2108 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

Thursday, April 18, 2024

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1775 - Paul Revere completes his midnight ride, warning Boston residents of British attack.

1924 - First crossword puzzle book is published.

1946 - Jackie Robinson debuts as 2nd baseman for the Montreal Royals.

1983 - Alice Walker is awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her novel “The Color Purple”.

1994 - The stage version of Disney’s “Beauty & the Beast” opens in NYC, running for 5,461 performances.

Keith Haring’s Legacy Is Not Found at the Museum.
The New York Times.

Toxic arsenic levels in this city offer a reminder: Safe water is not available to all Americans. The Washington Post.

The 35 best things to do in D.C. this weekend and next week. The Washington Post.

DDOT abandons plan to add protected bike lanes in Connecticut Avenue stretch. The GW Hatchet.

Photo Credit: Kirsten Notley

This newsletter edition we spotlight Kirsten Notley, a current American Studies MA student researching former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

During Kirsten’s undergraduate years back home in the UK, she wrote her dissertation on Kennedy’s creation of the Camelot myth (employed by Jacqueline to paint a particular image of her late husband’s presidency). Now, this semester at GW—thrilled by studying at the same institution as Kennedy—she is focusing on her impact on Franco-American relations. Kirsten is fascinated by Kennedy and finds her quite underrated in terms of her impact outside the fashion world. She hopes her work can showcase some of Kennedy’s important accomplishments as First Lady.

Kirsten currently works in Special Collections at Gelman Library where she mainly processes new materials that arrive. However, every day is different. Some days she conducts research for patrons, staffs the research desk, or helps in any other way she can. Just recently, Kirsten finished working on a photography collection from Azar Isfahani-Hammond, a staff member at the Corcoran School of Art in the 1970s and 80s. She also began processing materials related to the Mount Vernon Campus when it was Mount Vernon College and separate from GW. As an international student, Kirsten finds it exciting to learn more about the history of the city and GW through both this project and her job.

Post-grad, Kirsten hopes to enter museum education and would love to work with a First Ladies or Kennedy collection. Naturally, on the weekends you can find her in a museum somewhere in DC.

Earth Day—Youth in Action: Indigenous Ecosystems
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian

How do Native youth activists envision a sustainable future? How are Native communities uniquely affected by climate change? Join Seneca Johnson (Mvskoke) and Sgaahl Siid Xyáahl Jaad, Marina Anderson (Haida, Tlingit) in a conversation moderated by Jade Begay (Tesuque Pueblo, Diné) as they discuss their efforts to create a more equitable and sustainable future.

When: Saturday, April 20, 2024; 2:00 PM
Where: NMAI, Rasmuson Theater, Level 1

This event is free. Click here to learn more.

Future Librarian Event with DCLA

On April 22nd, a panel of professional local librarians will meet at The George Washington University to discuss their own library careers. We’ll answer questions from prospective librarians about the shape of our profession and the specific types of opportunities available to librarians/other information professionals in our community. 

When: Monday, April 22, 2024; 4:00-6:00 PM
Where: GW Gelman Library, Room 702

Register Here.

GW American Studies Graduate Student Symposium

When: Tuesday, April 23, 2024; 10:00-12:00 PM
Where: Gelman Library, 7th floor (Teamsters Room)

2024 Thacher Reynolds Fellowship Presentations
GW Philosophy Department

When: Friday, April 26, 2024; 2:00-4:00 PM
Where: Duques Hall, Room 359

This event is free. No RSVP required.

Robin Bernstein (MA '99) Book Talk
Freeman's Challenge: The Murder That Shook America's Original Prison for Profit

Robin Bernstein is the Dillon Professor of American History and professor of African and African American studies and studies of women, gender, and sexuality at Harvard University. She is the author of Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights. Bernstein will be in conversation with Marcia Chatelain, an American academic who serves as a professor of history and African American studies at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. In 2021, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History for her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, which also won a James Beard Award.

When: Sunday, May 5, 2024; 1:45 PM
Where: Politics & Prose (5015 Connecticut Ave NW,
Washington, DC, 20008)

This event is free with first come, first served seating.

Prof. Libby Anker's course "Politics & Film" was recently awarded "Best for Fun Course" by The GW Hatchet.

Rebekah Beaulieu (BA '03) was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the American Alliance of Museums.

Nancy Solomon (BA '79; MA '85) recently retired from her position as Founding Director of Long Island Traditions, a position she held for three decades.

Call for Volunteers: GW's Office of Sustainability is seeking volunteers to support Green Move Out this year. Click here to learn more.

Call for Applications: Tudor Place is seeking a summer intern in their Education Department. Course credit and a stipend are both available. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Apr. 30, 2024

Call for Applications: Democracy House is accepting applications for their Young Leaders Summer Institute. Click here to learn more // Deadline: May 10, 2024

Call for Papers: Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas has opened their call for papers for volume XVI entitled "Science, Medicine, and the Visual Arts in Dialogue: The Ibero-American Context, Then and Now." Click here to learn more // Deadline: May 15, 2024

Call for Papers: NeMLA is currently accepting session proposals and abstracts for their 2025 Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Click here to learn more // Deadline: May 15 & Sept. 30, 2024

Call for Papers: Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore is currently accepting papers for a forthcoming special issue on "Food, Identity, and Home: Exploring the Culinary Traditions of New York" Click here to learn more // Deadline: May 31, 2024

Call or Volunteers: Smithsonian's 2024 Folklife Festival is seeking student volunteers for this summer's festival from Jun. 26-Jul. 1. Click here to learn more.

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What We're Listening To:
"Hung Up" - Madonna
"When We Get By" - D'Angelo

Like what you see? Have spotlights, kudos, events, or opportunities that you would like to share? We want to hear from you! Navigate to our feedback form using the link below, or more simply, forward your tip to amst@gwu.edu.