Benito Mussolini kept a personal archive, also sometimes called the Handbag Files, throughout his rule as Italian National Fascist Party leader and later head of Hitler’s puppet government, the Italian Social Republic. By early 1945, Mussolini was incredibly paranoid about how he would be viewed historically and began making plans to keep his personal records hidden.
With the Allies bearing down, however, Mussolini’s plans did not come to fruition, and his files fell into the hands of the U.S. Army, which immediately began translating and copying files to be used for intelligence. In 1950, the Historical Division of the Department of State transferred copies to the @usnatarchives, making a once private archive now available to anyone.
Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington. It is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and president. Learn more: http://bit.ly/2kBlUNj
Pictured above is Mount Rushmore National Memorial a sculpture carved into the face of a mountain in South Dakota. It features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Local Volunteers Begin Constructing Compost Bins for “Building Soil and Community”
Designs were finalized and construction is underway for a three-bin style composting system to be used for our community composting project in Lynchburg, Virginia. Can’t wait to begin demonstrating how we can divert waste from the landfill and put nutrients back into the soil!
Check out this exchange alumni small grants project in action!
Photo: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, 2012.137.9.11.
Since the 1840s, photography at weddings has been used as a way to capture the important moments, communicate with friends and family, and mark the celebratory occasion. For African Americans, this celebration of the important moments played a role in normalizing the middle-class lived experience. Into the 1960s and 1970s, most photographers of African American weddings were black.
In the early days of wedding photography, couples had to hold long uncomfortable poses in order for their special moment to be captured on film. As photography evolved the process became simpler and photographers began to document dynamic moments throughout the entire wedding ceremony. During segregation, caricatures and negative depictions of the black community were common in mainstream media. Black photographers were able to create more positive narratives by capturing images of the communities in which they lived. Serving not only the broader narrative but individuals as well, these photographers gave newlyweds an irreplaceable gift by capturing iconic moments from the big day.
Black photographer Henry Clay Anderson captured African American couples as they began their lives together on their wedding day. Using his lens, Anderson documented weddings and daily life for almost 40 years in the segregated Mississippi Delta town of Greenville. For African Americans living in the South before the Civil Rights Movement, having their joyous life moments documented in photos was significant because most black life in the South was captured by photojournalists. Images of dilapidated tenement homes and the effects of Jim Crow dominated the media when Northern photojournalists were sent South to document black life. They rarely used their cameras to depict positive happenings in the segregated black communities. Photographers like Anderson, Addison ScurlockandJames Van Der Zee used their cameras to showcase and highlight, the rarely seen daily life of the black community.
Despite the ugly stain of segregation, the African American couples and families depicted in the photos loved one another and used their elaborate wedding ceremonies to celebrate life and family bonding. Anderson’s wedding photos include lace wedding gowns, receptions, cake ceremonies and the wedding parties. When Anderson photographed weddings, it was his ability to narrow the lens and focus on a groom’s first glance at his new wife, or capture the joy of a couple’s first dance — that showed the humanity of African Americans in the Jim Crow South.
The entire Henry Clay Anderson Collection was donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture by Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson. We’ve compiled a few beautiful wedding photographs from the collection below:
Photo: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, 2012.137.24.4.
Photo: Wedding party. Collection Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, 2012.137.24.18.
Photo: Wedding portrait of couple. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, 2012.137.9.3
Photo: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, object 2012.137.24.17.
Photo: Wedding portrait of couple. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, 2012.137.9.6.
Photo: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Gift of Charles Schwartz and Shawn Wilson, 2012.137.3.9.
AstronautMae Jemison was the first African American woman in space… but before that, she was a Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Get ready: the 2017 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund begins on March 2! Current and past exchange program participants are invited to compete to win up to $25,000 in support of their public service projects!
Does your project have what it takes to win? #AEIF2017
Happy Belated Birthday to Civil Rights pioneer, Rosa Parks! Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. Her actions were a major catalyst in the Civil Rights movement. Learn more.
U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring program celebrated by looking back over the years at the international impact of their program. Enjoy the photos above and learn more.
As a doctor and pathologist, Dr. A. Marcell Szasz has committed his life to improving the health and wellbeing of others. As a participant of the Hungarian-American Enterprise Scholarship Fund (HAESF) and the Fulbright program, Dr. Szasz further honed his life-saving research and leadership skills. In addition to working on his scientific research projects, Dr. Szasz focused on observing local clinical cases, attending clinicopathological rounds, and participating in his host institution’s daily meetings, presentations, and education sessions.
Dr. Szasz credits his exchange experiences with positively impacting both his professional and personal life explaining, “since returning to Hungary, I routinely call upon not just the technical knowledge I gained as an exchange scholar in the United States, but also the personal experiences from my daily life there to inform, shape, and benefit my collaboration and interaction with my family and friends, patients, colleagues, and mentored students.”
When he returned from his Fulbright program, Dr. Szasz utilized the knowledge and skills he gained to re-train all medical students working on breast cancer research in tissue and sample collection procedures. The new procedures he introduced ensure the collection of more viable samples, less pain for patients, and more successful research results in his work on breast cancer prevention. Together with his supervised PhD students, Dr. Szasz has also initiated a comprehensive registry of data for breast cancer patients to define prognostic factors in a much more effective way than previously available. The registry allows oncology centers to tailor treatment options for each individual patient.
