Part Typewriter, Part Divination: A Black Feminist Approach to Black Digital Archives and Preserving the Papers of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home

Millward, Jessica; Willoughby-Herard, Tiffany; Carter, LaShonda; Tribbett, Krystal; Turenne, Ella

doi:10.13169/jinte.5.1.0006

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Journal of Intersectionality

Volume 5, Issue 1

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Part Typewriter, Part Divination: A Black Feminist Approach to Black Digital Archives and Preserving the Papers of the Campaign to Bring Mumia Home

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research-article

Author(s): Jessica Millward ¹ , Tiffany Willoughby-Herard ¹ , LaShonda Carter ¹ , Krystal Tribbett ¹ , Ella Turenne ¹

Publication date (Print): 14 October 2022

Journal: Journal of Intersectionality

Keywords: digital humanities, Black digital humanities, activist studio west, Mumia Abu Jamal, Black radical histories, Black archives, Black feminist theory

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Abstract

Black Digital Humanities in the hands of Black Feminist and Black Women’s Studies scholars enables historiography and open access pedagogy about Black liberation thinkers in the tradition of the Black Studies Movement.1 Furthermore it is a subversive model of archiving which produces a counter-narrative to traditional and canonical ways of thinking, producing, and storing work that is coming out of Black liberatory movements, praxis, creative social visions, and knowledge production. For our purposes we describe this as the myriad valences of Blackness experienced, encompassed, and reproduced. This paper theorizes the ways in which Black Digital Humanities can be used to preserve historical documents that would otherwise be repressed and erased in the evolving world of online databases, open access and for-profit library packages. It examines these questions by discussing the creation of the Activist Studio West (ASW) and its efforts to preserve the history of The Campaign to Bring Mumia home. We deploy Black Feminist praxis through collaborative interventions into historiography as a key feature of political consciousness raising. The stakes of this article (and archive) call into question the fundamentals of digital humanities and what it means to develop a digital repository to document Black Radical Political movements as Black Feminists. Research team members, historian Jessica Millward, political scientist Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, Black cultural studies scholar LaShonda Carter, visual culture scholar Ella Turenne, and ethnic studies archivist Krystal Tribbett prioritized introducing students to the major scholarship on creating community based archives, the ethical concerns around this particular type of Black Radical archive, and the political ethos involved in initiating an archive around a figure that has been consistently threatened by state sanctioned historical record. As a research methods driven paper we have focused on concept and theory-building toward curriculum development.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Title: Journal of Intersectionality

ISSN: 2515-2122

Publication date (Print): 14 October 2022

Volume: 5

Issue: 1

Pages: 53-69

Affiliations

[1 ] University of California, Irvine

Article

DOI: 10.13169/jinte.5.1.0006

SO-VID: 00166bae-0d18-43c6-bce8-9f9bb9e139e8

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Published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International ( CC BY 4.0). Users are allowed to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially), as long as the authors and the publisher are explicitly identified and properly acknowledged as the original source.

History

Data availability: Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Education,Political science,Cultural studies

Keywords: digital humanities,Black archives,Black radical histories,Black digital humanities,Black feminist theory,activist studio west,Mumia Abu Jamal

