Q:

What do you love about history?

V:

History is about discovery and thinking.  I love it because we are constantly finding new archives, learning new things, getting fresh perspectives, seeing events and stories from multiple perspectives.  I find the connections to the present to be deep and inspiring.  And, I love to work with young people as they discover and shape their own ideas, and also learn about themselves, their families and community through history.

Q:

How did you get involved with Philadelphia’s history?

V:

I’m a Philadelphia transplant from Washington, D.C. and my interest started when I came to Temple University’s history doctoral program.  After being here a short time, it was evident to me how central Philadelphia’s story is to our national heritage well beyond the Revolutionary story.  The city and its people were major players in the underground railroad, in the Civil War, in industrializing America, in forging the aspirations of the middle class, in creating a movement for equal rights and women’s rights, in finance and trade and in supplying the nation as a military arsenal.  Philadelphia has created and exported so much of what is America.  Shouldn’t people know this?  I think they should.

Q:

Which brings us to the film.  What role do you see it playing?

V:

Documentaries have become so important to the process of learning and teaching history.  Film is also a medium that resonates with cross-generational audiences.  We see this in the Philadelphia National History program in the growth of our documentary project category.  So, I jumped into this project with both feet is because of what the film can mean to learning and teaching —young and old—about this place in the story of the nation and world. Philadelphia is so rich in history that it is well past the point when a film like this should be made and presented.  People will be truly excited when they find out what transpired here that shaped our region and who we are as a community.

Q:

What is the Educational Plan for the film project?

V:

I chair a panel of educators from a cross-section of settings, who are in on the ground floor of the project’s planning.  That in and of itself is unique.  Usually the education piece gets “bolted” onto the film at the end.  But we’ve been invited to think creatively about how the ideas, stories, themes and lessons from the epic story of Philadelphia can be developed in ways that will inspire teachers and students to watch the film, use the web site resources and get more involved. We are particularly focused on giving the film a longer life, by linking it to an array of historical assets that can be used in teaching and learning to extend the film’s content out for student project-based learning and critical analysis.

Q:

How will the plan be used?

V:

We are guiding a consultant’s creation of the education plan, which will be used by the film producers to generate excitement from government, foundation and private funders.  The plan will show how the documentary can be so much more than just a single moment film.  The film can be a great education resource, the centerpiece of a first-class education package that can serve K-16.  The education plan will be part of a funding proposal that we hope to circulate in March.

Q:

Do you have a favorite story from Philadelphia history?

V:

I’ve personally always have been interested in stories where Americans sought to perfect our union by making the democracy real for “all.” Within the larger national narrative of the struggle for equality and civil rights, Philadelphia has not received the national attention that it deserves.  The Philadelphia region’s imprint on our national experience in equality and civil rights began before the American Revolution.  It is the home of the first protest against slavery, the first abolition society in the world, and a community of social justice activists, which includes the largest free black community in the North, who fought to end slavery in America and get civil rights for blacks.   This early movement laid the foundation for the modern Civil Rights Movement.    

Q:

Are you working on any other unique or interesting projects?

V:

I am working on a couple of project.  One is with the Pennsylvania’s Quest for Freedom initiative, which is promoting Philadelphia’s abolition, underground railroad stories and early black civil rights forward.  The National Archives has been pleased to join with others, like the Library Company, to help shape the interpretive framework.  Our work here is also enabling the efforts of the Philadelphia Civil War History Consortium with developing sustainable heritage programming on our region’s Civil War heritage for the war’s 150th Anniversary and beyond.  Our signature, long-term annual project, however, is our leadership of Philadelphia National History Day, where we work with over 40 partners to bring the prestigious National History Day program to Philadelphia students in grades 6 – 12.  This year, Philadelphia is also hosting National History Day’s prestigious National Summer Teachers Institute, where a group of national teachers will be exploring the region through the History Day 2010 Theme, “Innovation in History.”   This is a great history topic for Philadelphia!  As America’s first city, Philadelphia was a place of innovation on numerous fronts, not just science, medicine, and technology.  These teachers will be here not only to study Philadelphia’s innovation, but also to take what they learn back to their communities and classrooms.  I am excited about the documentary film, because it will accomplish similar outcomes with broader audiences and also reach more educators and students. The documentary film will be a means for more Philadelphians and others to learn about and understand the importance of Philadelphia in our nation’s story.

Q:

How do you think Philadelphia should respond to the documentary film project?

V:

Enthusiastically.  It’s hard to understand why a city so rich in historical significance hasn’t already been the focus of a major documentary.  I believe that the way this project is being undertaken—with such broad participation by the academic, historical and cultural communities and through a concentrated collaboration—is so unusual and exciting.  I hope that the State, the City and the foundation world all see the enormous possibilities and get behind it.  This is a very upbeat moment in Philadelphia’s history and this film should help all of us build on our renewed sense of pride and possibility.