Digital Commons Network^™

"Death By Design": The Secret Holocaust Of Wrightsville, Arkansas, Stage Production Final Grant Report, 2019-2020

Finding aids

This collection is related to a play put on by the students of Meridian High School Theatre Department in Meridian, Mississippi, about the Wrightsville 21. The production was funded in part by the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant. The collection includes a final grant report for the project.

"Our Past, Our Future, Our Communicators" Central Delta/Delta Yes Inc. Final Grant Report, 2018-2020

Finding aids

This collection contains a DVD, two spiral binders, and a syllabus.

"Our Past, Our Future, Our Communicators" - Preservation Of African American Cemeteries Final Grant Report, 2018-2020

Finding aids

This collection contains a final grant report for the "Our Past, Our Future, Our Communicators" project for the Preservation of African American Cemeteries Junior Preservation Society. The project was funded through the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program, administered by the Black History Commission of Arkansas. The Black History Commissioner of Arkansas (BHCA) was created by Act 1233 of 1991 and is composed of seven members appointed by the governor with approval of the Senate. The BHCA is charged with preserving the history of black Arkansans and black communities in Arkansas. This commission also encourages research of Arkansas’ black history …

A Centennial Commemoration: Historical Contributions Of African American Psychologists From Arkansas Final Grant Report, 2020

Finding aids

This collection contains one 3-ring binder with a final grant report, transcripts of interviews and photographs on flash drive, flyers, email correspondence, and CD-ROM recording of event. The project was funded through the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program, administered by the Black History Commission of Arkansas. The Black History Commissioner of Arkansas (BHCA) was created by Act 1233 of 1991 and is composed of seven members appointed by the governor with approval of the Senate. The BHCA is charged with preserving the history of black Arkansans and black communities in Arkansas. This commission also encourages research of Arkansas’ black …

Arkansas Historical Commemorations: Civil War Sesquicentennial, Worldwar I Centennial, And Arkansas Women's Suffrage Centennial, 1861-2020

Finding aids

This collection contains web crawl and download captures from three commemoration commissions websites, the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, the World War I Centennial Commemoration Commission, and the Arkansas Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Commission. Each website contains historical information about the event it honors and includes information about the commemoration events. The collection also includes physical material in paper format from the Arkansas Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Commission consisting of a proclamation, meeting minutes, and research material collected by the Department of Arkansas Heritage committee designee.

Sillin-Monroe-Sprague Family Papers, 2020

Finding aids

This collection contains records of the Sillin-Monroe-Sprague family, including Bible records of births and deaths, correspondence, and other material related to the history of the family.

Arkansas Nursing Roundtable Covid-19 Survey, 2020

Finding aids

This collection contains a survey conducted in 2020 of nurses and their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nurses' names were kept confidential.

Texarkana (Ark.) Collection, 2020

Finding aids

This collection contains programs from historical marker dedications and city birthday celebrations that occurred in Texarkana from 1963 to 1976.

Arkansas Archeological Survey Records, 2019-2020

Finding aids

This collection contains one annual report from the Arkansas Archeological Survey for the year 2019-2020.

Llamas Are Having A Moment In The Us, But They’Ve Been Icons In South America For Millennia, Emily Wakild

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

With their long eyelashes, banana-shaped ears, upturned mouths and stocky bodies covered with curly wool, llamas look like creatures that walked out of a Dr. Seuss story. And now they’re celebrities in the U.S.

Updated Resources For Planning Accessible Events Available Online, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

“Planning Accessible Meetings and Conferences: A Suggested Checklist and Guide” is a free resource developed by the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies in partnership with Speaking Up for Us, a Maine organization run by and for adults who live with developmental disabilities. The checklist is designed to help people, groups or organizations plan a meeting or conference that is inclusive and welcoming by providing practical suggestions that promote meaningful participation for everyone.

President's Council On Diversity, Equity And Inclusion: Findings And Recommendations Report, University Of Maine President's Council On Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Report from the President’s Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with recommendations for expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion on the University of Maine (UM) and the University of Maine at Machias (UMM) campuses.

The President’s Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion began its work in October 2020, charged with advising “the President and members of the President’s Cabinet on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion at [UM] and [UMM] and to provide an annual report to the President on the status and efforts to ensure that inclusive excellence is foundational at the University.”

