FAQs and Information

OAH Conference on American History

The OAH Conference on American History is the leading conference for American historians and the study of American history. The 2023 event takes place in Los Angeles, CA, from March 30 to April 2. 

The OAH Virtual Conference Series on American History will  take place April 13-May 4, offering new live content on Thursday. Recordings from the in-person conference will also be available. Learn more here. 

Changes

• Varieties of Political Practices in the Early Republic moved to Saturday 8:45 am - 10:15 am Santa Monica D
• Engaged Scholarship: Making Coalitions, Making Change moved to Friday 10:30 am - 12 pm, Beaudry B

Canceled Sessions:

• Fiscal Crisis, Public Schooling, and Liberal Governance in the 20th Century: A Comparative Look at Taxation and Interest Group Politics
• LAtinx LA Style
• Queering Indigenous Histories

Canceled Speakers: 

• Alvita Akiboh, Yale University
• Neama Alamri, California State University, Fresno
• Catherine Allgor, Massachusetts Historical Society
• Ina Archer, National Museum of African American History & Culture | Smithsonian Institution
• Rhae Lynn Barnes, Princeton University
• Nancy Beadie, University of Washington
• Mary Frances Berry, University of Pennsylvania
• Jenny Carson, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Bobby Cervantes, University of Kansas
• Lucy Cleland, Kneerim & Williams
• Esther Cyna, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle
• Celeste Day Moore, Hamilton College
• Juan De Lara, University of Southern California
• Delia Fernández-Jones, Michigan State University
• Chris Finley, University of Southern California
• Rob Fitt, University of Birmingham
• Kim Gallon, Brown University
• Dan Gerstle, W. W. Norton & Company
• Sarah Gualtieri, University of Southern California
• LaShawn Harris, Michigan State University
• Torrie Hester, Saint Louis University
• Nate Holdren, Drake University
• Pierrette Hondageneu-Sotelo, University of Southern California
• Helen Jin Kim, Emory University
• David Justice, Middle Tennessee State University
• Leesa Kelly, Memorialize the Movement
• Lora Michelle Key, Journal of Arizona History
• Samuel Klee, University of Oslo
• Jeanna Kinnebrew, Boston University
• Lisa Rose Lamson, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
• Sara Lamb, Virginia Tech
• Aimee Loiselle, Central Connecticut State University
• Joan Malczewski, University of California, Irvine
• Isaac Martin, University of California, San Diego
• Alina Mendez, American Ethnic Studies, University of Washington
• Melani McAlister, George Washington University
• Natalia Molina, University of Southern California
• Melissa Murray, New York University
• Kai Pyle, University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign
• Sarah Rowley, DePauw University
• Evelyn Schlatter, Colorado State Public Defenders
• David Silkenat, University of Edinburgh
• Tracy Steffes, Brown University
• Darlene Superville, Associated Press
• Lani Teves, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
• Maeve Wall, University of Utah
• Cookie Woolner, University of Memphis
• Xiao An Wu, Huaqiao University
• Pablo Yankelevich, Centro de Estudios Históricos, El Colegio de México
• Gene Zubovich, University at Buffalo

Visit the OAH Registration Desk or the OAH Booth in the Exhibit Hall to pick up an application for a Professional Development Certificate. Completed forms can be returned to the Registration Desk or emailed to membership@oah.org. Certificates will be mailed within 30 days of the conference.

The Organization of American Historians (OAH) holds an annual conference and may at times hold other smaller meetings both in person and online. To ensure that all participants benefit from these events, the OAH seeks to provide a harassment-free, respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, religion, or other group identity. The OAH has no tolerance for sexual harassment or any other form of harassment at its events.

The following professional conduct guidelines apply to any OAH-sponsored event and refer to anyone present at these meetings, including staff, contractors, vendors, exhibitors, venue staff, speakers, OAH members, non-member attendees, and any other participant.

