Bernard Rosenthal Trubowitz — His Master’s Voice: Racism in Material Culture through 1900s Discography

Bernard Rosenthal Trubowitz

Which is more pervasive, a stone monument or a shellac record?

Using a period gramophone, we will explore the influence of material culture in shaping and encoding racism in the United States and discuss the responsibility of museums and institutions to address “problematic” collections items and amplify marginalized narratives.

Note: Original artifacts will be interpreted that are often distasteful (use of stereotypes, mention of lynchings, etc.). Some of the slides also have Confederate imagery, Klansmen, and blackface.

Bernard Rosenthal Trubowitz (linkedin.com/in/bernard-r-trubowitz-6600a2116) worked in the public history field in Massachusetts for over a decade and a half at sites including the Old North Church, USS Constitution Museum, and the National Park Service in Lowell. He also taught at the Tsongas Industrial History Center, a collaborative between the Park Service and University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is currently a Park Ranger in Paterson, New Jersey.