is a good one in my book." - Becky

See the live here!

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Manu Meel CEO of BridgeUSA Says What He Stands For

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Manu Meel CEO of BridgeUSA Says What He Stands For

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Manu Meel shares his response to the Civic Season poster prompt! What do you stand for?

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Top row : Lex Stewart, Mayva Anyango, Alex Edgar, Justice Brown, Cat Graham Bottom row: Lauren Dale, Cielo Muñoz Perez, Ponce de Leon Tidwell III, Katy Ronkin

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Meet the 2023 Civic Season Design Fellows!

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Meet the 2023 Civic Season Design Fellows!

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"Our 2023 Civic Season Design Fellows consists of 9 fellows between ages 18 and 30, selected from a competitive pool of applicants. Together they are artists, activists, immigrants, students, creators, and leaders — each bringing different visions and experiences to the table to help the Civic Season become an inspiring nationwide movement made by us."

Read more about the fellows here!

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🍕 Serving Up A Slice History - MBU Blog Post 🍕

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🍕 Serving Up A Slice History - MBU Blog Post 🍕

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"Younger generations want to learn 'the history they weren’t taught in school.' But they also want to network, make connections, be entertained, and eat. Slice of History Meet-Ups offers a way to do all those things at once! Inspired by our partnership with Pizza to the Polls, Slice of History Meet-Ups for 18–30-year-olds bring a retro, throwback vibe reminiscent of classroom pizza parties and the 2000s." - Kate Doak-Keszler

Read more of the article here!

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American Association for State and Local History and the importance of Civic Season!

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American Association for State and Local History and the importance of Civic Season!

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"Whether a young person is just beginning their civic journey or is already involved, Civic Season can provide a platform for anyone to share what they stand for with our country’s history organizations and our nation. Together, young people and our institutions can forge a path forward towards a country by and for all."

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The American Association for State and Local History is a partner of Made By Us, an initiative of history and civics organizations to inspire, inform, and empower Millennials and Gen Z as they shape our country's future. In this post, Cameron Katz, community engagement manager, explains how history organizations can get involved in the Civic Season, a new tradition created by Made By Us.
By Cameron Katz, Community Engagement Manager, Made By Us

As new voters, taxpayers, activists, and consumers, young people have an extraordinary influence on our democracy, and they need support from history organizations to make an informed impact. As the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University has found, young people have the potential to determine this year's congressional elections. But civic engagement extends beyond voting - it can include everything from helping a neighbor to recycling to advocating for a cause - and young people are engaging in these other ways too.

So how can local and state history organizations support young people who are already politically active? What can museums and historic sites do to encourage more young people to get involved?

It's simple: let's join forces on a new tradition that makes use of our strengths to meet their needs. And it can start this summer, with Civic Season.

While Gen-Z and Millennials have already leveraged social media to discuss important cultural, political, economic, and societal issues, history organizations can provide the essential context behind today's hot topics. Most importantly, a shared moment, co-created by young people and museums, can build trust and encourage collaboration - which is exactly what we need to preserve our democracy.

Enter Civic Season, a new tradition between Juneteenth and July 4th that invites 18-30 year olds to celebrate what they stand for. Hosted by Made By Us and cultural institutions across the country, Civic Season aggregates hundreds of credible, nonpartisan programs and resources that can help people explore, learn, and act. It's a way for young people to connect with others who share their passions and find joy in the work they're doing.

Civic Season makes it easy for history organizations to join in:

By accumulating programs and resources from organizations across the country, the Civic Season starts a conversation between institutions and 18-30 year olds. Organizations can learn how to serve young people, and young people can appreciate history institutions as tools to navigate the world.

Furthermore, museums can use their authority to help young people share their ideas. Museums are the most trusted sources for historical information among Americans, so history institutions can use this legitimacy to amplify the voices of young people and demonstrate that America's youth is passionate and informed.

Civic Season is also the perfect channel to lead into election season in the fall. As 18-30 year olds become more influential in our elections, Civic Season can ensure that young voters know which issues are important to them, understand the history behind those issues, and have the confidence to speak their minds.

Whether a young person is just beginning their civic journey or is already involved, Civic Season can provide a platform for anyone to share what they stand for with our country's history organizations and our nation. Together, young people and our institutions can forge a path forward towards a country by and for all.

For more information on participating in Civic Season and submitting your programs, visit thecivicseason.com.

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How Civic Season Can Help History Organizations Serve the Next Generation

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The American Association for State and Local History is a partner of Made By Us, an initiative of history and civics organizations to inspire, inform, and empower Millennials and Gen Z as they shape our country's future. In this post, Cameron Katz, community engagement

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ArtsEd4All shared their Civic Season programming from 2022, filled with poetry readings, movie screenings, and exciting new approaches to civic engagement through art!

