It wasn't your typical trifold poster board display. High school freshman Alexandra Bui constructed a jumbo mail-order catalog replica from wooden sheets — an inventive, oversized way to convey her research on the Sears catalog's impact on getting consumer goods to Black shoppers who faced in-store discrimination in the Jim Crow South.
Bui, of Temple, Texas, is one of half a million young scholars taking part in this year's National History Day, a Maryland-based nonprofit's annual campaign that encourages students to take ownership of their history educations and rigorously examine the past. As the 2024 edition marks 50 years of championing evidence-based argumentation, participants say they find the work more relevant than ever.
