Anne Valk

August 23, 2024

In July, thirty secondary school teachers joined ASHP for an NEH-funded summer institute focused on topics in LGBTQ+ history and culture, discussion of pedagogy, and an introduction to historical documents and materials for classroom use. After meeting virtually for a week, participants traveled from across the U.S. to gather at the Graduate Center and to visit New York City archives and cultural sites. Throughout, we were fortunate to learn from scholars, archivists, and documentarians whose research has shaped historians’ understanding of LGBTQ+ lives and culture, past and present. We also benefited from the enthusiastic contributions of six teachers who had previously taken part in 2022’s LGBTQ+ summer institute and who worked alongside Dr. Stacie Brensilver Berman (NYU), Grad Center students Rachel Pitkin and Danielle Bennett, and ASHP staff to attend to participants’ historical and pedagogical explorations. A full schedule of institute sessions can be found here. 

In the coming months, we plan to make additional institute materials available via SHEC and other ASHP resources. Stay tuned for future announcements!

The newest addition to the Mission US educational series, “No Turning Back,” is receiving wide recognition, including:

2024 Webby Awards: Official Honoree – Websites and Mobile Sites: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (for “No Turning Back”)

2024 Anthem Awards: Gold Award – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Education or Literacy Program; Silver Award – Education, Art, & Culture: Education or Literacy Program (for “No Turning Back”)

2024 Kidscreen Awards: Winner – Best Alternative Game (for “No Turning Back”)

Set in Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1960, the Mission features 16-year-old Verna Baker, who must decide whether, and how, to take part in the civil rights movement. For more information and a teacher’s guide, visit the Mission U.S. website.