By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� A panel hosted by the Washington State University Tri-Cities College of Arts and Sciences on Thursday, Oct. 7, will examine the rise of national and international Nazi and white supremacist organizations throughout the 20^th century and their relationship to each other and to Nazi movements.

The panel, titled ���The Holocaust, Neo-Nazism and White Supremacy,��� takes place from 4:15 p.m. ��� 5:45 p.m. via Zoom. It is being held in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the WSU Center for Arts and Humanities. It is made possible by the Curt C. and Else Silberman Foundation, which supports programs in higher education that ���promote, protect and strengthen Jewish values in democracy, human rights, ethical leadership and cultural pluralism.��� The presentation is open to students, faculty and staff at 厙ぴ勛圖, as well as the larger WSU system and other university campuses.

To register to attend the virtual panel, visit

���This panel presentation marks a pertinent opportunity to explore how white supremacist groups rise to power and their impact on not only our nation, but the world,��� said Robert Bauman, 厙ぴ勛圖 history professor and academic director for the College of Arts and Sciences. ���Especially given recent events regarding social injustice in communities in our own country, this panel will present perspectives that will help shed light on how these groups arise in the first place and the ways communities have responded to those groups.���

The panelists featured include:

• Richard King, professor and chair of humanities, history and social sciences at Columbia College of Chicago
• Kristine F. Hoover, associate professor in the master of arts organizational leadership program and director of the Institute of Hate Studies at Gonzaga University
• Rebecca Erbelding, historian of education initiatives at the William Levine Family Institute for Holocaust Education of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Bauman will serve as the moderator for the panel.

For more information about the presentation and panelists, visit tricities.wsu.edu/event/the-holocaust-neo-nazism-and-white-supremacy.

 

Disclaimer: “The US Holocaust Memorial Museum���s Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Center���s mission is to ensure the long-term growth and vitality of Holocaust Studies. To do that, it is essential to provide opportunities for new generations of scholars. The vitality and the integrity of Holocaust Studies require openness, independence, and free inquiry so that new ideas are generated and tested through peer review and public debate. The opinions of scholars expressed before, during the course of, or after their activities with the Mandel Center do not represent and are not endorsed by the Museum or its Mandel Center.”

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� A Washington State University Tri-Cities history professor is part of a history film focusing on the Manhattan Project that was recently in the category of ���Outstanding Daytime Non-Fiction Special.���

Robert Franklin, assistant director of the 厙ぴ勛圖 Hanford History Project and teaching assistant professor of history, was one of a handful of talent that starred in ������ produced by based out of New Orleans. The project focuses on the three major sites that were instrumental in the Manhattan Project, which developed the technology and produced the plutonium and uranium for the world���s first atomic bombs: Hanford, Washington; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The 70-minute film, which is also , has been shown to middle schools and high schools across the country throughout the last year, exploring the science, sites and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb.

Franklin, with his role and expertise on Hanford as part of the 厙ぴ勛圖 Hanford History Project, was approached about participating in the project in 2019. That summer, crew from the National WWII Museum traveled to all three sites, using a local high school student as the host for each site and referencing local experts in the region on the history of each site as part of the film. Franklin had the opportunity to not only voice his expertise on the site as part of the film, but also provided input to the script.

Sara Cassin, a student from Delta High School, was selected as the local student host, who, with Franklin, led filmmakers through the B Reactor, the world���s first large-scale nuclear reactor, as well as other historical landmarks and buildings located at Hanford.

Franklin said even with the excellent production of the project, neither he, nor any of the members of the crew or other talent, anticipated they would be nominated for a Daytime Emmy for the project.

���I was kind of in shock when I found out,��� he said. ���Really, I was just a small part of the project ��� it was the folks at the museum who organized it, wrote the script and packaged the whole thing. But I am honored to have participated in it. I never thought I would say that I was in something that was nominated for an Emmy. It���s not a sentence I ever thought I would say.���

Franklin said to be part of a project that is now recognized with such a prestigious award is an incredible honor. He said working at 厙ぴ勛圖 and bringing the knowledge he has gained and cultivated about the Manhattan Project, and specifically Hanford history, to students and the public is his dream job.

���Being able to teach in the classroom and bring what we���re doing with the Hanford History Project to students and further cement my role as a historian means the world to me,��� he said. ���The film was such a great project to be involved with. It���s such an incredible way to engage students and the public, and it���s just really well-done. It was such an honor to be a part of and apply even a small part of my work as a historian to the project.���

The will air at 8 p.m. Friday, June 25, on CBS. It will also be available on-demand and via streaming.

 

Media contacts:

Robert Franklin, assistant director of the 厙ぴ勛圖 Hanford History Project and teaching assistant professor of history, robert.franklin@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� Washington State University Tri-Cities will host a free seminar discussion on exclusion and segregation in the mid-Columbia region on Tuesday, Jan. 26, as part of the WSU Common Reading Program.