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From Juneteenth to the 4th of July, we invite you to participate in the second annual #CivicSeason through self-guided public art visits in San Francisco, as well as in-person and online events that invite civic engagement through the arts.

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"The project aims to ask Americans, and young people in particular, to stretch the usual bounds of the red-white-and-blue festivities to include a new mission of reflection and civic engagement."

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In a dimly lit gallery at the National Museum of American History resides one of the Smithsonian's marquee artifacts, the Star-Spangled Banner. To protect the 30-foot by 34-foot, 200-year-old American flag, visitors may not take photographs and the chamber is pressurized and equipped with 24-hour temperature and humidity sensors. This much-loved relic flew over Baltimore's Fort McHenry to celebrate the end of the 25-hour British siege on September 13, 1814. Its appearance that morning, as the British ships fled the harbor, would inspire Francis Scott Key-a lawyer and slaveholder -to scribble the lyrics that would later become the national anthem. The gigantic banner is an impressive sight for the millions of annual museum visitors, but it's only one exhibition in a museum filled with other artifacts that impart the rich, complex narrative of the American story.

And that full history of the country-and how it might inform what citizens want for the future-is the focus of a new national tradition in the making. Civic Season, a three-week period that stretches from Flag Day on June 14 through the Fourth of July, and includes Juneteenth and Pride Month, is a new initiative arising from a broad coalition of museums and non-profit organizations. The project aims to ask Americans, and young people in particular, to stretch the usual bounds of the red-white-and-blue festivities to include a new mission of reflection and civic engagement.

Through online resources as well as in-person exhibitions and events nationwide, the Civic Season offers "a chance to look back at this full story of how we got here, all the people and movements and moments that shaped the country that we now inhabit," says the museum's Caroline Klibanoff, who is the managing director of the civics-meets-history coalition Made by Us. "It reminds us that going forward, we are a part of that continuum. What we do today really matters to shape the next chapter."

Spearheaded by Made by Us along with Civics Unplugged, the project is focused on 18- to 30-year-olds-a demographic museums often struggle to connect with-and helping them activate in the democratic process. This age range also coincides with when young people first wield civic power through voting.

"We started to pick up on a sentiment among young people, that they really had a lot of conflicted feelings around July 4th as just a wholesale celebration of the country," says Klibanoff. "We heard an eagerness to do more with that holiday to lean into the history and lean into the opportunities for civic engagement." So, out of this need, Civic Season was born.

Civic Season is meant to be activity-based; its organizers hope this will be the first of many annual observances during which Americans make time to learn about our democracy's past and then take steps to work toward the future they want, in the same way that Giving Tuesday marks a time where people all participate in the shared activity of charitable giving. To guide celebrants, the Civic Season website features a roster of 450 educational resources and events, an impressive pooling of museum resources in a publicly accessible way. "No matter if you have five minutes or an hour, whether you're interested in racial justice or climate change, or whether you prefer to, you know, stream a podcast or attend a live event, there's something for you to do," says Klibanoff.

Contributed by organizations across the country, the online and in-person offerings range from the "Seizing Freedom" podcast, which recounts the end of slavery in the U.S. through the archived words of African American people who lived through that history; livestreamed lectures and a walking tour about LGBTQ history; oral histories of students who attended segregated schools; an exhibition from the Museum of Chinese in America that allows viewers to virtually walk through the gallery; and opportunities to help transcribe suffragist documents.

The variety of Civic Season programming also attests to history's complexities and contradictions. There are patriotic celebrations of country and service like a from the half-day tour about the "Forgotten Women of Arlington National Cemetery" or attending a naturalization ceremony at Monticello, while making space for clear-viewed acknowledgement that the nation's history also includes travesties like the Freedom Summer murders of June 21, 1964 and colonization. (The Civic Season site highlights, for instance, a virtual exhibtion online citizenship quiz Albuquerque Museum about Indigenous resistance in New Mexico.) Alongside the historical events and resources are nonpartisan political participation offerings, like a "Constituent Guide to Contacting Your Representative" and an from the New York Historical Society.

"As we're celebrating July 4th, you can still have a hot dog," Klibanoff says. "It only becomes a stronger celebration and more meaningful celebration of country if you are aware of and acknowledge all of the many moments that have shaped our history...We tend to celebrate July Fourth as a victory. In many ways it was, but it was really the middle of a story."

To reach out to Gen Z and Millennials, Civic Season went digital-friendly, creating graphics for participants to share on Instagram, organizing conversations on the buzzy audio social network Clubhouse, and enlisting young activists like Jamie Margolin and Sara Mora to spread the word about the new tradition. And the many digital-first offerings on the Civic Season website make its humanities treasure trove more accessible to people who may not live near a museum, so long as they have internet and personal computer access.