The Council includes 33 members, who collectively …

"Defund The Police" Is Not The Problem, Leah Savage

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Last week in an interview on “Good Luck America,” former President Barack Obama called “defund the police” a “snappy slogan” that is not going to be effective in gathering support for change. To many, Obama’s statements were frustrating, to say the very least. The recognition of a movement like “defund the police” is something that people have been pushing for a long time; its prevalence is something to be proud of, not to publicly dismiss.

Anonymous Gift Given To The Wabanaki Center Will Wabanaki Student Higher Education, Megan Ashe

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In late November 2020, an anonymous donor gifted $100,000 to the Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine. Working closely with the Center’s coordinator, professor John Bear Mitchell, the pair created the Wabanaki Student Development and Success Fund at the University of Maine Foundation. The money in this fund will go towards Wabanaki students who are pursuing an undergraduate degree. Some money will be made immediately available while another portion of the donation will be used to promote success in the future.

Challenging The "Butcher" Reputation: General Grant's Strategy In The Overland Campaign, Sean Ftizgerald

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Ulysses S. Grant's exploits had earned him a reputation as an offensive- minded general who was not afraid of hard fighting and made no excuses.

Karen Sieber Speaks About Hidden History Of Violence At Umaine, Megan Ashe

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

On Tuesday Dec. 1, 2020, Karen Sieber, the Humanities Specialist at the Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center, presented a talk called “Tarred and Feathered: UMaine’s Hidden Connection to the Red Summer of 1919.” The Red Summer occurred during the year of 1919 and was in reference to nationwide widespreadviolence against Black people, but particularly Black men. Sieber is a historian and specializes in both public history and the digital humanities. This experiencecombined with her own thirst for knowledge led her to begin to create an archive to document this time in history after a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee.

Hodges, Patricia Ann (Morgan), B. 1931 (Sc 3576), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3576. “History of Manuscript Division and Bibliography of Literary Manuscripts” by Patricia M. Hodges, Manuscript Librarian at Western Kentucky University. The paper details the creation of the Manuscript Division (now the Manuscripts & Folklife Archives unit of WKU’s Department of Library Special Collections), personnel, and early collecting efforts. Includes a bibliography of the literary manuscript holdings of the Manuscript Division compiled as of the date of the paper.

Waters, Bertie Bliss, 1877-1942 (Sc 3575), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3575. Letter, 26 August 1935, of Bertie B. Waters, Louisville, Kentucky, asking for reinstatement as a clerk in the Railway Mail Service, making reference to his past employment and to the newly available opportunities for eligible workers affected by the Depression. Includes responses from two U. S. Congressman and the Post Office Department regarding the refusal of his request.

"A Friend, A Nimble Mind, And A Book": Girls' Literary Criticism In Seventeen Magazine, 1958-1969, Jill E. Anderson

University Library Faculty Publications

This article argues that postwar Seventeen magazine, a publication deeply invested in enforcing heteronormativity and conventional models of girlhood and womanhood, was in fact a more complex and multivocal serial text whose editors actively sought out, cultivated, and published girls’ creative and intellectual work. Seventeen's teen-authored “Curl Up and Read” book review columns, published from 1958 through 1969, are examples of girls’ creative intellectual labor, introducing Seventeen's readers to fiction and nonfiction which ranged beyond the emerging “young-adult” literature of the period. Written by young people – including thirteen-year-old Eve Kosofsky (later Sedgwick) – who perceived Seventeen to be an …

The Munemitsu Legacy: The Japanese American Family Behind Mendez V. Westminster: California’S First Successful Desegregation Case, Annie Tang

Library Articles and Research

"Many Orange County, California schoolchildren know the name 'Mendez.' After all, the iconic name is front and center of the landmark civil rights case that desegregated several of the county’s public schools in 1947, preceding the 1954 Brown v. Board case on a national level. The Mendez family, one of five Latino families which challenged several school districts in the county on their practice of Mexican-only schools, had their name immortalized in history. But the Mendezes would not have been able to lead the legal charge if it was not for another family of color, the Munemitsus, the Japanese American …

U.S. War Crimes And Accountability With The International Criminal Court: A Critique, Johanna M. Leffler

Senior Honors Projects

JOHANNA LEFFLER (International Studies, French)

U.S. War Crimes and Accountability with the International Criminal Court: A Critique

Sponsor: Kristin Johnson (Political Science)

Throughout my undergraduate career I have studied a variety of subjects within international affairs. The fall of my 2019-2020 year while studying abroad at The Institute for Political Studies of Rennes, France, was where I studied a particularly thought-provoking subject, Mondialisation et Droit de l’Homme (Globalization and Human Rights). We studied the evolution of international law, the justice institutions which uphold it, and how modern globalization impacts human rights. The subject matter and discussion with my international classmates …

Tarred And Feathered: Umaine’S Hidden Connection To The Red Summer Of 1919 Event, University Of Maine Clement And Linda Mcgillicuddy Humanities Center

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Screenshot of a webpage for the event "Tarred and Feathered: UMaine’s Hidden Connection to the Red Summer of 1919" which featured a talk from Karen Sieber, Humanities Specialist at the McGillicuddy Humanities Center. The event was co-sponsored by the McGillicuddy Humanities Center and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion.