All participants in the OAH Confernce on American History and any other events sponsored by the OAH are expected to:

• Abide by the norms of professional conduct that are necessary to promote free academic exchange
• Alert OAH staff or security personnel if a situation arises where a person or persons are in imminent danger.
• Behaviors that violate OAH’s expectation of professional conduct include but are not limited to:
• Actions that endanger the safety, health, or well-being of others.
• Prejudicial actions or comments that coerce others, foment broad hostility, or otherwise undermine the principles of free academic exchange.
• Sexual harassment or intimidation, including unwelcome sexual attention, stalking (physical or virtual), unsolicited physical contact, and requests for sexual favors.  (For a fuller description, see OAH’s Sexual Harassment Policy.)
• Harassment or intimidation based on race, religion, language, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, appearance, or other group status
• Verbal or physical threats of either physical or professional harm, punishment or retaliation.

Speakers and attendees are asked to frame discussions as openly and inclusively as possible and to be aware of how language or images may be perceived by others.

These minimal guidelines are expected to be observed at all meeting venues (in person, teleconference, and online) and conference social events. 

Getting to Los Angeles

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 18 miles from the Westin Bonaventure Driving Directions to hotel Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX), commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the Westchester neighborhood of Los Angeles, 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Downtown Los Angeles, with the commercial and residential areas of Westchester to the north, the city of El Segundo to the south and the city of Inglewood to the east. LAX is the closest airport to the Westside and the South Bay. (Wikipedia) ADA Information for LAX LAX Travel Safely Guide (Including latest COVID protocols) Estimated taxi fare: 46.50 USD (one way) Bus service, fee: 1.25 USD (one way) Subway service, fee: 1.75 USD (one way) Ground transportation Information Long Beach Airport 25 miles from the Westin Bonaventure Airport Driving Directions to hotel Long Beach Airport (IATA: LGB, ICAO: KLGB, FAA LID: LGB) is a public airport three miles northeast of downtown Long Beach, in Los Angeles County, California, United States.[1] It is also called Daugherty Field, named after local aviator Earl Daugherty. Long Beach Airport's largest airline is now Southwest Airlines as JetBlue has ended all services at Long Beach. (Wikipedia) ADA Information for Long Beach Airport Estimated taxi fare: 72 USD (one way) Bus service, fee: 1.25 USD (one way) Subway service, fee: 1.75 USD (one way) Ground Transportation Information

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METRO

Metro Rail

The railway system consists of two subway lines, four light-rail lines, and two express bus lines that connect to Downtown Los Angeles.

• Red Line is the most useful for tourists and visitors. This line links Downtown Union Station to North Hollywood via Hollywood and Universal City. It also connects with the Blue, Expo and Orange lines.

• Purple Line connects Downtown Los Angeles to Westlake and Koreatown.

• Expo Line is a light-rail that links USC and Exposition Park with Culver City, Santa Monica, and Downtown LA.

• Blue Line is a light-rail line that runs from Downtown LA to Long Beach, connecting with the Green, Red, and Expo lines along the way.

• Gold Line is a light-rail line that connects East LA to Little Tokyo, China Town and Pasadena via Union Station, where it connects with the Red Line.

• Green Line is a light-rail line that services Norwalk and Redondo Beach.

• Orange Line express buses connect the San Fernando Valley to North Hollywood.

• Silver Line express buses connect the El Monte regional bus station to Harbor Gateway Transit Center in Gardena.

Payment of fare requires a TAP card. Regular fare is $1.75 and is good for 2 hrs of unlimited transfers in one direction. Other Options DASH Buses These small shuttle buses are run by the LA Department of Transportation and operate along 33 different routes around the city. Many of the Metro Rail and Bus lines connect with the DASH buses. Upon boarding, pay the exact fee (typically 25-50 cents USD).

• Beachwood Canyon Route: this route runs Monday - Saturday and takes you right to the Hollywood Sign. It runs from Hollywood Blvd and Vine Street up to Beachwood Drive.

• Downtown Routes: these five routes run daily and service all the hot spots in Los Angeles. Get to Little Tokyo, Chinatown, the Financial District, Union Station and more.

