Public Dialogue, Relevance, and Change:
Being in Service to Communities and the Nation

The 2024 OAH Conference on American History

Thursday, April 11 to Sunday, April 14
New Orleans Marriott

The current cascade of crises—viral, racial, economic, political, constitutional and environmental—shape and shadow our communities and our nation. History and historians have a role to play in addressing these crises; documenting, writing, amplifying, and mediating stories that can inform our moment and promote social justice.

Join us in New Orleans, Louisiana as we honor and explore the ways in which individuals, communities, and historians work and learn together. Listening carefully to the intersections, richness, sorrows, and joys of the past, we’ll ask: How are historians in dialog with communities? How do we define respect and relevance for those we study and avoid extractive practices? How do historians partner with communities to create a more just, informed, and compassionate future in the United States and globally? How should practitioners of history be more accountable to diverse publics as we confront injustices in our contemporary moment? How do we identify and redress historic harms and seek restoration and reconciliation?

Conference Committees

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Cochairs

Kathleen Franz, National Museum of American History
Caroline Cortina, National Endowment for the Humanities
Sam Vong, National Museum of American History

Members

Robert Caldwell, Hampshire College
Mandy Chalou, U.S. State Department
Tiffany Gonzalez, James Madison University
Theresa Jach, Houston Community College
Robin Muhammad, Ohio University
Katherine Ott, National Museum of American History
Virginia Scharff, University of New Mexico
Josh Sides, California State University Northridge
Felicity Turner, Georgia Southern Univerisity
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, University of California Irvine
Serena Zabin, Carleton College

LOCAL RESOURCE COMMITTEE

Chair

Liz Skilton, University of Louisiana-Lafayette

MEMBERS

Melissa Daggett, San Jacinto College, Texas 
Randy Gonzales, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Clare Daniel, Tulane University
Alanah Odoms, ACLU Louisiana
Greg Lambousy, New Orleans Jazz Museum
Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, Tulane University
Miranda Restovic, Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

Land Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that the land upon which the colonial city of New Orleans sits has been, and is known as, Balbancha. Balbancha is a Choctaw word for “a place of other languages” and was commonly used by many nations such as the Acolapissa, Bayagoula, Chitimacha, Choctaw, Biloxi, Houma, and Tunica. The surrounding area along the Mississippi River has traditionally included the Natchez, the Taensas, and the Chawasha and Washa, among others. Tribes continued to come and trade on this land and also settled on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain (Choctaw) and along the waterways in Lafourche and Terrebonne (Chitimacha). There are several Tribes who live in this region, including but not limited to the Isle de Jean Charles Band of the Chitimacha, Choctaw, Biloxi Tribe, the United Houma Nation, and Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe.

The OAH encourages understanding of these histories and invites descendants and current tribal members to attend the annual meeting.