Karen Sieber is a public historian, digital humanist, educator, and outreach strategist specializing in nineteenth and twentieth century U.S. history, social and cultural history, labor history, Black history, and urban history. Her interdisciplinary work connects the public with the tools necessary to better understand, preserve and share the history, art, and culture all around them. In her current role at the McGillicuddy Humanities Center, she advises, supports, and celebrates the research of students and faculty working across the humanities and arts, and helps produce dozens of events and other public humanities initiatives annually.
Sieber’s own research and writing has been featured or cited by the American Historical Association, the National Council for Public History, PBS, The Conversation, and the recent Gayle King CBS special “Tulsa: An American Tragedy,” among others. She is the creator of Visualizing the Red Summer, the most comprehensive archive and classroom resource on the Red Summer of 1919, now used on five continents and a featured resource of the National Archives, National History Day, National Council on Public History, and American Historical Association among others. She has also curated numerous museum exhibits nationwide, including “H is For Hayti” about the thriving Black community in Durham, North Carolina, largely destroyed during urban renewal. Her new research explores the origins of class field trips and experiential place-based education in America.
As a nonprofit advisor, she has consulted for a variety of entities, including museums, community development corporations, and education initiatives. She strives to help institutions maximize their reach and potential strategically, and communicate their purpose and goals effectively.
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