Erica Fugger is a PhD Candidate in the American Studies program at Rutgers–Newark. Her interdisciplinary research examines educational and organizing strategies within the U.S. antiwar movement. Fugger has previously worked on public history projects across social movement and political traditions, including with military families, peace activists, queer leaders, and community organizers. She was a 2023-2024 Graduate Fellow at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, where she interned with the New Jersey Historical Commission. She currently works as an archivist with the Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA while completing her doctoral dissertation. She holds an MA degree in Oral History from Columbia University and a BA in History & German from Union College.

Vietnam Summer 1967: Public History as Political Education in the American Antiwar Movement

In 1967, a broad coalition of civic groups and social movements united to engage the American public in nuanced conversations about the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Summer project mobilized 26,000 volunteers across the country to speak with local residents about the conflict's impact and generate grassroots approaches to political change. Nearly sixty years later, the United States again faces escalating warfare and a need to revisit effective models of democratic engagement. This project documents the organizing strategies of Vietnam Summer through oral history interviews and archival research, then brings students and activists together to develop deliberative dialogue methods for classrooms and civic spaces.

Erica Fugger was selected to receive the Democracy Catalyst Fellowship.