• Fairfax Route: this route runs Monday - Saturday and makes a loop around Beverly Hills Central Mall, the Pacific Design Center, Melrose Avenue, the Grove, and Museum Row.

• Hollywood Route: this route runs daily and services the east side of Highland Ave and Hollywood.

Metro Bike

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Taxis

Outside of major attractions, hailing a cab in Los Angeles can be difficult. Call a taxi company or download the app called “curb”, formerly “Taxi Magic”, to schedule a pick up in advance. Taxis in Los Angeles are typically metered and charge by the mile. You can also use popular ride-sharing services, like Uber or Lyft, to get around. They are easily available and relatively cheap (depending on the time you are traveling and where), so make sure to download your preferred service to your phone before your trip. Please remember, Los Angeles traffic can get pretty jammed during rush hour so give yourself some extra travel time when getting to and from attractions at peak hours.

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Rail

Amtrak services Los Angeles from roughly 500 U.S. cities. The L.A. train terminal is called Union Station and is located on the northern edge of Downtown. From the station, you can either take one of the many taxis that line up outside, board the Metro Red Line to Hollywood or Universal City, or hop on a Metrolink commuter train to San Fernando Valley. For cross country travel, you’ll likely have to switch trains in Chicago or New Orleans. For Pacific coast travel, the Amtrak Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to Los Angeles. Additionally, Amtrak runs a train only along the California coast, connecting to San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Union Station to The Westin Bonaventure via Metro Amtrak Tickets: Visit amtrak.com or call (800) USA-RAIL.

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PARKING

Badges are required in order to attend all sessions, meetings, and special activities. Your badge will also help you get acquainted with other attendees. Pick up your badge at the registration desk on the second floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel (located behind the yellow tower elevators) the hours of:

• Thursday: 9:00 am--7:30 pm

• Friday: 8 am--6:00 pm

• Saturday: 8 am-- 4:00 pm

• Sunday: 8 am--10 am

General Inquiries:  812 855 7311

Hotel: Please visit us at registration on the second floor of the Westin Bonaventure or the Information Desk on the lobby level.

Emergency: 911

Dry bars will be available at select receptions. Dry bars will be available at the Opening Night Reception, Distinguished Members, Donors, and Award Recipients Reception, and the President’s Reception.

• Thursday, March 30, 2:00 pm–7:30 pm
• Friday, March 31, 10:00 am–5:30 pm
• Saturday, April 1, 9:00 am–5:00 pm
• Sunday, April 2, CLOSED

Gender Neutral Bathrooms are located on the second floor behind the red tower elevators.

There are two areas at the hotel that attendees can visit to get information. Please visit the registration desk on the second floor or the information desk on the lobby level.

Conference:

Basic wifi will be available in the Exhibit Hall. To connect, click on “OAHConference2023” and use the password OAH2023LA.

Guestrooms:
Complimentary internet is available in guestrooms. If you booked your room within the OAH Room block your charge will be waived from your bill.

You must be registered to log into the app. If you are registered and are unable to access the features please visit the onsite registration area for assistance.

Your profile is automatically set to hidden when you log into the app. You can turn your profile on to allow other people to find you by going into your profile by setting your profile to visible in the app. This can only be done if you are logged in.

The nursing mother's room is located on the lobby level behind the yellow tower elevators.

The registration desk is located on the second floor of the Westin Bonaventure behind the yellow tower elevator banks.

Hours are:

• Thursday: 9:00 am–7:30 pm

• Friday: 8:00 am–6:00 pm

• Saturday: 8:00 am–4:00 pm

All registered attendees have access to the official 2023 OAH Conference App and its features. To access the app

1. Download the "Cvent Events" app from your app store

2. Find the event name: 2023 OAH Conference on American History and download the event

3. Enter your credentials: first name, last name, and registered email address

4. Enter the verification code received via email

CART, or Communication Access Realtime Translation, is a speech-to -text interpreting ser vice for anyone who needs communication access. A trained and certified CART translator receives a remote audio feed of a session and provides instantaneous speech-to -text translation. The Plenary Session, Awards Ceremony, Presidential Address, and Sunday Community Conversation will be CART Captioned.

