KCMC Lecture Series: Why History Matters

James R. Grossman

Wednesday, September 9

Program: 6 p.m.

Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St. | Truman Forum Auditorium

In-person event | RSVP

What is history? How do historians do their work? And why does it matter?

James R. Grossman, former executive director of the American Historical Association, discusses the field of history, its methods, and its role in our times. He also explores how memory and history shape what it means to be an American. 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. His shorter pieces are published in numerous publications, such as the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and Time. He’s also served as a consultant on history-related projects with the BBC, Smithsonian, theater companies, filmmakers, museums, libraries, and more.

This event is co-sponsored by: KCMC, a partnership of preservation and commemorative organizations across Kansas City, is supported by the Center for Digital and Public Humanities at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and funded by the Mellon Foundation.