Historical Exhibit: “Students Speak Out”
What has student activism looked like on our campus throughout the years? A student-created exhibition on view in the West Bank Skyway and online highlights some of the many notable moments of student activism here at the University of Minnesota between the 1880s and 1980s, from petitions to establish physical education for women to South African divestment.
Students who took part in a pilot History Lab Internship spent the spring semester conducting research in the University of Minnesota Archives.
All the students taking part in the internship had either previously taken or were currently enrolled in the course HIST 3849 - The Histories of Student Activism in the United States. Co-taught by Yalile Suriel, assistant professor of universities and power in the Department of History, and Ellen Holt-Werle, institutional archivist in the University of Minnesota Archives. Several years in the making, this course covers an array of student protests, from campus food quality, dorm curfews, and curriculum development to disability rights, segregation, free speech, and global wars. With the course serving as background, students who applied to be part of the internship picked their own topics and headed to the archive to see how the broader histories they were learning about in class may or may not have manifested here at the University of Minnesota.
“I loved researching in the archives,” says Zacharius (Zach) Khan, who is double-majoring in history and political science. “Before this internship, I was not aware that the Elmer L. Andersen Library existed. It was a totally new experience to look through files and records to try and understand what happened when it was not already in a cohesive, digestible narrative.”
History major Dori Catz added, “Before this, I had never done any type of archival research in a team. I had toured the archives in a class setting, but that was it. This allowed me to learn about the process of working with other people and combining their research into one cohesive narrative. Not only did I learn a lot, but I had a great time doing it, and I am so glad to get to share this knowledge through the exhibit!”
As the students developed an appreciation for the rigors and challenges of archival research, they prized the experience. “It was valuable to get practice accessing archival materials and to get a sense of what's available in the archives,” explains history major Talia Magnuson. “This project made clear to me that it takes a lot of practice to navigate the online databases and finding aids effectively. I found things I had missed every time I returned to a different part of the archive website. I also learned how important it is to establish a deep knowledge of the research material before trying to consolidate it into a presentation.”
The benefits of the internship were many. Students noted the tangible acquired skills and how rewarding it was to put the exhibit together.
“I especially appreciated the opportunity to connect with other students and work more closely with faculty by collaborating on such a big project,” remarked Talia. “I learned a lot about myself and about what it takes to put together a public exhibit from start to finish. There are so many small elements that I would never have thought of: from coordinating with Student Unions to graphic design and (many rounds of) copy editing. Working on a project like this makes me feel prepared to get involved with collaborative research in the future, and especially with creating public exhibits."
Dori added, “The internship experience that led to the creation of the exhibit was a wonderful one. This opportunity allowed me to fully dive into archival research and learn more about the process of creating an exhibit with historical backing. Learning how to put together an exhibit, a website, how to synthesize months of archival research into a paragraph, and how to create something that is engaging and historically accurate are things that I will carry with me.”
Malia noted that “it was a great experience and exactly what I was looking for in preparation for my capstone project next semester. I learned so much cool history that not a lot of people know about.”
In addition to skills in research and writing, the students learned about teamwork. Zach commented, “It was definitely a little challenging to take the research I did and combine it with the group's and make final decisions. It is always helpful to learn how hard it is to reach a group consensus on things of this nature when working as a team, and I think I learned how to better navigate that as well.” History and youth studies major Malia added, “For me it was interesting working on a team. At first, I was a little uncomfortable, but as we went on it was really cool.”
This exhibit highlights multiple large-scale protests that have taken place at the University of Minnesota, but it is by no means exhaustive. It features newspaper articles, photographs, and internal administrative documents to try to bring old moments of protest to new life.
Both Professor Suriel and archivist Holt-Werle noted how wonderful the students were and how their efforts throughout the semester were top-notch. Commenting on the West Bank Skyway, Suriel added, “We really like the space. It is a part of campus that so many people automatically pass during their day that it allows folks to take in some new knowledge as you go about your day. We also hope that people who don’t usually walk that way, take five minutes to go over there as well.”
She added that “History Labs are a great way for students of all majors to get hands-on working experience, specialized training, and transferable skills that will help them figure out what they want to do after graduation. This new history department initiative will hopefully help many students explore different career paths and develop new skills that they can use regardless of what they end up doing in the future.”
Archivist Holt-Werle added, “This was a fantastic opportunity to get undergrad students into the archives and to have them bring some of the events from University history they found compelling to a wider audience. They really got to experience doing deep dives into archival collections and grappling with the complexities and nuances of archives.”
The students’ hard work was rewarded by being able to share the results of their research publicly. Talia described the opportunity to see their work displayed on campus as “amazing.” She explains that “it adds an extra level of weight to the research and writing we did. It was super rewarding to see people show up to see the exhibit after all the work we put into it. As an undergraduate student, I so rarely get the chance to share my work with anyone other than a single professor. Doing work that matters to other students and that shapes the space around us is something special.”
Students enrolled in HIST 3001: Public History are currently researching the history of Farm Aid and the University’s efforts to help farmers during the Farm Crisis. Students interested in joining a History Lab in the Spring that will build on that research to create another exhibit can contact the Undergraduate Studies Office in the Department of History at [email protected].
The current exhibit is a collaboration between the Department of History, the University of Minnesota Archives, and Student Unions and Activities. It will be on display through April 2026.