This event, which takes place from 4 p.m. ��� 5:30 p.m. online, coincides with the launch of the third book in the ���Hanford Histories��� series that documents historical accounts and realities of the Hanford Site and surrounding regional area.

Both the book and event parallel themes in this year���s WSU Common Read book, ���Born A Crime��� by Trevor Noah, who lived in racially segregated areas in South Africa.

���As part of the Common Reading program, WSU freshman read an assigned book that introduces students to the value of research, power of ideas and interconnected ways in which disciplines across WSU approach similar issues,��� said Tracey Hanshew, 厙ぴ勛圖 history faculty and coordinator for the event. ���Because these conditions and societal views mirror local mid-Columbia history, the seminar contributes to the student experience by highlighting the common community value of the Common Reading program.���

As part of the event, 厙ぴ勛圖 history faculty Robert Bauman and Robert Franklin, as well as Laura Arata, history faculty at Oklahoma State University, will specifically discuss racial segregation and resistance to discrimination in the mid-Columbia region.

���Racial segregation and exclusion are realities that some may find hard to admit occurred even in our own Tri-Cities regional community,��� Bauman said. ���The book provides a glimpse into some of those realities by exploring first-hand accounts from those who lived through them.���

The new book, ���Echoes of Exclusion and Resistance: Voices from the Hanford Region,��� draws reflections from a number of oral histories on the experiences of non-white groups in the Hanford region, such as Wanapum tribal members, Chinese immigrants, World War II Japanese incarcerated individuals and African American migrant workers from the South. The book was edited by Bauman and Franklin.

���While writing it, we had no idea how relevant conversations surrounding this book would be to today���s political and sociological context,��� Franklin said. ���These are true stories of individuals who provide a perspective of what it was like living and working in the Hanford area.���

Following the seminar presentation, a question and answer session will follow.

For more information about ���Echoes of Exclusion and Resistance��� and to order the book, visit .

 

Media contacts:

Tracey Hanshew, 厙ぴ勛圖 scholarly assistant professor of history, 509-372-7390, tracey.hanshew@wsu.edu

Bob Bauman, 厙ぴ勛圖 professor of history, 509-372-7249, rbauman@wsu.edu
Robert Franklin, 厙ぴ勛圖 assistant director of Hanford History Project, 509-372-7678, robert.franklin@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

RICHLAND, Wash. ����� Washington State University Tri-Cities students will present semester and course research and art projects as part of the Undergraduate Research Symposium and Art Exhibition Dec. 9 and Dec. 11-13.

Sessions will take place from noon ��� 1 p.m. each day in Consolidated Information Center (CIC) 120, with the exception of Wednesday���s session, which takes place from noon ��� 1 p.m. in the CIC Art Gallery.

���Students have the opportunity to publicly present course and research projects that not only provide hands-on opportunities to explore topics within their field, but also projects that bridge into community partnerships to solve real-world problems,��� said Allison Matthews, clinical associate professor of psychology and coordinator for the symposium.

Some of the academic areas highlighted during the symposium include: the sciences, digital technology and culture, fine arts, history, mathematics and psychology.

Some of the projects featured during the symposium include:

• The exploration of American roots, including topics such as immigration, migration and ethnic identity
• Nutrient limitation of microbial and algal biofilms in Cascade streams
• Drawing and paintings that depict a variety of themes, including topics of expressing the evolution of humanity, nostalgia for the past or hope and/or fear for the future; ��and spirituality, mythology, or emotional state

For more information, contact Matthews at 509-372-7146 or��almatthews@wsu.edu.

 

Media contacts:

Allison Matthews, clinical associate professor of psychology and symposium coordinator, 509-372-7146, almatthews@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� student Savanna Navarro Kresse was honored this month with a national award for her work in increasing student democratic engagement on campus and in the regional Tri-Cities community.

Kresse earned an ���Honor Role��� award through the program, where she was invited to be honored in Washington, D.C. She was selected as one of 10 students for the category, which specifically recognizes student leadership in helping college students to improve nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement and voter participation.

Kresse, vice president for the Associated Students of 厙ぴ勛圖 and a senior history major, was instrumental in bringing a ballot drop box to campus in partnership with the . She has also led a series of events geared toward getting students registered to vote, in addition to partnering with her fellow student government peers to hold voting celebration days on campus.

She worked with Bob Ferguson���s office to host a presentation on DACA and immigration regulations last academic year. She helped organize a city council debate prior to the mid-term election last year. She also brought the Association of Women Voters to campus for an event pertaining to voter registration.

Kresse is active in discussions about the Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, which prevents discrimination based on sex in educational programs. She previously represented the Washington Student Association on a state-wide taskforce on the federal legislation civil rights law. She also completed a political science project, examining the law, as well as how to better handle issues pertaining to discrimination, which she presented at the 厙ぴ勛圖 Undergraduate Research Symposium and Art Exhibition.

Kresse is passionate about providing access to civil discussions and participation, and additionally has worked with her student peers to organize female mentor panels to shed light on women���s issues in the workplace, organized initiatives to increase student access to food in light of food insecurity on college campuses, and more.

