RICHES™ is an interdisciplinary digital project that partners with multiple academic units at the University of Central Florida, six other Florida universities, and commercial and nonprofit sectors of the community. The project has two goals: 1) to serve as a model for documenting regional history, especially “hidden” history and culture, through an interactive database that draws from multiple repositories and personal collections, and 2) to develop new digital tools for historians.
Bending Toward Justice Digital Exhibit Project
“The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice,” words spoken by Theodore Parker, the abolitionist minister in 1853. Martin Luther King Jr. modified the quote during the Civil Rights Movement when he proclaimed, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” (The Gospel Messenger 1958) The quote in either form can be interpreted to mean that a passive wait for justice will be rewarded. It can also imply that justice is conferred by those of superior moral, political, or social status on those less fortunate. The Bending Toward Justice digital exhibit project builds on a different interpretation. The exhibits planned and presented in this digital space explore daily life in Florida’s Black communities and document the ways in which African Americans “bent” the arc toward justice through their everyday lives and under extraordinary conditions. Visit Bending Toward Justice here.
Public History Projects at the University of Central Florida
The Public History program at UCF links many projects under one initiative to promote the collection and preservation of Florida history. By facilitating research that records and presents the stories of communities, businesses, and institutions in Florida, RICHES seeks to provide the region with a deeper sense of its heritage. At the same time, the initiative connects students and faculty with the community and creates a foundation on which Floridians can build a better sense of their history. Check out some of our projects below!
