KCMC Workshop: Public History in Our Times

A small group discussion with James R. Grossman, former executive director of the American Historical Association. Grossman led the AHA from 2010 to 2025. Before that, he was vice president for research and education at the Newberry Library and taught at the University of Chicago and the University of California, San Diego. He’s the author of Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration and A Chance to Make Good: African Americans, 1900-1929. Grossman has written articles and essays focused on American urban history, Black history, ethnicity, higher education, and the role of history in public life. He’s also served as a consultant on history-related projects with the BBC, Smithsonian, theater companies, filmmakers, museums, libraries, and more.

Grossman brings his expertise in the politics of history to our coalition. Bring your questions about the field, how it has changed over time, its relationship to the zeitgeist, and how we can reach our audiences in this polarized environment.