Building Inclusive History: Expanding the Story of America
“Enslaved individuals who were left out of the historical record were as essential to revolutionary America as the founding figures many historic sites were established to celebrate.” That idea anchored a panel chaired by History MA alumna Sharece Blakney at the 2025 American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Annual Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a historian and research consultant with Morven Museum & Garden in Princeton, NJ, Blakney joined colleagues from Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, the Monmouth County Historical Association, and Morven to lead “Behind the Scenes: An Experiment of Enslaved Interpretation in the North.”
Blakney’s path to the national stage reflects a journey captured in History Graduate Student Sharece Blakney Finds Her Passion through Research, a 2018 Rutgers–Camden News feature by Victoria Wroblewski. A first-generation college student, she traced her earliest inspiration to a third-grade teacher who went beyond the textbook to show students a fuller picture of African American history. While completing her master’s degree at Rutgers–Camden, she worked at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH), contributing to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia and uncovering stories of Black abolitionist women in Camden.
Today, Blakney’s career carries forward that same dedication to history that is both rigorous and accessible. By bringing her research expertise and perspective to Morven Museum & Garden and to national conversations like AASLH, she demonstrates the power of inclusive history to reshape the narratives we share—underscoring the lasting impact of Rutgers–Camden alumni.
Mastering the Past: Rutgers–Camden’s M.A. in History Program
The Master of Arts in History program at Rutgers University–Camden offers a comprehensive curriculum tailored to diverse scholarly interests. Students can immerse themselves in tracks such as American history, public history, legal history, global history, and early modern history. The program emphasizes rigorous research, critical analysis, and engagement with historiographical debates, preparing graduates for careers in education, public history, and further academic pursuits. With a dedicated faculty and a commitment to intellectual growth, the program fosters a deep understanding of historical contexts and methodologies.
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