Rachael Cassidy

Photo: Rachael Cassidy

PhD Student

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Area and Thematic Fields/Interests

Rachael Cassidy is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and is a doctoral candidate in the Department of History where she specializes in Indigenous history and methodologies, urban Native history, memory studies, oral history, and public history. She was the first Native person to serve as the Managing Editor of the New Mexico Historical Review during the journal’s 95-year publication history. Her dissertation explores the social history of Native residents of Washington, D.C., including Indigenous diplomats and their relatives, activists, federal employees, and local tribal nations. Rachael’s background in filmmaking will contribute to an interactive website that will share her research and primary sources with wider audiences. This public history style digital space will include short, edited videos that feature individuals, organizations, and locations. Rachael’s decade of public history experience includes initial educational program development at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, in Washington D.C., and living history interpretation at the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site in Colorado Springs, Colorado.