The 21-day period offers a chance to look at the linkage between the lessons in museums and our day-to-day experiences head-on. "We all know that the past exists, but this Civic Season helps us think more instead of just taking the past for granted-asking how and why it informs our present day," says Modupe Labode, a National Museum of American History curator who focuses on African American social justice history. "Keeping the historical dimension in mind is somewhat like keeping gravity in mind," she explains-it's at play all around us.

And while the weight of history can be daunting, Labode says examining the past also can provide inspiration. She cites the resistance of enslaved people and suffragist's fight to secure women the vote even when they themselves had no political voice as examples of how individuals can affect change even when confronted with deeply entrenched obstacles. History also offers examples of individual civic engagement and celebration, Labode points out, activists like Georgia Gilmore, who helped to feed and fund the Montgomery bus boycotters, or the African American people who hosted community picnics-pre-Civil War-to rejoice over the end of slavery in the West Indies.

"I was kind of just in awe of people in the past [and] their imagination to say, 'I want something different. I want something better. I want to build on this and make something better.' That's worth acknowledging, and then working in that vein," Labode says. Civic Season is about taking stock of our national history-stars and stripes, sins and successes-and then using it as a launching pad to move forward.

The Civic Season 2021 is June 14-July 5. Browse the ways to commemorate this first Civic Season on its .

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A New Summer Tradition, a Three-Week 'Civic Season,' Asks Americans to Reflect on the Past and Future

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In a dimly lit gallery at the National Museum of American History resides one of the Smithsonian's marquee artifacts, the Star-Spangled Banner. To protect the 30-foot by 34-foot, 200-year-old American flag, visitors may not take photographs and the chamber is pressurized and equipped with 24-hour temperature and humidity sensors.

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Civic Season's Amazing Emcees, Torri Yates-Orr and Krystal Lake, and social correspondent Kahlil Greene at the Kickoff Event!

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Civic Season's Amazing Emcees, Torri Yates-Orr and Krystal Lake, and social correspondent Kahlil Greene at the Kickoff Event!

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Airbnb Collaboration with Made By Us! 🏘️

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Airbnb Collaboration with Made By Us! 🏘️

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"Airbnb joined the fun by creating a guide to unique, local Experiences hosted by organizations including the Chicago History Museum, New-York Historical Society, Museum of the American Revolution and Fort Ticonderoga."

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For 2022 Civic Season, 75,000 People Across the United States Took The Civic Superpowers Quiz! 🦸🏻‍♀️

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For 2022 Civic Season, 75,000 People Across the United States Took The Civic Superpowers Quiz! 🦸🏻‍♀️

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You can take the Civic Superpower Quiz here!

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Founding Fathers and Mothers Describe What Patriotism Means to Them

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Founding Fathers and Mothers Describe What Patriotism Means to Them

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"I do believe patriotism is an unconditional love for one's country, for all the good things that it can do, for all that it can be." - Abigail Adams

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New Jersey Hisorical Commission Holds Civic Season Event

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New Jersey Hisorical Commission Holds Civic Season Event

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"NJHC would like to thank our grantees at the Monmouth County Historical Association for having us at the 'Beneath the Floorboards' Juneteenth event at Marlpit Hall. It was a wonderfully insightful experience. We encourage you all to visit Marlpit Hall in Middletown, NJ for an enthralling exhibition: https://www.monmouthhistory.org/beneath-the-floorboards/ "

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#CivicSeason brings together stories from Utah's history to help shape our today & tomorrow. It takes your story to tell the whole story. #UtahCivicSeason

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Oklahoma Historical Society on Instagram

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Oklahoma Historical Society on Instagram

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Civic Season Kickoff Party Chalk Art By @Jessiqueenart 🎨

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Civic Season Kickoff Party Chalk Art By @Jessiqueenart 🎨

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"We enjoyed chalking for the Civic Season Kickoff Party with @historymadebyus. Juneteenth - July 4th is Civic Season. Explore what you stand for, connect with others and shape the future of our country." - Jessi Queen

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"As educators, parents and community leaders celebrate this Civics Season, let us remember, and teach the next generation, that being a good citizen is about more than knowing, and even celebrating, important facts and dates. Good civics education must include civic skills and dispositions. We have to care deeply about these events and understand why they matter. We also need the skills to engage meaningfully in civic life.

As Abraham Lincoln observed at Gettysburg, it is insufficient for us to simply commemorate the past; rather, we must be 'dedicated to the great task remaining before us,' that 'unfinished work' which others have 'so nobly advanced.'

So let’s celebrate — with our hearts in the past and our eyes to the future."

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@kahlilgreene on Tiktok Sharing Civic Season as an Alternative to Celebrating Traditional Fourth of July

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@kahlilgreene on Tiktok Sharing Civic Season as an Alternative to Celebrating Traditional Fourth of July

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"The celebration calls on us to participate in actions that push America to be actually representative of the ideas that it claims to uphold and to celebrate the causes we stand for."