Earlier this year, Kresse was honored with WSU���s MLK Distinguished Service Award for her commitment in educating others about human rights, social justice and for putting her own foot forward to make a difference in her local community.

Chris Meiers, Vice Chancellor for student affairs, said Kresse continually takes a leadership role in making sure all students have the access and resources they need to be successful, and is a champion for student and individual success.

���Her leadership and passion for providing access in positive change is evident to everyone around her,��� he said. ���We are incredibly proud of the work she continues to display at 厙ぴ勛圖 and her local community. She is an inspiration to her fellow students and has created many lasting legacies at 厙ぴ勛圖.���

Kresse said she wasn���t expecting the honor or knew that she was even nominated for the award, initially. When asked why she gives back to her community, she said that she is grateful for the opportunity to serve her fellow students.

���Often times we tend to think that the system is too big, and we are too small,��� she said. ���But when we recognize our ability to make positive change through relationship building and a spirit of willingness, nothing can hold us back.���

Kresse is a first-generation student, mother four and a former seasonal field worker. She continually uses her background as inspiration for overcoming barriers for education where she aims to grow resources available to those from all backgrounds.

 

Media contacts:

Savanna Kresse, 厙ぴ勛圖 senior undergraduate history major and vice president of ASWSUTC, savanna.kresse@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

A new book by a Washington State University Tri���Cities associate professor of history examines the complex relationship between religion, race, and government���led antipoverty initiatives, and how this complex dynamic resonates in today���s political situation.

In his book, titled ���Fighting to Preserve a Nation���s Soul: America���s Ecumenical War on Poverty,��� Robert Bauman explores organized religion���s role in the struggle against poverty and its impact on social movements, the on���going ���War on Poverty��� (initiated by President Lynden Johnson in 1964), and the power balance between church and state.

���Previously, religious organizational involvement in the antipoverty efforts hadn���t been closely examined,��� Bauman said. ���I hope readers gain an appreciation for the historical roles of religious organizations and individuals, and how their influence continues to this day.���

In particular, Bauman���s book showcases how activist priests and other religious leaders were able to connect religion with the antipoverty efforts of the civil rights movement. For example, the Black Manifesto, issued by civil rights and black power activist James Forman in 1969, challenged American churches and synagogues to donate resources to the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization as reparations for those institutions��� participation in slavery and racial segregation.

Bauman said the idea for the book initially came about after attending a conference on the War on Poverty at the University of Virginia, where many of the presentations featured religious figures who were key to local movements and efforts.

Bauman���s previous work includes the popular ���Nowhere to Remember: Hanford, White��Bluffs and Richland to 1943,��� which examines the beginnings of the Hanford Nuclear Site, and ���Race and the War on Poverty.��� He also authored the��Pacific Northwest Quarterly��article ���Jim Crow in the Tri���Cities, 1943���1950,��� which earned the Charles Gates Memorial Award from the Washington State Historical Society.

Bauman teaches American history courses at WSU��Tri���Cities, including those focusing on the civil rights movement, immigration, migration and ethnic identity and the Cold��War. His research interests include race and ethnicity in the American West, and the intersection of poverty and public policy.

���Fighting to Preserve a Nation���s Soul��� is available through the����website, on����and through��.

By Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖

RICHLAND, Wash. ��� Students will highlight semester course projects, research and art as part of the fall Undergraduate Research Symposium and Art Exhibition on Dec. 11 and 13 at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Members of the public are invited to attend as students present on their projects, which include the areas of history, political science, psychology, wine science, biology, fine art, English, mechanical engineering and environmental science.

Students will present posters of their research and course projects both days from noon ��� 1 p.m. in CIC 120. The art exhibition will be held from noon ��� 1 p.m. on Dec. 13, in the CIC Art Gallery.

���The Undergraduate Research Symposium and Art Exhibition provides our students with an excellent opportunity to practice communicating their research and course projects, which is an essential skill for when they go out into the professional environment,��� said Allison Matthews, 厙ぴ勛圖 clinical assistant professor of psychology. ���We have a variety of great projects that will be on display.���

Some of the projects include:

• Research on plant-mycorrhizal fungal interactions
• Research on public health education programs for people who are at-risk for developing Type 2 diabetes
• An analysis of data from the Tri City Union Gospel Mission regarding client demographics, factors that influence homelessness and other related variables
• Investigating heat transfer on a surface subject to nanoparticle coating
• Nutrient limitation of algal and microbial biofilms in the Yakima Watershed
• The effect of pesticides on algal and microbial biofilms
• Cluster architecture and fruit composition as influenced by rachis tipping in wine grapes
• Title IX in regard to procedures on campus
• The Plastic Garden ��� a fine arts and engineering collaboration to construct a moving mechanical garden made of plastic and mechanical components

Media contacts:

Allison Matthews, 厙ぴ勛圖 assistant professor of psychology, 509-372-7146, almatthews@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 厙ぴ勛圖 public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu