There are over 9,000 public libraries and almost 3,800 academic libraries in the United States. In addition, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has estimated that there are 35,000 museums in the US. While that number includes historic houses, museum organizations, aquariums, and art museums which would not be appropriate venues for this project, it is safe to say that there are at least 5,000 museums that could participate. Libraries and museums provide an excellent venue for not only disseminating findings from #WeGlobal, but also engaging community members in assisting us to identify African Americans living abroad in the early stages of the research.
We are developing community engagement programs about African Americans currently and historically living abroad that can be conducted in libraries, museums, at organizational meetings, schools, etc. Participants watch a short video, hear a speaker, discuss their experiences living abroad or their questions about doing so, and also have an opportunity to contribute to a university research project.
We are targeting this program for Black History Month, but they can be offered at any time. Traditionally, Black History Month programming has focused on the outstanding contributions African Americans have made in the United States. While this is important, African Americans have also made important contributions in other countries historically and are continuing to do so. We are not familiar with this phenomenon, nor are we familiar with increasing number of books written by and about African Americans living abroad.
The #WeGlobal Public Program:
#WeGlobal will be a “program in a box” that includes background information, handouts, references, a flyer template, and even suggestions of speakers.
We are developing community engagement programs about African Americans currently and historically living abroad that can be conducted in libraries, museums, at organizational meetings, schools, etc. Participants watch a short video, hear a speaker, discuss their experiences living abroad or their questions about doing so, and also have an opportunity to contribute to a university research project.
We are targeting this program for Black History Month, but they can be offered at any time. Traditionally, Black History Month programming has focused on the outstanding contributions African Americans have made in the United States. While this is important, African Americans have also made important contributions in other countries historically and are continuing to do so. We are not familiar with this phenomenon, nor are we familiar with increasing number of books written by and about African Americans living abroad.
The #WeGlobal Public Program:
- Offers an innovative/novel approach to Black History Month programming.
- Reframes the popular (and many times negative) narrative about African Americans domestically to reflect the positive and ground-breaking experiences abroad.
- Fosters a more global perspective among participants.
- Enriches the community with a free exchange of ideas and information, leading to a greater awareness of the diversity of experiences among this segment of the American population.
- Provides an opportunity for participants to become involved in the research process. A historic, first-of-its-kind research program on African Americans Living Abroad is being launched globally, and not only your regular museum patrons, but other members of the community can play an important role in this research.
#WeGlobal will be a “program in a box” that includes background information, handouts, references, a flyer template, and even suggestions of speakers.