When we walk into a museum, visit a historic site, or explore an archive, we often assume we are seeing the past exactly as it happened.

But history does not simply appear.

It is collected, preserved, interpreted, and shared.

The stories we encounter are shaped by decisions about what is saved, what is displayed, and whose voices are included. This is why public history matters.

As a public historian, I am interested not only in what happened in the past, but also in how those stories are presented to the public. Because how we tell history influences how we understand the people connected to it.

History Is More Than What Happened

Historical objects and places do not speak for themselves. They require interpretation.

The Negro Motorist Green Book is one example.

The Green Book is often introduced as a survival guide created during segregation to help Black travelers navigate a country where mobility was often restricted by racism and discrimination. That history matters.

But the Green Book also tells another story.

It reveals networks of Black-owned businesses, community knowledge, entrepreneurship, and mobility. Its pages show Black travelers planning journeys, supporting businesses, and creating spaces of dignity within a segregated society.

The object remains the same, but the way we interpret it shapes the story we remember.

Whose Stories Are Included?

One of the responsibilities of public historians is asking what stories are missing.

Black history is often presented through the lens of struggle, and while those experiences are important, they are not the complete story.

Black communities also created.

They built businesses, preserved traditions, supported one another, and created spaces where life could thrive.

The Green Book reminds us that Black Americans were not only responding to segregation. They were also creating opportunities and shaping their own experiences.

Why Community Voices Matter

Museums and archives preserve important pieces of history, but not every story can be found within traditional institutions.

Sometimes history lives in family photographs, oral histories, community collections, and memories passed down through generations.

These sources help us understand not only what happened, but what those experiences meant to the people who lived them.

Archives Are Not Neutral

Archives are powerful spaces, but they are not simply collections of everything that ever existed.

Choices are made about what is collected, preserved, and made accessible.

Public historians must continue asking:

Who created this record?
Whose voice is represented?
Whose voice is missing?

These questions help us tell more complete and responsible stories.

The Green Book reminds us that history lives in objects, places, and memories. But how we interpret those things shapes what future generations understand.

History is not only about what we remember.

It is about how and why we remember.

And how we choose to tell those stories matters.

Dr. Justice Briscoe
Public Historian