References

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BARNETT FIONA, BLAS ZACH, CÁRDENAS MICHA, GABOURY JACOB, JOHNSON JESSICA MARIE, RHEE MARGARET. QueerOS:Debates in the Digital Humanities 2016. p. 50–59. 2016. University of Minnesota Press. [Cross Ref]
Biondi Martha. The Black Revolution on Campus. 2012. University of California Press. [Cross Ref]
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Brown Aleia M., Crutchfield Joshua. Black Scholars Matter: #BlkTwitterstorians Building a Digital Community. The Black Scholar. Vol. 47(3):45–55. 2017. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Caswell Michelle. Teaching to Dismantle White Supremacy in Archives. The Library Quarterly. Vol. 87(3):222–235. 2017. University of Chicago Press. [Cross Ref]
Caswell Michelle. Seeing Yourself in History. The Public Historian. Vol. 36(4):26–37. 2014. University of California Press. [Cross Ref]
Caswell Michelle, Cifor Marika, Ramirez Mario H.. “To Suddenly Discover Yourself Existing”: Uncovering the Impact of Community Archives<sup>1</sup>. The American Archivist. Vol. 79(1):56–81. 2016. Society of American Archivists. [Cross Ref]
Crouchett Lawrence. Early Black Studies Movements. Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 2(2):189–200. 1971. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Davis Angela Y.. Afro Images: Politics, Fashion, and Nostalgia. Critical Inquiry. Vol. 21(1):37–45. 1994. University of Chicago Press. [Cross Ref]
GALLON KIM. Making a Case for the Black Digital HumanitiesDebates in the Digital Humanities 2016. p. 42–49. 2016. University of Minnesota Press. [Cross Ref]
Debates in the Digital Humanities 2016. 2016. University of Minnesota Press. [Cross Ref]
Hine Darlene Clark. The Black Studies Movement: Afrocentric-Traditionalist-Feminist Paradigms for the Next Stage. The Black Scholar. Vol. 22(3):11–18. 1992. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Jimerson Randall. Embracing the Power of Archives. The American Archivist. Vol. 69(1):19–32. 2006. Society of American Archivists. [Cross Ref]
Marie Johnson Jessica. 4DH + 1 Black Code / Black Femme Forms of Knowledge and Practice. American Quarterly. Vol. 70(3):665–670. 2018. Project Muse. [Cross Ref]
Johnson Jessica Marie. Markup Bodies. Social Text. Vol. 36(4):57–79. 2018. Duke University Press. [Cross Ref]
Joseph Peniel E.. Dashikis and Democracy: Black Studies, Student Activism, and the Black Power Movement. The Journal of African American History. Vol. 88(2):182–203. 2003. University of Chicago Press. [Cross Ref]
Kelley Robin D. G.. Black Study, Black Struggle. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies. Vol. 40(2)2018. California Digital Library (CDL). [Cross Ref]
Kershaw Terry. Toward a Black Studies Paradigm. Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 22(4):477–493. 1992. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]
Irma McClaurin. Commentary on Digital Publishing in African American Studies: Continuing the Dialogue and Expanding the Collaborations. Fire!!! Vol. 3(2)2014. Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). [Cross Ref]
Powell Chaitra, Smith Holly, Murrain Shanee', Hearn Skyla. This [Black] Woman’s Work: Exploring Archival Projects that Embrace the Identity of the Memory Worker. KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies. Vol. 2:2018. University of Victoria Libraries. [Cross Ref]
Quan H.L.T., Willoughby-Herard Tiffany. Black ontology, radical scholarship and freedom. African Identities. Vol. 11(2):109–116. 2013. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Radhakrishnan R.. The Epistemology of Pessimism. The Comparatist. Vol. 43(1):41–67. 2019. Project Muse. [Cross Ref]
Robinson Cedric J., Edwards Erica R.. The Terms of Order. 2016. University of North Carolina Press. [Cross Ref]
Rogers I.. The Marginalization of the Black Campus Movement. Journal of Social History. Vol. 42(1):175–182. 2008. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]
Tatum Beverly. Talking about Race, Learning about Racism: The Application of Racial Identity Development Theory in the Classroom. Harvard Educational Review. Vol. 62(1):1–25. 1992. Harvard Education Publishing Group. [Cross Ref]
Wilderson Frank B.. Incognegro. 2015. Duke University Press. [Cross Ref]
Willoughby-Herard Tiffany. Fighting for an intervention in history in the face of dreams deferred in the making: Twenty years of South African democracy. African Identities. Vol. 12(3-4):225–235. 2014. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]
Wilson David C., Davis Darren W.. Reexamining Racial Resentment: Conceptualization and Content. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol. 634(1):117–133. 2011. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Alkalimat Abdul. <i>eBlack studies</i>: A twenty‐first‐century challenge. Souls. Vol. 2(3):69–76. 2000. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[2] BARNETT FIONA, BLAS ZACH, CÁRDENAS MICHA, GABOURY JACOB, JOHNSON JESSICA MARIE, RHEE MARGARET. QueerOS:Debates in the Digital Humanities 2016. p. 50–59. 2016. University of Minnesota Press. [Cross Ref]

[3] Biondi Martha. The Black Revolution on Campus. 2012. University of California Press. [Cross Ref]

[4] The Black Studies Reader. 2004. Routledge. [Cross Ref]

[5] Brown Aleia M., Crutchfield Joshua. Black Scholars Matter: #BlkTwitterstorians Building a Digital Community. The Black Scholar. Vol. 47(3):45–55. 2017. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[6] Caswell Michelle. Teaching to Dismantle White Supremacy in Archives. The Library Quarterly. Vol. 87(3):222–235. 2017. University of Chicago Press. [Cross Ref]

[7] Caswell Michelle. Seeing Yourself in History. The Public Historian. Vol. 36(4):26–37. 2014. University of California Press. [Cross Ref]

[8] Caswell Michelle, Cifor Marika, Ramirez Mario H.. “To Suddenly Discover Yourself Existing”: Uncovering the Impact of Community Archives<sup>1</sup>. The American Archivist. Vol. 79(1):56–81. 2016. Society of American Archivists. [Cross Ref]

[9] Crouchett Lawrence. Early Black Studies Movements. Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 2(2):189–200. 1971. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[10] Davis Angela Y.. Afro Images: Politics, Fashion, and Nostalgia. Critical Inquiry. Vol. 21(1):37–45. 1994. University of Chicago Press. [Cross Ref]

[11] GALLON KIM. Making a Case for the Black Digital HumanitiesDebates in the Digital Humanities 2016. p. 42–49. 2016. University of Minnesota Press. [Cross Ref]

[12] