Deploying History for Change: A Public Lecture

How can historical research shape public policy and advocacy? Far from being a backward-looking exercise, history can serve as a powerful tool for driving change. This lecture explores how archival recovery and historical analysis can inform contemporary strategies for equity and justice.

Dr. Davarian Baldwin will draw on his extensive experience building relationships for change advocacy and share insights from the Smart Cities Research Lab’s Renewal Project. This initiative recovers archival histories of harm from university-led urban renewal and leverages those lessons to advance present-day policy work—such as reparations initiatives, inclusionary zoning policies, and fiscal justice campaigns that hold institutions accountable to the communities they have impacted.

The discussion will highlight how interdisciplinary collaborations—across history, urban studies, law, planning, and public health—can transform archival research into actionable policy.

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Host or Publisher School of Society and Environment