The past is full of facts, some documented and preserved, some long forgotten. Entire fields of study are dedicated to the excavating of these facts. Still others have dedicated their time to the interpretation of the historical record – what we have and what we are continually finding.
History has a way of directly affecting our lives. I think about how the learning of a friend’s past can change the way I see them in the present. The same is amplified when applied to communal, National, or global histories.
As a community today, many believe that whether or not we are on the “right side of history” is the final judgment. However, perspectives shift. The writers of history are human, too, with biases of their own. That is to say that history as a final judge, or as the singular informant of worldview, is faulty.
This is especially true when many of us don’t even have access to all of the documented record.
This is a huge issue. For my part, I’m committed to this project to help consolidate, expose, and promote the historical record of tap dancing and American Vernacular Dance.