DIRECTOR’S LETTER
Dear Friends,
This morning at 11am we will host a new virtual program, Reflections for a Grieving Nation. This program stems from our Statement of Commitment issued last week. It is our pledge to continue to provide a platform for untold stories that need to be heard, to dialogue about historical injustices and the legacies of white supremacy and racism. It is a commitment to continue the “fight for freedom,” as our mission clearly states. After all, it is not only our mission as an organization but our civic duty to constantly work for freedom and equality.
Time and again, President Lincoln drew focus on the great aspirations of this country, contained in the Declaration of Independence. Lincoln acknowledged that the authors, “…did not mean to assert the obvious untruth, that all were then actually enjoying that equality, nor yet, that they were about to confer it immediately upon them. … They meant to set up a standard maxim for free society, which should be familiar to all, and revered by all; constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence….”
Lincoln’s words, “constantly labored for…never perfectly attained…” are our reality. It is a reality that the stories within this newsletter attest. Our work as citizens of a democracy can never be considered done, is never done, will never be done. Like Lincoln and his contemporaries, we can sustain ourselves and draw strength from the realization that we have the power to make positive change.
Wishing you strength and hope,
-Erin
Returning to the words of Raymond Zeigler
In the midst of the recent civil unrest, we have been thinking about the performance by Raymond Zeigler and Kate Mansfield at the 2016 Lincoln Ideas Forum about systemic racism and its impact:
Do You Know the History of Juneteenth?
Take the quiz below by Lydia Miller to test and build your knowledge of this important holiday.
Create your own user feedback survey
Q & Abe Season 3 Preview
We’re currently conducting interviews to prepare for Season 3 of “Q & Abe,” our podcast that investigates real questions from visitors to the Cottage. The other day, we spoke with Dr. Nina Jablonski, an anthropologist who studies the evolution and social positioning of human skin color. As you might imagine, the conversation was inflected by current events. Click here for a history lesson on the artificial construct of named races and the cultural ramifications of this arbitrary classification or listen below:
Who was Anna Harrison Chase?
Why is Anna Harrison Chase so important to us at Lincoln’s Cottage? Click here to find out.
Upcoming Virtual Programs
Reflections for a Grieving Nation
- Thursday, June 11th, 11:00-11:45am
- Register here.
Join us for a program with Pastor John Goodloe, Chaplain of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, as we reflect on this moment of personal and collective grief.
Virtual Family Game Nights
- Tuesday, June 16th, 7pm
- Tuesday, June 23rd, 7pm
- Tuesday, June 30th, 7pm
Could you use a belly laugh right now? Join us every Tuesday for some rollicking family fun developed with our friends at Game Genius. Each week brings a new game that puts household objects to use in new and creative ways. Hilarity runs high, and you learn about Lincoln to boot!
Virtual Team Trivia with Chris DeRose:
- Thursday, June 18th, 6:30pm
- Register here
Join us for a fun evening of team trivia with special guest host, scholar, and New York Times Best Selling Author Chris DeRose.
Store Spotlight: Anti-Racism Books and Care Packages
We are currently featuring some of our favorite books by black authors as well as books that tackle racial injustice in our online museum store. We are also offering care packages so that you may take care of yourselves and your loved ones.
President Lincoln’s Cottage in the News
- PBS News Hour aired a program on crisis leadership, and historian Michael Beschloss mentioned the Cottage (beginning at 3:42).
- The National Endowment for the Humanities Magazine recapped an event NEH hosted at the Cottage on the cultural economy featuring president of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez.
- DCist.com featured our weekly family game night in their list of 9 virtual things to do this week.
- Petworth News shared our Mother’s Day blog post as “cool brain food” in an article on Mother’s Day in the Petworth neighborhood.
SUPPORT PRESIDENT LINCOLN’S COTTAGE
Support our educational programs, preservation efforts and public events by making a contribution to President Lincoln’s Cottage. Donate online today.
Categories:Archive, Newsletter
Tags:e-newsletter
