Ryan Reft is a historian in the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress, where he oversees collections pertaining to 20th and 21st century domestic politics and policy. He is co-editor and contributor to both East of East: The Making of Greater El Monte (Rutgers Press, 2020) and Justice and the Interstates: The Racist Truth about Urban Highways (Island Press, 2023). His work has appeared in edited volumes, academic journals, and popular outlets such as the Washington Post, Zocalo Public Square, and KCET (Los Angeles). Any views expressed here are his own and not those of his employer.