Connecting past and present is a signature characteristic of BGSU History faculty. They are active in discussions in public media, using their historical expertise to shed light on present-day problems. The following are some examples of engagement with different media in the last semester.

Dr. Ben Greene was featured in a recent Toledo Blade article, “Lessons out of history,” about the parallels between the COVID-19 pandemic and the experience in the Great Depression. Greene curtails misconception by explaining how those parallels are rather broad: a rigorous economy suddenly laid low, for example, and a desperate nation facing a challenge that was altogether new. And while those who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II considered it their patriotic duty to follow government directives and sacrifice for the command good, there is a segment in the population today who are “much more concerned about infringements to their personal freedoms” by the stay-at-home government mandates.

Dr. Andrew Schocket is one of the 50+ collaborators from dozens of institutions in the Journal of the Plague Year: A COVID-19 Archive (JOTPY), which has collected nearly 4,000 artifacts to capture our moment today and have it archived for future scholars. Similar to BGSU’s COVID-19 Stories, JOTPY solicits submissions from the general public, however, it has a global reach and accepts a wide range of artifacts. Schocket is also working with our undergraduate capstone course in creating digital exhibits by putting our current experience in historical perspective, with help from BGSU Libraries.

Dr. Amilcar Challu shared his professional opinion on the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) with 13abc News. His contribution provided perspective on what USMCA means and what Ohioans can expect. Challu explained we shouldn’t expect too much to change but trade could improve and demand for a more qualified workforce could increase. While he’s hopeful for what comes next, he asserts only time will tell if USMCA turns into a good deal.

Dr. Apollos Nwauwa is highly involved in the life of his hometown, Uburuekwe, his Igbo ethnic group, and Nigeria in general by serving on regional Igbo associations and Nigerians in the Diaspora Organization, Americas (NIDOA). Nwauwa was interviewed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the premier news agency in the country, where he emphasized the need for infrastructural development and re-orientation of young people to address human trafficking and illegal migration in Nigeria.

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