Last week the trainings and discussions we had cut across the disciplines. How does the interdisciplinary nature of this program, the fact that students are focusing on such a diverse range of projects, help you think about your project and/or your academic interests more broadly?

The interdisciplinary nature of this program helps me identify the various methodologies of my project. Being immersed in the archive and literature materials, I am definitely hopeful for the potential of this project in creating real community action. For example, learning about the impact of storytelling as a life affirming practice, in response to Black premature death, made me wonder what it would look to create grieving circles which create space for trauma, joy, and celebration in the Black community. I'm beyond grateful for this opportunity and so far, I've learned a lot about grief not only as a response to systemic oppression, but, as a way of paying tribute to the victims of racial violence and white supremacy. Pursuing this project, has opened new areas of interest such as grassroots organizing and potential career paths for engaging in social justice. 

As you begin your individual research projects this week, do you anticipate any challenges in getting started? If so, what are they?

The challenges that I anticipate getting started with my research project include narrowing the timeframe of my topic and figuring out the order in which I research eulogies, sermons, and Black folkore with a focus on how each responds/critiques existing systems of oppression. I'm also figuring out the deliverables of my project and how I aim to present them to a larger audience unfamiliar with the topic. I've gotten some really helpful guidance from my graduate student mentor on possibly focusing on grief and Black mourning within the context of chattel slavery: plantation funerals, the founding of the Black methodist church, and the prevalence of the myth of Flying Africans in response to these systems as a life affirming practice. So far, I've gathered some helpful sources from Columbia's Rare Book and Manuscript Library, which should serve as a helpful foundation for diving into the early to mid 1800's. I'm starting this process with an annotated bibliography which will help me create a visual representation: poster or slideshow to present my findings. Really excited to get started and can't wait for whats to come with my project.