Our America / Nuestra América

Vicki L. Ruiz

In 1984, as an assistant professor, I gave my very first OAH presentation at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Wearing a very pink, puffy sleeve suit, I approached my panel and the conference itself with a mix of both trepidation and wonder. I attended several sessions, enjoying listening to authors whose work I admired and watching intently how panelists addressed pointed questions and on occasion withering criticism. Such observations would come in handy as the commentator for my session was less than enthralled with the paper I presented. I responded with as much poise as I could muster and will always appreciate the members of the audience who took issue with his assessment, several of whom have become enduring friends as has the commentator. With as many new books as could be stuffed in a garment bag, I departed the conference energized by a bounty of interesting ideas and resources that I could take back to the classroom and to my computer (a nifty portable Apple IIc). The lasting imprint of this first conference was a sense of belonging to a large, dynamic professional community dedicated to telling many stories of the American past.

I am honored to preside over the ninety-ninth Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians held in conjunction with the twenty-eighth Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History in Washington, D.C. The theme of "Our America/Nuestra América" focuses on the many meanings and definitions of American life and American identity. Touching on the concept of Nuestra América as articulated by nineteenth-century Cuban poet and patriot José Martí, many panels expand the definition of "America" beyond borders and across bodies of water, and engage in debates about the place of the United States in the Western hemisphere and the world. While the conference will showcase panels on Latino history, the program committee has done a magnificent job in assembling a conference that reflects the diversity of interests among our members including state of the field sessions on the new legal studies of race and nation, the new American military history, women and work, the history of medicine, and teaching the U.S. history survey. The plenary session on Wednesday evening will be a thought-provoking discussion of the future of American history at the Smithsonian with panelists that include Lonnie Bunch, Brent Glass, and Marc Pachter and on Thursday evening the plenary session will feature a vigorous inquiry of U.S. immigration policy with David Gutiérrez and Otis Graham. On Friday afternoon, Sarah Vowell from This American Life will serve on a plenary panel contemplating the meaning of presidential assassinations on American culture and history and on Friday evening an interdisciplinary team of scholars--Gerald Oppenheimer, Elizabeth Fee, and Cindy Patton--will address the impact and implications of the AIDS crisis over the last quarter century. The Saturday closing reception will feature legendary folksinger Tom Paxton.

Washington, D.C. in the spring is so very lovely and perhaps if we are fortunate, the cherry blossoms will still be in bloom. This conference features an array of offsite sessions and informative tours. One could actually arrange a schedule based only on activities scheduled outside of the conference hotel from bicycling along the Potomac to walking the streets of the Adams-Morgan district to touring colonial Jamestown. I so appreciate the efforts of National Parks Service historian Heather Huyck who has organized an overnight expedition to colonial Virginia, complete with a candlelight concert in Williamsburg. I also acknowledge the efforts of everyone involved in planning all of the tours and offsite sessions. As noted in the front of the program, a number of intriguing panels will be held at the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of the American Indian, the German Historical Institute, Howard University, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On Thursday morning colleagues at the Library of Congress are offering an introductory workshop for conducting research on site and through the Internet. At the National Archives on Friday afternoon, there will be a session highlighting innovative additions to the historian's electronic toolbox, a session appropriately entitled "Digital Sources to Digital Tools: Information Landscape Issues for Historians in the Twenty-First Century." As a recovering Luddite when it comes to technology, such sessions help demystify the possibilities of electronic resources for historical research.

Words cannot convey my appreciation to the cochairs and members of the program committee and the local resources committee. Though this past year has not been an easy one, I am extraordinarily privileged to serve the organization as president and I am excited about the continuing, vibrant partnerships the OAH has forged across institutions from liberal arts campuses and universities to precollegiate schools to public history institutions to community colleges. In addition to my colleagues on the Executive Board, I thank Lee Formwalt for his vision and his tireless efforts on behalf of the Organization of American Historians. I look forward to our annual conference in April, one that represents Our America/Nuestra América.