Doctor, professor, dean, Woman of Distinction, and now Colorado State Historian. In her three decades of teaching English at Colorado College, Dr. Claire Oberon Garcia has held many titles and earned a number of accolades. On Colorado Day, August 1, exactly 147 years to the day the state was created, Garcia received her biggest honor yet—being named Colorado State Historian.
“I feel super excited for a lot of reasons,” shares Garcia. “I’m looking forward to learning a lot more about Colorado history and the different communities that have made Colorado who we are today.”
She says this is a compelling time to be State Historian, because the relevance of history has entered public conversations in a dramatic way, from arguments about the curriculum of K-12 to higher ed. “It’s an exciting time to articulate to ourselves the importance of sharing historical knowledge.”
Invited to join the State Historian’s Council in 2022, Garcia brings a fresh focus on Black history as portrayed through literature to the State Historian role. Of particular interest to Garcia are the experiences of women of the Black Atlantic in the beginning of the twentieth century, a subject she has explored in publications, conference presentations, and academic classrooms.
“As an interdisciplinary scholar whose focus is on untold or underappreciated writing by Black women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, I look forward to bringing new frameworks and conversations to our understandings of Coloradans’ lived experiences and historical narratives,” says Garcia.
“Stepping into this role – which has been around for 100 years – provides me a chance to show how much our state has changed and reemphasize the importance of well-researched, engaging, and accessible public history to building successful and inclusive democracies,” she says.
Garcia’s goal as the State Historian is to promote more inclusive historical programming and exhibitions rather than to be the definitive authority of the historical record of the Centennial State. She hopes to explore how Colorado has influenced the broader world and how the world has influenced the state. And she wants to see these efforts happen statewide, not just in the Denver metro area.
“Ideally, I’d like to collaborate with a lot of different organizations, and I’d love to have Colorado College as part of it. It would reflect well on our school and I’m grateful to CC for supporting my scholarship and teaching all these years,” Garcia says. “CC has such a wealth of resources and I’d like to take advantage of that.”
And if you’re thinking this new role will take Garcia away from CC, think again. She will teach a full load of English courses this 2023-2024 school year.
“History Colorado is very good at supporting the State Historian Council and providing a lot of administrative assistance.” The Council includes five scholars from five different institutions around the state, who each experience a five-year term with annual rotations for the State Historian role. From Aug. 1, 2023, through July 31, 2024, Garcia will lead the following council members in her role as State Historian: Dr. Nicki Gonzales (Regis University), Dr. Susan Schulten (University of Denver), Dr. Jared Orsi (Colorado State University) and Dr. William Wei (University of Colorado).
Garcia is grateful for how CC has encouraged interdisciplinary work and extracurricular programs. “It’s been so important to my growth as a scholar and teacher.”