Invisible Inequalities: Persistent Health Threats In The Urban Built Environment, Kara M. Schlichting, Melanie A. Kiechle

Publications and Research

A city’s materiality creates health and illness. We both write about air – its movement and its temperature – as it affects human bodies. We offer two topics as case studies, heat and ventilation, and how they exacerbate the effects of each other, to illustrate the long history of seemingly new challenges posed by the novel coronavirus. The environmental inequalities of heat exposure and access to fresh air underscore that cities can only be considered ‘low impact’ on the environment from a top-down, large-scale approach. In writing about air and heat, we direct attention to the feel and the bodily …

He Rode Alone: Francis Scott Key As An Advocate For Freedom, Jonathan A. Richie

Masters Theses

Recently Francis Scott Key and the Star Spangled Banner have come under increasing historical scrutiny. Claims and allegations of racism and hidden meanings behind the poem have abounded and even led to statues being torn down across the nation. But what is the truth? In reality Francis Scott Key's record on race and slavery is dramatically more complex than the critics would suggest. Indeed, Key spent nearly 40 years of his life advocating in court for the freedom of slaves in Washington DC.

The Founding Fathers' Shift Towards Anthropological Pessimism: From The Articles To The Constitution, Noah Davis

Senior Honors Theses

American colonists grew to abhor the evils of a strong and tyrannical government. After freeing themselves, they created an intentionally weak government that placed trust in the masses to contribute to the country’s well-being. The weak government of the Articles of Confederation was too weak, and the people did not act as virtuously as was hoped. There were many problems of the Articles, and eventually a poor economy led to riots and rebellions. After being given nearly unbridled freedom, the people revealed themselves to be selfish. The Founding Fathers decided that the people needed a stronger government to regulate society …

Latisha 'L' Renee Blount Presents On Her Passion For Outdoor Photography, David Diminno

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Growing up, it’s common to hear people tell students to study something they are passionate about in order to do what they love later in life. Students are often told that when one’s job encompasses what one loves, they will never work a day in their life. After attending photographer Latisha (“L” for short) Renee Blount’s presentation, “Making Outdoor Spaces More Inclusive”, it’s safe to say that Blount is someone who has done just that. By combining her love of the outdoors, and her passion for photography, Blount was able to craft a career that enables her to capture the …

Inequality, Living Standards And Growth: Two Centuries Of Economic Development In Mexico, Ingrid Bleynat, Amilcar Challú, Paul Segal

History Faculty Publications

Historical wage and incomes data are informative both as normative measures of living standards, and as indicators of patterns of economic development. We show that, given limited historical data, median incomes are most appropriate for measuring welfare and inequality, while urban unskilled wages can be used to test dualist models of development. We present a new dataset including both series in Mexico from 1800 to 2015 and find that both have historically failed to keep up with aggregate growth: per worker GDP is now over eight times higher than in the nineteenth century, while unskilled urban real wages are only …

Artists - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Sc 3574), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 3574. Interviews with Margie Helm, Elizabeth Coombs, and Jane (Hines) Morningstar, Bowling Green, Kentucky, on their knowledge of local artists, particularly women.

The Gilded Finch: An Exploration Of Class Conflict, Mattea Harrison

Senior Honors Theses

Research is applied to create a play exploring the conflict between two women in the American upper class at the end of the nineteenth century. Both Mrs. Astor and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s family, wealth, and relationships were researched through studying primary and secondary accounts of their lives and times. A study of the women has produced a comprehensive picture of their motivations in their lives’ actions. The relationships between the women and their daughters has also been examined and applied. These two women are interesting characters in history to examine due to their family history and the families that they married …

College Heights Herald - Bowling Green, Kentucky - Relating To (Sc 3573), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 3573. Parody issue of WKU’s student newspaper, the College Heights Herald (“The University Herald”), 18 January 1968, with a front page story purporting to report on the arrest of three local physicians at a house of prostitution.