Editor’s Note: Letters to the Editor are printed as received, with no changes or corrections.

Dear Sir or Madam:

First, I would like to say, keep up the good work. I am a student at St. Cloud State University, and as a future history teacher, I found your publication to be very helpful for me to conduct Multi-Cultural Education in my classroom. It has been very helpful to be able to see all the resources available to me as a teacher so I may properly educate my students in the subject of history, while also teaching them about social issues such as racism, sexism, classism, etc. that have played a major part in our American history.

As I have been learning in my human relations class at St. Cloud State, I have had my eyes opened to many issues that I personally knew very little or nothing about from my past history education. These issues include Native American issues, Asian American issues, anti-Semitism in America, Latinos in the United States, and African American Issues.

I recently read your Winter 2001 edition with the title of “Desegregation” on the cover. I found it very enlightening, because it not only covered the normal desegregation that people automatically think of, that is the integration of blacks into schools, but it also covered the toils of Native Americans, Asian Americans and Mexican Americans fighting to get the education that everyone deserves.

Your periodical also covered the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces, an article that hit close to home since I am in the U.S. Army. I knew that the desegregation of the armed forces occurred after World War II, but I did not know any of the causes for that. Although the Mare Island Mutiny was not the only cause for the integration of the military, it was one of the causes that are not often talked about in the history courses that I have taken.

I had never heard about the Mare Island Mutiny or Romo-vs-Laird, nor had I known about Mrs. Mary Tape a Chinese immigrant who fought for her children to be admitted to public school until I opened the pages of your magazine. I would like to thank you for those pieces of knowledge as well as encourage you to continue to show teachers how they can include Multi-Cultural Education in their history curriculum.

Sincerely,

Benjamin M. Hokkanen, History Student,
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN

Dear Editor:

Welcome to Family History and congratulations on discovering the special, personal journey that genealogy affords.

As a professional genealogist and academic librarian I was interested in your approach to family history. Despite the existence of multiple quality sources of family history education resources available through mainstream genealogical routes, you chose a very traditional, within-the-fold historical methodology to promote family history education. It has always been interesting to me how historians and genealogists are so reluctant to benefit from each other’s wisdom and experience, even though it seems like a natural extension to me.

I’d like to augment the fine work presented in your Summer 2001 issue with these suggestions that come from the field of genealogy:

The National Genealogical Society
Youth Resources Committee

This committee gathers information concerning genealogy and family history suitable for children from ages 5 to 18. Further information and resources are available at http://www. ngsgenealogy.org/youth.htm

The AskERIC InfoGuide
on Family History for Middle Schools

The purpose of AskERIC InfoGuides is to point educators and others to Internet, ERIC, and traditional print resources dealing with specific educational topics. Several years ago, I prepared this InfoGuide, and it is archived at: http://askeric.org/Old-Askeric/InfoGuides/alpha_list/Fammiddle11_97.html

Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites
on the Internet-category Education

Cyndi’s List categorizes and evaluates quality websites. Under “Education-General,” she includes several good teacher resources. Other valuable resources are found in a related category, “Kids and Teens.” Her list is found at: http://www.cyndislist.com/index.htm

The Association of Professional Genealogists

The APG website lists professional genealogists who identify themselves as teachers or instructors. By searching their member directory, history teachers might locate valuable, local guest presenters into their classrooms. Their website is found at: http://www.apgen.org/

local genealogical societies

Lastly, contacting local genealogical societies is a good way to find individuals who understand the multicultural history and migration patterns of a location. While working as a professional genealogist, I often spoke to classes at the middle school where my own children were enrolled.

I invite history teachers to avail themselves of these valuable resources, and, welcome to our world!

Very truly yours,

Beth A. Star, MLS, CGRS