As I create a calendar that reflects my values, I have been making space to reflect on my preservation journey. What are the personal and professional experiences that have imprinted on me? How would I modify past work? In what ways do I want to grow and what can support that growth? Where do I see my professional path going?
We've known since before November 2024 that the cultural heritage field was being impacted by shifts in the federal/state/local government. The speed of efforts to eliminate staffing, funding, work products, etc. has been swift and disorienting. So, in addition to the aforementioned questions, I’ve also been looking at my values based calendar and seeing how it aligns with the shifting needs of the cultural heritage field. The values aspect of my calendar isn’t shifting, I’m still steadfast in my work to cultivate an equitable cultural heritage field through organizational planning and creative engagement strategies.What is shifting are my timelines - some efforts need some gasoline thrown on the fire and some efforts will be broken down into smaller benchmarks to ensure progress, but reflect funding/opportunity shifts.
I’m throwing some gasoline on the Bess McDole Prather Project. I’ve been trickling out findings over the years, pursuing fellowships, and spending a lot of time reflecting on end goals. Part of this research project has been comparing the locations/ number of women’s healthcare clinics in the 1930s in the geographic region Bess worked vs where Planned Parenthood locations are in the same area today. We’ve witnessed access to women’s healthcare decline in recent years, and seen the impact it causes. Instead of sharing tidbits, I recognize that I need to transition from reflections and research into work products that help people look across the passage of time. I look forward to sharing more with you all sooner than later.
Let's listen to Bess and do more than shout.
How are your values influencing your calendar this year? In what ways is your work responding to community needs?
Marjory Stoneman Douglas was the founder of the Friends of the Everglades. Friends of the Everglades has fought against airports, rock mines, and now prisons. Spread the word. Speak up. Protect people. Protect our fragile planet. Read the full quote + see a doodle of mine here.
RESOURCE ROUNDUP:
What I’ve been reading, listening to, and watching.
Article: Teens incarcerated in R.I. write obituaries for the forgotten: ‘No one should be just a number’
Article: Good luck avoiding politics, Wisconsin Historical Society
Map: 7 Revealing Findings from a First-of-Its-Kind Map and Analysis of American LGBTQ Bars
Legislative Update: Lawsuit Filed Against Trump, Army Corps, and ACHP Seeks to Invalidate Fake “Energy Emergency” Executive Order
Newly Online Resource: Black Panther Party Archive Digitized Thanks to Mellon Foundation Funding
Article: Trump Administration Sets Stage for Attack on National Monuments
News: Interior Closing Albright, Mather Training Centers For National Park Service