Between conducting life-saving research and working with his patients, Dr. Szasz still finds time to play an active role in the alumni community and to educate and inspire the next generation. A firm believer in transparency and public education, he regularly works to educate people about medicine, pathology, and research. Seizing upon the opportunity to give back to the alumni community and to inspire youth, Dr. Szasz presented to a local high school in March 2015 as part of the “Meet the Scientist” Program, a joint initiative of the U.S. Embassy Budapest and the Hungarian Association for Innovation. Dr. Szasz considers his role as a mentor as one of the most exciting challenges in his career as a scientist, and appreciates any opportunity to educate and inspire young people about STEM.
As a scientist with international experience through the HAESF and Fulbright programs, and with his multidisciplinary approach to work, Dr. Szasz continues to focus on international collaboration and joint projects. He believes that this kind of international cooperation provides greater perspective and more research inspiration. Dr. Szasz’s commitment to international collaboration, and his devotion to inspiring the next generation of potential scientists, could lead to life-saving breakthroughs impacting the lives of individuals around the globe.
From the beautiful blooms that paint various landscapes with colorful hues to the warm sun that brightens up every detail, springtime features at national parks offer wonderful displays of nature’s beauty.
Today marks the beginning of Black History Month. This month everyday at 12 pm ETwe will be celebrating by highlighting alumni stories, famous profiles, unsung heroes, history and culture.
The origins of Black History Month, began in February 1926 when Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson’s organization the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) conceived and announced Negro History week. The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history in the American story. Learn more.
Help us celebrate by visiting our Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitterpages everyday at noon.
Hyppolite Ntigurirwa has a vision for peace. After witnessing the horrors of genocide, he turned to the transformative power of art to help spread his message of peace. He formed a theater group at his school in Rwanda as a way to unite students from different ethnic groups. “We witnessed the power of performing arts to bring people together, challenging the status quo and starting the long process of social change,” he said of the experience. Since then, Hyppolite has continued to use theater as a tool for healing, reconciliation, and peacebuilding in post-conflict communities both in Rwanda and abroad.
This fall, Hyppolite participated in International Art & Artists’ J-1 scholar program. He is completing an artist-in-residence program with Arts Connect International, an organization that cultivates and connects leaders in the arts field committed to cultural and social inclusion. The program has given Hyppolite the opportunity to connect with other artists and social activists, acquire key arts management skills, and further develop his artistic body of work. “My experience with Arts Connect International has been a fantastic opportunity to grow as an entrepreneurial artist and leader,” Hyppolite said. Here are some insights into Hyppolite’s time in Boston with Arts Connect International.
Can you tell us a bit about your unique perspective and background, and how it has helped you to become an arts leader?
At the young age of seven in Rwanda, a few months after surviving the genocide against the Tutsi, I was frustrated by not finding a means to tell the horror I experienced and transmitting my message to the larger community. I was not able to recount my story and transmit my message of peace until a teacher helped me create a theatre club. Since the club included children from both survivors’ families and perpetrators’ families, it wasn’t easy to start up as an inclusive community just after the genocide. However, we experienced the power of performing arts when the whole community enjoyed our performances and everyone showed their support. I continued to use theatre as a vessel for peace both in high school and college, and now I combine my experiences of genocide with sociological theories, practices, and theatre techniques to help prevent the inter-generational transmission of hatred.
Tell us more about your experience so far with Arts Connect International.
Working with Arts Connect International, as a global change agent, has been really useful to me in many ways. First of all, having been the first international artist to be selected for their Artist-in-Residence program was a tremendous asset to me in terms of accessing artistic and leadership skills, knowledge, and the experiences of all sorts of people in Boston. Arts Connect International not only provides this exposure but also provides professional and applicable guidance to having a greater impact on the community at large.
What is your favorite cultural activity to do in Boston?
Boston is a hub of people with passion for social change and innovation. There is always a lot going on in the city! There are loads of historical sites, including museums, freedom trails, and educational institutions. My favorite cultural activities in Boston include attending amazing networking and discussion events on social change and visiting different tourist spots (both historical and modern). The best part about being in Boston is organizing an event and having people attend.
What have you learned during your J-1 program?
During my residence with Arts Connect International, I have gained the extensive knowledge, skills and resources necessary to further my professional work and career as an artistic director. Among other things, I have gained experience and learnt a great deal about program management; arts project management, playwriting techniques, and sociometric techniques in theatre. I’ve also acquired strategic planning skills, leadership skills, budget and project management skills, communication skills, fundraising skills, and cross-cultural competency skills. Last but not least, I’ve learnt about monitoring and evaluation, arts education and pedagogy, creating a theory of change model, digital marketing and promotion, as well as entrepreneurial and development models for individual and organizations.
What does cultural exchange mean to you?
As far as how I interpret cultural exchange, I understand “cultural exchange” to include sharing experiences, values, knowledge, skills and customs with the mission of making the world an infinitely more inclusive and peaceful place.
How do you illustrate your passion for travel? Caitlin Levin and Henry Hargreaves, inspired by the iconic foods of countries and continents, have turned them into physical maps! These maps show how food has traveled the globe -transforming and becoming a part of cultural identity of that place. Yum!
“It is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.
“Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.
“In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good. Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world.”
As a U.S. Department of State English Language Fellow, I exercised my skills at being able to sustain the attention of large groups. Along the way, students had fun, too!!! #StudyAbroadBecause you’ll enjoy tackling the uncertainty, unknown, and surprises of being in a foreign country. Here I am embracing the responsibility of teaching 412 elementary school students at an English language motivation workshop in Jeli, Malaysia!!!! #CitizenDiplomacy is where great change takes place. Take the leap!!!!! @elprograms
#StudyAbroadBecause there are languages to be spoken. Thank you @statedept and @deptofdefense for supporting my mission to communicate with youth worldwide through not only foreign languages, but also the universal language of hip-hop.
