Albion College History Department

03/30/2026

Albion College's History department, in conjunction with the college's 2026 Yinger Endowed Lecture in the Humanities, welcomes Alysia Abbott to Albion College and the Bohm Theatre for the Michigan premier of Fairyland, Friday, April 10th, at 7:00 pm!
Alysia is the author of Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father (2013), about growing up in the 1970s and 80s in San Francisco as the only child of a widowed gay man. The 2023 dramatic film adaptation, also called Fairyland, was shown in selected theaters nationally just this past fall. The winner of a number of film festival awards, Fairyland was also nominated for a 2026 GLAAD Media award for Outstanding Film in Limited Release. Praised as an "unconventional coming-of-age story", "a moving, warmly funny portrait of a bygone era of q***r life and liberation" "that is at its very big heart a universal story of family, love, staying true to who you are, and being there for each other when it counts the most", Fairyland has been received positively by both reviewers and audiences, scoring 96% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer.
Alysia, along with History department faculty members, will introduce the film. This event is free and open to the public. Please join us in the beautiful and historic Bohm Theatre in downtown Albion!

10/09/2025

Congratulations Dr Kanter!

Congratulations to Professor Emerita Deborah Kanter on her new book Pioneers of Latino Ministry: Claretians and the Evolving World of Catholic America (NYU Press, October 2025)! 📖

What's the history behind the prevalence of Latino Catholics in the United States and what does their faith tell us about the broader Roman Catholic Church today? Professor Kanter explores these powerful questions by tracing 19th century Claretian missionaries and their far-reaching influence on Latino Catholics across America. This follow-up to her previous work "Chicago Católico: Making Catholic Parishes Mexican," showcases Professor Kanter's 29 years of groundbreaking scholarship in Latino/a history 🙌

We're incredibly proud to celebrate this important contribution to understanding faith, culture, and community! ✝️

🗞️https://www.albion.edu/news-article/history-professors-book-examines-latino-influence-in-american-catholicism/

10/03/2025

Congratulations to Professor Marcy Sacks on winning the prestigious 2025 John T. Hubbell Prize for best article published in Civil War History!
Her groundbreaking work, "'I Shall Forward to You My Contraband: Tracing Coerced Wartime Black Movement North through an Incomplete Archive," sheds light on formerly enslaved people who were involuntarily relocated to the North during the Civil War. ⚖️
Contest judges called it. "...an important work of archival recovery in revealing this dark undercurrent that accompanied the Civil War's new birth of freedom."
Professor Sacks is the Julian S. Rammelkamp Professor of History at Albion College, and we're incredibly proud to have her expertise and dedication to uncovering hidden histories 📖

🗞️https://www.albion.edu/news-article/history-professor-wins-hubbell-prize/

04/04/2024

The honorable George Washington came to class to preside over the constitutional convention. Negotiations have been intense. It’s unclear if we will succeed at hashing out a new government for our young nation.

04/02/2024

Join the History Department today, Wednesday, April 3 in the Albion College Library - Stockwell-Mudd for a workshop on banned books. Dinner is provided, there will be a giveaway of frequently banned books, and the event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

03/28/2024

Tarring and feathering shenanigans of the known tea smugglers, Drs. Riedel and Ho, in the Albion College History Department:

02/16/2024

On Thursday, February 22 at 5:00PM EST, Dr. Marcy Sacks will present a paper at the Massachusetts Historical Society, titled "'I Shall Forward to You My Contraband': Tracing Coerced Wartime Black Movement North Through an Incomplete Archive." We are excited to join the MHS in hearing about Dr. Sacks' research on the trafficking of Black refugees into northern homes during the Civil War. Registration for this virtual event is here ➡️ https://www.masshist.org/events/i-shall-forward-to-you-my-contraband

02/09/2024

The History Department's recent Censored History workshop – energizing and well-attended – was featured in today's Albion Pleiad with an excellent article by student Rhiannon Slotnick ▶️ https://www.albionpleiad.com/2024/02/history-department-challenges-censorship-in-interactive-workshop/

(Photograph by Dr. Joseph W. Ho)

01/30/2024

Join the History Department this Thursday, February 1 in the Albion College Library - Stockwell-Mudd for a faculty-organized workshop on censorship and the urgency of critical historical responses to it. Dinner is provided, and the event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

10/23/2023

Join us and our friends in the Albion College Archives and Special Collections this Thursday, October 26, for the annual Marilyn Crandell Schleg Lecture, featuring History alum Akaiia Ridley, '22 (currently completing her Master of Science in Historic Preservation at Eastern Michigan University)!

10/19/2023

Join us Thursday afternoon for a scavenger hunt, sweet treats, and a fun gathering with the History Department community!