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Archive: May 2014 (8 Posts)

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Vintage Researcher Photo: George Takei

Posted by: Stephen Winick

In honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, we present this vintage AFC researcher photo. (And by “vintage,” I mean “prior to the existence of Folklife Today.”) This photo shows the stage, film, and television actor George Takei, best known as Mr. Sulu from the original Star Trek, who visited the AFC Reading Room on April …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

New collection documents issue related to wild horses in the Great Basin

Posted by: Nicole Saylor

The latest collection of oral histories and related documentation acquired by the American Folklife Center explores the significance and impact of wild horses, which remain deeply connected to the culture, economy and mythology of the West. Two companion collections include more than 1,000 images and more than 70 recorded interviews with those whose lives are impacted by the horses. Also …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Gerdan Concert May 22

Posted by: Stephen Winick

NOTE: After the concert video went online, we updated this blog post to feature the concert itself after Solomia’s essay.  Scroll down to the bottom to watch it! On Thursday, May 22, at noon, in the Library’s Whittall Pavilion (right next door to the Coolidge Auditorium in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, which is 10 …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Turkey in the Straw

Posted by: Stephen Winick

It’s not often a fiddle tune becomes controversial, but that’s happening this week, thanks to a blog post by Theodore R. Johnson, III over at National Public Radio. Johnson discusses a well-known tune, with many versions in Library of Congress collections, and raises interesting and important issues, so I thought we might feature the piece …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month: Highlights from the Veterans History Project

Posted by: Megan Harris

The following is a guest post by Rachel Telford, Program Specialist at the Veterans History Project. When Veterans History Project staff members are called upon to identify particularly interesting, poignant, or visually appealing collections in our archive, one name that comes up again and again is Kenje Ogata. A Japanese-American who fought for more than …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Some Songs for Mother’s Day

Posted by: Stephanie Hall

The tradition of a national celebration of Mother’s Day in the United States grew out of reactions to the aftermath of the Civil War. Poet, suffragist, and author of the lyrics of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Julia Ward Howe attempted to unite women in the cause of peace, beginning with her “Appeal to …