NEH INSTITUTE

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ABOUT THE INSTITUTE
“The Missing Stories: Reclaiming History through Community Archives” is an NEH K-12 Institute intended for middle- and high-school teachers and other educational professionals, focused on methods used within community-based archives. This one-of-a-kind learning experience will equip educators to teach histories that prioritize the stories of marginalized communities, as documented by the communities themselves.

This is the first national-scale program for educators that will teach South Asian American history and explore ways of using materials from community-based archives in the classroom. The Institute will focus on three areas: a primer to community-based archives; an introduction to teaching South Asian American history using SAADA’s resources; and a practical approach to designing and conducting oral history interviews and other archival methods, as well as using them effectively in history and social studies lesson plans.

By bringing “missing stories” to life through community archives and oral histories, our Institute will empower teachers to address historical erasures and create lessons that are more representative of our country’s diverse communities.

ABOUT SAADA
SAADA uses the power of stories to create a space of belonging for South Asian Americans and ensure our inclusion in the American story. Recognizing that South Asian American stories were not being systematically preserved and shared, we created SAADA in 2008 as a community-based archive in order to work within our communities to preserve and share stories and materials documenting our rich and diverse histories.

Our archive, storytelling projects, artistic partnerships, walking tours, lesson plans, films, and books help ensure that South Asian Americans are recognized as an essential part of the American story. The future we are building together is one where each of us feels our value and our worth and knows that we belong.

ABOUT PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia is well known for its historic significance as the birthplace of the American republic. For SAADA, it is all the more meaningful to be writing South Asian American stories into the American story from a city so strongly connected not only to history, but also to the living legacies of diverse immigrant cultures. Walk down any street, and you might find an institution hundreds of years old nestled beside one of Philly’s 4,400 public murals telling the often hidden stories of the communities that make our city so vibrant and exciting. Beyond the beloved well-known symbols of Philadelphia—cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell, the Eagles, and the famous Rocky steps—there are countless spaces celebrating communities of color, arts, and culture, and some of the best food spots in the country.

SAADA’s office is located in the heart of Philadelphia’s lively downtown with plenty to explore, either within walking distance or a short commute away: Chinatown, Museums on the Parkway, shops and restaurants on South Street, historic sites in Old City, Italian Market, Southeast Asian Market, Asian Arts Initiative, green spaces along the Schuylkill River, and academic institutions and libraries. We couldn’t think of a more exciting place to be hosting our Institute!