Nurturing future archivists

“Start thinking about these materials in terms of ‘how can I tell the story of Maya migration?’ Explore them from a historical perspective, but also bring it into the present.”

As part of the Maya from the Margins program, 14 high school students listened attentively as Carolina anthropologist Gabrielle Vail invited them to examine letters, drawings, photos, diaries, newspapers and other materials from Wilson Library. The program fosters cultural understanding among Maya youth on both sides of the border — in North Carolina and Mexico. The students explored their indigenous identity through workshops, online discussions, archival research and visits to their respective countries, meeting face-to-face. At its conclusion, an exhibition titled “Revitalizing Maya History and Heritage: My View from the Archives,” which the students curated, debuted at Wilson Library.

Read the complete Carolina Story…

This is story number 48 in the Carolina Stories 225th Anniversary Edition magazine.

The program was funded by a Museums Connect grant, an initiative of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by the American Alliance of Museums.

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