Student Ambassador Update: Howard University

This week, I continued circling the Black History Month Contest on various platforms to increase engagement. I was able to access the Africana Studies department’s Instagram, so I formally posted the contest on their page. I was also able to finalize my judges for the contest, who will be: Alanna Fields, my faculty advisor for the internship; Michael Ralph, the newly appointed African Studies department chair, and Jonathan Logan, a recent Howard University alumni photographer and social media manager for the The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. I also want to add one more judge from the Department of Fine Arts. I plan on meeting with that professor next week to ask her if she would be interested. I also had a meeting with my advisor to further discuss the logistics of the contest. She will reach out to the Department of Photography for me to circulate the contest as well as reach out to their Instagram social media manager to have them advertise the poster.

I received a promotional box of fliers, pamphlets, booklets, and tote bags that give more information about The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. I thought about using some of this material for a tabling event during Black History Month. The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is already hosting one in our Blackburn University, which currently serves as our defacto student center. I think it would be a good opportunity for expanding outreach on campus. I could also use that time to get people to sign up for the Black History Month Contest. In regards to that, I think it will be best to continue the contest throughout the entirety of February because the month is a little shorter. Pre-registration is a little low right now, so I think keeping the contest upon throughout the entirety of February will increase submissions. We can also amp up advertising and outreach during February to directly bring more attention to the contest.