History for me has been a journey so far. Before taking this into public history class I would always feel lost or behind while learning normal history. Growing up I’ve never enjoyed history because the things we would learn wouldn’t appeal to me or my background. History was a class I dreaded and never understood why I don’t learn about people who look like me. I finally understood after attending Prairie View A&M that information on me is either lost or no one cares to seek that history. While being in this class I’ve realized that history is deeper than just the textbook. Understanding that “Public History” is the main reason why we have some African American History. I didn’t know what the role of a Public Historian is but finding out they seek history people want to know but others are not interested or too afraid to find. I’m not interested in becoming a history major or trying to go into the history field. Still, I aspire to become a teacher, but with becoming a teacher most of the time you have to stick to traditional history. When I become a teacher I want to have Public History skills so that I can teach the students who look like me their background and allow them early exposure to their roots. Learning what public history is inspired me to not only teach my future students history but also expand their knowledge with more information that a public historian would uncover. This is my second year at Prairie View A&M University and I can say being a student here does have its perks. I enjoy the sense of community, I enjoy the energy and even the classes are mostly engaging. Going to Prairie View A&M has allowed me to build connections, bring me back to my roots, and expand my knowledge. I never intended for myself to have taken this class and taken so much from it. For example, in public history class, we speak about African American culture and stories, so this type of history is always withheld from the public, but PVAMU is allowing me to know my ancestors and uncover that hidden history. While entering this History class I expected it would be the same as always, but this time it was different. I stayed intrigued with the material, and I even spoke on topics that touched me. In class, we read an article by Brian Murphy called “Public History in the Age of Insurrection.”This article is one of many that I’ve read this year and touched me and changed my viewpoint on history. This article talks about how public historians still partake in politics and activism movements. This article spoke to me because I thought history was a confinement and people don’t speak out or go against what’s already told/displayed, but reading how these fellow black historians still participated in these political movements but still were able to be professional and communicate to their piers. This encouraged me that even tho the world isn’t always set up in a community’s favor we still have a voice and we still can get the message out in a proper manner. Also learning about digital media and digital archives for information helped me understand public history. Sam, Winn wrote “The Hubris of Neutrality in Archives” This article helped me understand how history and information are stored but also changed. Younger me would always believe what that textbook said but understand that history can be changed and public historians seek history out and try to conserve/protect the history. As time goes on and I learn more about public history; I feel that I can incorporate these practices in teaching when I’m older and as I continue to spread meaningful/overlooked history my knowledge of public history will also continue to grow. I feel like teachers are very impactful. So practicing my public history skills in school would benefit me and the students just have to be professional with the execution of the information. Adding public history to children’s learning would broaden their views and allow them to see more that’s just untold. I feel like my purpose is I’m going to expand because I need to educate these students on what the textbook misses so I’m going to be expanding my public history and teaching at the same time. I feel like being a part of public history should be something everyone should look into. You might think you know all the facts, but I guarantee there’s something still missing and that’s great I can partake in trying to discover those hidden mysteries.