Hampton University Ambassador Update
After recovering from COVID-19 last week, I am more than happy to return to campus and continue outreach for the Black History Month Contest!
While I was recovering, Student Ambassador, Lillian Jackson (‘25) and the William R. and Norma B. Harvey Library to secure our FIRST table at Hampton University weekly “4-6”! At our table, Lillian came up with the idea of introducing The HistoryMakers Digital Archive through a “What’s Your Story” poster and having students write down what history they have accomplished within their own lives! We found this to be a great segway into discussing the archive, and will use it at future outreach programs!
Additionally, I finished creating the questions for our Black History Month Contest, “Guess Who: HistoryMaker Edition”. When creating questions for each selected HistoryMaker, I dug deeper into the archive than I have in the past! Before I knew it, I had watched almost the entire interview for each HistoryMaker!
While diving deep into each HistoryMaker’s interview, a five-minute clip from gospel musician Helen Turner-Thompson (1931-) evoked emotions of sadness and relief from me. Towards the end of her interview, there is a clip of Turner-Thompson playing the piano and singing parts of gospel tunes, including one written by her mother, “There Is A Place On The Battlefield For Me “. Perhaps it’s because of the increasingly rigorous workload of graduate school, but I felt a sense of comfort watching the clip as I shed a few tears.
A preview of some of the questions and answers created for HistoryMaker Helen Turner-Thompson (for judge’s use)
On a brighter note, this specific video in Turner-Thompson’s interview allowed me to reflect upon the previous questions I wrote and revise some of them. I changed the framework of my questions by setting the intention that each HistoryMaker’s story is being conveyed effectively rather than focusing on oddly specific details. For the Black History Month Contest, I hope that at least one participant walks away from this event feeling inspired and wanting to learn more about their HistoryMaker and others within the digital archive.
Moreover, I have began thinking of ideas for my next blog post relating to the African diaspora. In my previous blog post, “Corn Bread and Black Life”, I discussed how there are different variations of cornbread, ranging from hushpuppies to fried cornmeal. I also discussed how fufu, an African staple made from cassava or plantain and cornbread share the same purpose of being accompanied as part of a main entree. I thought about further exploring this connection with other foods that are similar across the African diaspora. Other potential blog posts would be to write about the Gullah Geeche people, as my grandmother has discussed their heritage and I am interested in learning more about their roots. Or, in light of listening to Helen Turner-Thompson’s passion for the gospel, connecting music and spirituality in the African diaspora.
