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Africa's Wikipedia Editors Are Changing How the World Sees Their Continent

Tolu Olasoji

April 12, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa

WikiAfrica Education increases information about Africa’s diverse languages, cultures, and politics from the voices and perspectives of African people. AfroCuration events enlist the help of young people to create and edit content for Wikipedia. The volunteers receive lessons on democracy and freedom movements and then use that information to create profiles of key events and history-makers. Strategic partnerships provide technical support and other resources, which have enabled hundreds of young people to produce hundreds of new entries and translate many existing entries into indigenous languages.

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Can Social Scientists Help Control Epidemics?

Elizabeth Svoboda

April 07, 2021 |

Sapiens |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Sierra Leone

When the rise of Ebola in West Africa strict protocols when handling those who were dying or had died from the disease, public health officials began working with anthropologists and other social scientists to increase trust and influence people’s willingness to seek treatment. At the center of the success was the social scientist's recommendations for burial services which addressed concerns about first responders disrespecting the dead. Today, these social scientists are providing similar consult for the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Educators seek to spark systemic change by teaching Tulsa Race Massacre curriculum in Oklahoma public schools

Jillian Taylor

April 07, 2021 |

OU Daily |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oklahoma

It took almost 100 years to expand education curriculum in Oklahoma to make significantly expand teaching about the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. Although the social studies standards in Oklahoma are updated every six years, they are now paired with a social studies framework in 2020 to serve as a “living document.” The state is also providing updated resources for teachers to incorporate these lessons in their curriculum for third to 12th grade classrooms.

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The Fight to Change Social Studies in Nebraska

Leah Cates

March 08, 2021 |

The Reader |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Nebraska

Students and educators in Nebraska are driving the change to change history curriculum to reflect history that places more emphasis on the narratives on indigenous and marginalized peoples. Students are emphasizing of historically erased narratives by creating social media videos, as well as creating petitions to change curricula in English and history classes.

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Human remains found at Multnomah Falls identified after 42 years

Samantha Swindler

February 15, 2021 |

The Oregonian |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Oregon law enforcement agencies partnered with a Virginia laboratory, Parabon NanoLabs, to use genetic genealogy to learn the identities of people whose remains were found long ago but never identified. To give peace of mind to families who never knew for sure of their loved ones' deaths, researchers use DNA samples taken from the human remains to compare to publicly available DNA profiles shared by people using home DNA tests. This can identify a victim's family tree. So far, Parabon has identified six of the 10 people it has tested for Oregon. The state has more than 150 unidentified skeletal remains.

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As COVID-19 Damages Black Appalachian Communities, This Mother, Daughter Team Are Working to Save an Unexpected Casualty: Black History

Kristen Uppercue

February 09, 2021 |

100 Days in Appalachia |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Uniontown, Pennsylvania

The Fayette County Traveling Museum collects, preserves, and shares Uniontown’s Black history. The owners sift through archives, libraries, and donated boxes of materials, which are displayed as educational resources. The museum, which before COVID-19 was set up at schools and churches, details the early history of African Americans, both enslaved and free, the town’s Underground Railroad stop, prominent Black community figures, and the area’s Klu Klux Klan presence. Video and oral histories of older residents also encourage young people to explore their history and make the information more accessible.

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Smallpox used to kill millions of people every year. Here's how humans beat it.

Kelsey Piper

February 05, 2021 |

Vox |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The eradication of smallpox offers lessons and insight for health officials and governments focused on containing the novel coronavirus and avoiding future pandemics. Although COVID-19 presents unique challenges – such as asymptomatic transmission – lessons from the smallpox era show that "a well-funded, well-supported public health system" was a key to success.

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By Telling New Stories, Youngstown's Historical Society Is Reinventing Itself for the 21st Century

Zeb Larson

February 04, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Youngstown, Ohio

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society reached a broader local audience "by asking tough questions and reshaping itself for the 21st century," bucking the traditional historical-society model of focusing only on white pioneers' history. The society has thrived, even in the face of its region's dramatic population drop amid industrial decline, because it embraces discussions of uncomfortable topics concerning racial and ethnic diversity and neglected histories. It partnered with other local groups to focus on African American history topics, which has helped draw crowds and donations.

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St. Louisans Mapped Monuments of Their City, and Uncovered Surprising Connections

Lyndsay Knecht

January 27, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

When the Public Iconographies project asked people in St. Louis "how would you map the monuments of St. Louis?", it got 750 hand-drawn maps telling stories of often-overlooked sites throughout the city. By letting people from the community determine what is important, the project ended up with a data-filled report channeling freeform responses. They included the spot where a Ferguson police officer killed Michael Brown, the site of a 1917 race riot, and Cahokia Mounds, a pre-Columbian site in the city. The project formed a counterpoint to efforts to remove problematic symbols, like a Columbus statue.

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Mutual aid networks find roots in communities of color

Christine Fernando

January 21, 2021 |

Associated Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Although many mutual aid networks have formed to serve a need during the coronavirus pandemic, the concept has been in practice for centuries and has "deep roots in communities of color." While these grassroots community efforts aren't always referred to as mutual aid, they have nonetheless come into existence to provide economic stability for communities and individuals when governmental structures have failed to do so.

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