• What new ideas, challenges, or other issues have you encountered with regard to your project (this might include data collection, information that contradicts your assumptions or the assertions of others, materials that have enriched your understanding of the topic or led you to change your project, etc.)? How have these ideas or challenges shaped the bigger picture of your research? Has the scope or focus of your topic changed since you began this project? If so, how?

Some of the challenges that I've experienced with my project is narrowing down the time period, figuring out specific mourning customs I want to focus on, and making my project more concise. Overall, my project has evolved these past 5 weeks. Initially, going into my project, I was going to research a series of customs, traditions, and practices that have been adopted into African American culture which center grief. However, with the help of my professor, I have now narrowed my project to focus on Africana Folklore, specifically the myth of Flying Africans, as the themes of flight and liberation directly respond to premature death experienced under the tyranny of chattel slavery. The tale of flying Africans has been passed down through generations dating back to the early 1800s at Igbo landing. This imaginative tale of flight as freedom is inherently anti-capitalist and identifies the relationship between white supremacy and capitalism. Furthermore, the story of Flying Africans both combats the notion of Black subjugation and also creates a reality where Black life is centered, celebrated, and honored. This myth is not only a response to premature Black death, but it also practices world building that uplifts shared humanity. Lastly, this story emphasizes the importance spiritual reunion after death, physical freedom, and ancestral connection. 

My research experience has consisted of a lot of trial and error through immersing myself in all types of archives and articles related to the broader theme of grief and mourning. I now aim to investigate the role of storytelling as it relates to the myth of Flying Africans and how its been adapted into Black Literature, Pop culture, and Politics. Additionally, I will be accounting for Black grief as a reactionary force to racial violence, systemic oppression, and premature Black death. While I was presented with major challenges in narrowing the scope of my project, I'm very confident in my more narrowed subject matter amongst the broader category of Black mourning and cannot wait to see where this takes me

• Where does your research take place--or where is a favorite place to conduct your research? Post a photo!

My research takes place at the Columbia Rare Book & Manuscript Library on the 6th floor of Butler (the image would'nt attach).