Smithsonian
More Than “Not Urban”: Serving People and Place in Rural Minnesota
“More Than ‘Not Urban’: Serving People and Place in Rural Minnesota” is a community conversation to learn about how the Smithsonian Institution is deepening its work with rural and tribal communities across America.
Rural America often defies definition. Traditional measures like population, distance and access don’t always capture the resilience, innovation, creativity and civic engagement that make rural communities unique. And while Duluth isn’t rural by definition, many of our residents come from rural communities and we serve many in our surrounding region.
Guided by findings from a nationwide Rural Needs Sensing Report, the Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative works to support rural communities by addressing the cultural, educational, and economic priorities of both the people and the place. During this free public discussion, Rural Initiative Director, Andy Mink will share insights from research and community collaborations that have strengthened and supported community well-being across the country.
We want to hear from you: What are Duluth’s greatest strengths? What challenges lie ahead? How should the rest of the nation understand Duluth’s story? What can other communities learn from our region? How can the Smithsonian partner with and support our community?
Schedule
5:30 p.m. – Reception with complimentary snacks and a cash bar
6 p.m. – Presentation by Andy Mink, Director Rural Initiative, Office of the Under Secretary for Education
7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Q & A
This event marks a long-term partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and Duluth.
Michael Fedo in Smithsonian magazine
Former Duluthian Michael Fedo was interviewed about the anniversary of the lynchings in Duluth for an article in Smithsonian, the journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Over the years, the horror of June 15, 1920, when three black men were lynched by a white mob in Duluth, faded away behind a “collective amnesia,” says author Michael Fedo. Faded away, at least, in the memories of Duluth’s white community.
In the 1970s, when Fedo began researching what would become The Lynchings in Duluth, the first detailed accounting of the night’s events, he met resistance from witnesses who were still alive. “All of them said, gee, why are you dredging this up again? All of them except the African American community in Duluth. It was part of their oral history, and all of those families knew of this event,” Fedo recalls.
More can be found at smithsonianmag.com.