These Local History Webinars are FREE and open to the public, in and out of Wisconsin. Feel free to register for the program, even if you can’t log in for the live
broadcast. The programs will be recorded and a link to the recording will be sent to you by email following the live broadcast.
Presented by Julia Rose, Curator, Johns Hopkins University
Since Hollywood's earliest films, rare cinematic depictions of slave dwellings have provided an image of slave habitations for many Americans. Dr. Rose will examine images of slave dwellings from popular culture in film. From Edwin Porter's 1903 silent film
portrayal of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" through director Steve McQueen's 2013 Academy Award-winning film "12 Years a Slave," Dr. Rose will consider how slave life dwellings represented on film changed over the century.
Recently appointed director/curator at Homewood Museum, Dr. Rose received her doctorate from Louisiana State University. Her dissertation formed the basis of her book, Interpreting Difficult History at Museums and Historic Sites, published by the American
Association for State and Local History.
Register for this FREE webinar by clicking here.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 2:30 – 4:00 pm CT
Presented by Jeff Wiltse, Professor of History, University of Montana
Recent studies have found that black Americans are half as likely to know how to swim as white Americans and black children are three times more likely to drown than white children. In this presentation, Professor Wiltse will explore the historical roots
of these contemporary disparities, arguing that they largely result from past discrimination in the provision of and access to swimming pools. There were two times when swimming surged in popularity in the United States—at public swimming pools during the
1920s and 1930s and at suburban swim clubs during the 1950s and 1960s. In both cases, large numbers of white Americans had easy access to these pools, whereas racial discrimination severely restricted black Americans' access. As a result, swimming never became
integral to black Americans' recreation and sports culture and was not passed down from generation to generation as commonly occurred with white Americans.
Jeff Wiltse earned his Ph.D. in United States history from Brandeis University and is professor of history at the University of Montana, Missoula. He authored the widely acclaimed book Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America and has
written numerous academic and popular articles on the history of swimming pools in the United States, the contemporary provision and use of swimming pools, and contemporary disparities in swimming and drowning rates in the United States. He has also appeared
numerous times as an expert commentator on NPR and BBC radio programs and is regularly quoted in leading newspapers and periodicals, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Time. He is currently working on two book-length projects. One is a history
of public music in American cities, titled "In and Out of Harmony: Public Music in American Cities, 1800-1930." The second is a general history of Montana, titled "Montana and the West: A People's History."
Register for this FREE webinar by clicking here.
Richard Bernstein, Southern Region
Local History-Field Services
Office of Programs and Outreach
Wisconsin Historical Society
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