This fall the American Social History Project is old enough to run for president of the United States! The year 2016 marks the 35^th anniversary of ASHP’s founding--and to commemorate this milestone in our history, we will hold a public event that celebrates our past and also reflects on the achievements, challenges, and continuing goals of the fields of history education and public history of which we are a part.

The Past and Future of Public History: A Symposium in Celebration of 35 Years of the American Social History Project will be held on Friday, October 21, from Noon to 4 p.m. in the Elebash Recital Hall at the City University of New York Graduate Center (ASHP’s first and current home). The program will feature two roundtable discussions with notable thinkers and creators who, supplemented by contributions from the audience, will offer their experiences about and comment on the issues of “Whose History in Public History?” and “Changing Modes of Engaging the Public.” The roundtable participants will include: Eric Contreras (Stuyvesant High School), Dan Cohen (Digital Public Library of America), Michael Frisch (State University of New York–Buffalo), Cynthia Jones (Hostos Community College, CUNY), Ari Kelman (University of California–Davis), Don Perry (Digital Diaspora Roadshow), Claire Bond Potter (The New School), Leah Potter (Electric Funstuff), Liz Ševčenko (The New School), and John Kuo Wei Tchen (New York University). The program will conclude with a keynote address by James R. Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, and will be followed by a reception.

We cordially invite you to this event—and urge you to RSVP on the symposium webpage, which in the coming weeks will provide additional information about the program.