[Five years ago this week, my first Saturday Evening Post Considering History column dropped. That space and work have become crucial components of my career over these years, so for this anniversary I wanted to reflect on a few particular, telling columns from my first year there. Leading up to a special weekend tribute and request!]
In
yesterday’s post I wrote about the balance of different kinds of topics and
inspirations out of which I drew the subjects for my Considering History
columns from the beginning; that continued throughout my first year with the
column, but of course I don’t want to just repeat myself for the rest of this
week’s reflections, so I’ll try here to highlight a few other layers to the
column through examples from that first year. The two columns I wrote in June
2018 exemplify two other layers to why this work has been so consistently
meaningful for me: when I had the chance to write about Japanese American World
War II soldiers (among others) for my
D-Day column, it helped spark my continued
work with that community for my next book We
the People; and two weeks later, the current events topic of family
separations at the border led me to slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and a
chance to share some of the amazing work of my Dad’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin &
American Culture website. Bringing
my own past, present, and future together while I write about America’s—that
could be the catchphrase for Considering History!
Next
anniversary reflection tomorrow,
Ben
PS.
Thoughts on these columns? Your own writing to share?
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