Unleashing the power of history for the future of democracy.
Our Mission
To strengthen democracy with the power of history. History is a critical source of the civic nutrients we need to be changemakers: empathy, agency, imagination, context and community.
The Problem
The political culture of America is in crisis. Competing and simplified narratives of history create entrenched political tribes. This hyper-partisanship and a generally weak understanding of democracy are affecting our ability to solve problems for our community.
Our Approach
We are a systems-change initiative, aimed at galvanizing changemakers and history providers from all sectors to transform the market of history. We will provide the infrastructure for a movement to ensure that people get the history they need to be a changemaker.
Our Values
Our foundational principle is the universal and fundamental equality of human dignity. All people are created equal and are endowed by whatever creator they hold dear by certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Full stop.
Civility · Empathy · Accuracy · Collaboration
Who We Are
Fernande Raine, Founder
Got History? grew out of Fernande’s lifelong passion for changemaking, democracy and history. That journey has included:
Studying history (in Germany and US) to understand how democracy works
Learning from her advisors Paul Kennedy and John Gaddis how to put history to work for the public good
Doing detective work and finding archival treasures to tell the story of Stalin's Oil Politics in World War II
Apprenticing in management and strategy as a consultant at McKinsey and Innosight
Bringing the concept of Social Entrepreneurship to Germany and France by laying foundations for Ashoka's spread
Creating and leading the People Team at Ashoka
Co-creating an effort at Ashoka to distill how innovators create large scale social change, with new leadership and a new way of organizing in teams of teams that create value for all participants
She lives in Brookline with her husband, their four daughters, her sister and three nephews.
History and You
We are looking for people to join our movement. If you care about history and democracy, share your name so we can keep you posted, share your thoughts so we can be stronger.