Please be courteous of attendees with sensitivities to fragrances by limiting scented products while at the conference.

Reports of sexual misconduct and sexual harrassment will be made to a complaints team. The complaints team includes:

• Beth English
• Karen Barker
• TBD
• TBD

Complaints may be submitted to 
reports@oah.org or by calling (000) 000-0000 (TBD)

OAH HARASSMENT POLICY

Adopted December 23, 2019 by the OAH Executive Board

The OAH is committed to fostering an environment free from discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other forms of sexual misconduct. Our organization’s collective professional and intellectual pursuits can only be realized when we treat one another with dignity and respect. To this end, OAH prohibits discrimination, harassment, retaliation and other forms of misconduct on the basis of sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. The protections and prohibitions in this policy extend to any members and participants, including employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, and guests taking part in OAH-sponsored events and activities. All members and participants, including employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, and guests, shall engage in professional and respectful behavior and preserve common standards of professionalism.
Sexual Harassment. OAH prohibits sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is behavior (speech or actions) in formal or informal settings that demeans, humiliates, or threatens an individual on the basis of their sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment can also take nonsexual forms and includes discriminatory remarks or actions based on an individual’s sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal comment or physical conduct of a sexual nature, including situations in which the request or conduct involves any implied or expressed promise of professional reward for complying; or the request or conduct involves any implied or expressed threat of reprisal or denial of opportunity for refusing to comply; or the request or conduct results in what reasonably may be perceived as a hostile or intimidating environment. Sexual harassment does not refer to occasional compliments of a socially acceptable nature or consensual personal and social relationships without discriminatory effect. It refers to behavior that reasonably situated persons would regard as not welcome and as personally intimidating, hostile, or offensive. According to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines, the victim of harassment can be anyone affected by the offensive conduct, not just the individual at whom the conduct is directed.

Sexual Misconduct. OAH prohibits other forms of sexual misconduct. Sexual misconduct is a broad term encompassing any unwelcome behavior of a sexual nature that is committed without consent or by force, intimidation, coercion, or manipulation. Sexual misconduct can be committed by a person of any gender, and it can occur between people of the same or different genders. Sexual misconduct may vary in its severity and consists of a range of behavior or attempted behavior. It can occur between strangers or acquaintances, including people involved in an intimate or sexual relationship. It includes but is not limited to: sexual assault (a continuum of conduct from forcible penetration to nonphysical forms of pressure that compel individuals to engage in sexual activity against their will); sexual exploitation (taking nonconsensual, unjust, or abusive sexual advantage of another person); and sexual intimidation (threatening another person that you will commit a sex act against them or engaging in indecent exposure).

Consent. For the purposes of this policy, consent is a freely and affirmatively communicated willingness to participate in particular sexual activity or behavior, expressed either by words or clear, unambiguous actions. Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and, by definition, a person is incapable of consent if the person is unable to understand the facts, nature, extent, or implications of the situation and/or if the person is incapacitated, which includes incapacitation by extreme intoxication, drug use, mental disability, or being unconscious. Critically, the person initiating a particular sexual activity or behavior bears the responsibility of receiving consent. In examining the existence of consent under this policy, OAH will seek to determine, in view of the totality of the circumstances, whether a reasonable person would conclude that the recipient of the initiated sexual activity or behavior was (a) capable of consenting and (b) affirmatively communicated consent to the sexual activity or behavior at issue by words or clear, unambiguous actions.

Retaliation against a complainant of sexual discrimination or harassment or other forms of sexual misconduct is also a violation of these policies. Retaliation occurs when a complainant is deterred from, or punished for, making a complaint in good faith. Retaliation is not limited to formal employment actions such as termination, demotion, non-promotion, or non-selection, but includes any harassing behavior made against a complainant as a result of filing a complaint in good faith.
Members and participants, including employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, and guests, should be aware that their home institution’s policies (such as Title IX) may require them to report allegations of sexual discrimination, harassment, retaliation or other forms of sexual misconduct involving people affiliated with their institution.

