Former New Mexico State Historian to lead community memory workshop

FORT GARLAND - Native son of the San Luis Valley and former State Historian of New Mexico Dr. Estevan Rael-Gálvez, will lead a memory workshop at Fort Garland Museum on Sunday, July 29, from 2-4 p.m.

Rael-Gálvez is working in partnership with History Colorado and is seeking community stories, memories, and knowledge to help develop new phases of the Borderlands of Southern Colorado exhibit. All current and former residents of the San Luis Valley are invited to participate in this conversation about identity and shared history and to share the stories of their families and communities.

“History Colorado recognizes that many Colorado families have long preserved important history and memories that shape our state. We are eager for opportunities to learn this history directly from the people who know it best,” said Dawn DiPrince, chief community museum officer for History Colorado.

The workshop is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Dr. Rael-Gálvez has led a full career as a successful senior executive, including most recently as the senior vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, he is a writer and founder of Creative Strategies 360°, a consulting firm which works with organizations and communities locally, nationally and internationally. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Dr. Rael-Gálvez also received a Ph.D. in American Cultures from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he completed his dissertation, “Identifying Captivity and Capturing Identity: Narratives of American Indian Slavery,” focused on the meanings of American Indian slavery and a unique legacy and identity in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. He is currently working on the manuscript, The Silence of Slavery.