Hope College senior history majors Ingrid Oslund and Carolyn Thornbury will present “Race, Religion, and the USO During WWII,” sharing insights from their original archival research, on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Holland Museum.
Admission is free. Advance registration is not required, but the museum does encourage it via its website.
Oslund and Thornbury have been conducting research collaboratively with Dr. Jeanne Petit, who is the Betty Roelofs ’53 Miller Endowed Professor of History and department chair, for her current book project on the history of the USO, and have also pursued related projects of their own. The Nov. 7 event is being presented through the museum’s Cultural Lens Series and cosponsored by the college’s Department of History.
The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 by a number of Protestant, Catholic and Jewish groups. Petit is exploring the interfaith dynamic of its creation.
Oslund worked with Petit this past summer on archives from the University of Minnesota’s YMCA collection, helping review digitized materials dealing with African American work of the YMCA in the USO. Oslund’s additional project has focused on a controversy about a pamphlet the YMCA developed called “The Races of Mankind,” which used new anthropological ideas to make a case for racial equality. The USO banned the pamphlet, believing that it would be too controversial in the South. Oslund examined how the YMCA defended the pamphlet and made a larger case about equality in the United States based on the organization’s Christian principles.
Thornbury accompanied Petit to the Jewish Welfare Board Archives in New York City to examine the JWB’s role in the USO. Thornbury’s additional project has explored how the JWB sought to help Jewish soldiers preserve their traditions by providing them kosher meals for religious holidays. Thornbury presented her research at the annual Great Lakes History Conference in the fall of 2023.
Oslund, who is also studying Classics, hopes after graduation to continue her studies in library science and pursue work within archives. Thornbury, who is double-majoring in history and Classical studies, is currently applying to graduate schools to further her studies in religious history.
The Holland Museum is located at 31 W. 10th St., facing 10th Street at River Avenue across from Centennial Park.