OAH will endeavor to keep all proceedings related to sexual discrimination, harassment, retaliation or other forms of sexual misconduct confidential between OAH, the parties and witnesses. However, OAH cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality of such proceedings. OAH will cooperate with and otherwise share its knowledge and findings with public authorities as required by law. OAH reserves the right to respond to authorized inquiries received from a member’s employer concerning allegations, proceedings, and outcomes under this policy.

This policy will be clearly and prominently displayed on the OAH website. All participants in the annual conference and anyone obtaining or renewing an OAH membership will be required during the registration process formally to acknowledge the policy and their responsibility to abide by it.

Complaints

Each year, the OAH will designate a complaints team, normally composed of the executive director, a representative from the OAH staff, a member of the OAH executive board, and an additional OAH member. The complaints team will be available to receive complaints from, describe reporting procedures to, provide advice on resources to, and discuss issues with participants in any OAH-sponsored event or activity who have experienced or witnessed violations of this policy. The team’s contact information will be made available on the OAH website and in annual conference registration materials. Neither the complaints team nor any other OAH official can provide legal advice to those who make reports under this policy.

Members and participants, including employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, and guests, who in good faith believe that they have been aggrieved by or witnessed conduct prohibited by this policy should contact the OAH complaints team. The OAH executive director will alert the OAH executive committee to any reported complaints. The executive director will work with the executive committee to review complaints that require action. The OAH will endeavor to respond proportionally and fairly to all complaints. Responses may range from informal resolutions agreed to by the parties to investigations conducted by trained external investigators. In any reported complaint, if any members of the complaints team or executive committee have conflicts of interest, they will recuse themselves.

Possible Consequences

In investigating a complaint, the OAH will hear from both the accuser and the accused. If a violation is determined, possible consequences to be implemented during or after the meeting, activity, or event may include:

• Warn the violator to cease their behavior and that any further reports will result in more serious consequences

• Issue a “no-contact’ directive that prohibits the violator from contacting the complainant

• Require that the violator immediately leave the event and not return

• Ban the violator from future events (either indefinitely or for a certain time period).

• Immediately end any volunteer responsibilities and privileges the violator holds.

• Require that the violator not volunteer or serve as a contract employee or vendor for OAH, either indefinitely or for a certain time period.

• Remove and ban the violator from membership in OAH, following established procedures.

The OAH executive director is responsible for implementing and enforcing any response to a violation.

Appeals Procedure

Violators who wish to appeal the OAH’s decision may contact the executive committee in writing with further information regarding the incident. If necessary, an external investigator or consultant ombudsman will conduct additional interviews or other information gathering.
If a majority of the executive committee finds that a reconsideration of the decision is warranted, it may overturn the earlier decision in consultation with the full executive board.

Annual Report

The Executive Director will prepare an annual report of complaints or other evidence of policy violations (with no names used). The report will be circulated to the full executive board at the fall meeting and made available to the membership on request. If sufficiently aggregated to protect privacy and confidentiality, the report may identify how many reports were received, the forms of sexual discrimination, harassment, retaliation or other sexual misconduct alleged, how long the matter took to be resolved, and the outcome.

The text in this policy borrows directly from documents produced by the Society for the History of American Foreign Relations and the American Historical Association. It also draws on documents produced by the Western History Association, the American Geophysical Union, the Shakespeare Association of America, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the University of Iowa.

Desgarga la app de​ Interprefy para escuchar la​ interpretación simultánea

Download the app from Interprefy to listed to the simultaneous Spanish translation

1.  https://interprefy.interpret.world/loginlink?token=OAH2023!

2. Ingresa el TOKEN​ OAH2023! | Enter the TOKEN OAH2023!

3. Selecciona | Select a language

If you plan on using interpretation services, please bring headphones to use with your phone | "Si requieres utilizar la interpretación simultánea, no olvides traer los audífonos de tu celular