Hello world my name is Marvin-Alonzo Greer aka MAG the Historian. I am a public historian dedicated to teaching history and having open and honest dialogues that connect the past to the present. I loves the ancestors which has driven me to tell their stories in dynamic ways.

I travel to historic sites training museum staff the fundamentals of interpreting race and racism in the United States. Email me at magthehistorian@gmail.com to enquire about trainings and programs.

Recent programs, trainings, and presentations include:

Collective Memory and Interpretation: Knowing Your Guest and Yourself
Iconography, Interpretation & You
Museums Are Not Neutral: Using History to Teach Social Justice
From Cartridge Box to Jury Box: Black Veterans fight for equality after the Rebellion
A Thankless Fight: Black Doughboys in the Great War
Black, Red, and Blue: Seeking Freedom in the American Revolution
Feeding the Body, Healing the Soul: How Enslaved Africans Created American Cuisine
With Eagles on their Buttons: Black Marylanders in the Slaveholders Rebellion
For the Cause of Freedom: Black Missourians in the Civil War
Emancipation, Juneteenth & You: Emancipation’s Impact on Americans Past and Present
Seeking Freedom: Black Refugees in Time of War

See my bio below:

Marvin-Alonzo Greer is the Lead Historic Interpretation & Community Engagement Officer for the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission in Prince George’s County Maryland. Where he curated the Sankofa Mobile Museum to use history to teach social justice. Prior to joining the MNCPPC team he served three years at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in St. Louis. While at Soldiers Memorial, Marvin-Alonzo oversaw the reopening of the museum after a three-year, $30 million revitalization of the 1930s era building. He developed K-12 programming, community engagement strategies, and a robust public program initiative highlighting the accomplishments of St. Louisans and their connections to the military. Community outreach and public programs under his leadership promoted veterans from various communities often left out of the historical narrative, including African American, LGBTQIA, Latinx, women, American Indian, Asian and immigrant communities. In his personal time, he practices interpretive skills by going into undeserved communities and bringing history to life through neighborhood tours, living histories, and museum theater performances.

A native of Pasadena, California, Marvin-Alonzo grew up in Atlanta, Georgia where he graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in History and a minor in African American Studies. He has held leadership and managerial roles at museums and historical institutions, including the Atlanta History Center and Colonial Williamsburg. He was awarded the Emancipation Proclamation Award for Preserving African American History and Culture by the City of Atlanta for his activism and partnership with community organizations to place neighborhoods in historical context.

When he is not working, he helps Black families trace their genealogy and has traced his own ancestry to the American Revolution. Marvin-Alonzo is a mentor and big brother to living historians and historical interpreters. He co-founded the Sons and Daughters of Ham (civilian) and The Hannibal Guards (military), two living history organizations dedicated to interpreting the lives of African Americans in the Civil War. Under his leadership, the Sons & Daughters of Ham were recognized by the National Park Service with the National Capital Region Hartzog Award for Excellence in Group Volunteering. In 2018 Marvin-Alonzo was asked to join the PBS affiliate Nine Network Community Advisory Board to raise awareness for veteran’s issues. People Magazine recognized him as a “Black Activists, Artists, Historians and Changemakers You Should Follow on Social Media” and he was featured by Google Creators for their “Creators Spotlight”.  He has consulted and produced historical content for PBS, Ancestry.com, and numerous films. Marvin-Alonzo’s central belief is to use history as medicine by connecting communities to their past and creating honest dialogue across cultures that will inspire communities to action.

Marvin-Alonzo’s interpretive philosophy is, “If history is not interesting and relevant, you’re not teaching it right.”

Click here to learn more about me: https://magthehistorian.wordpress.com/about/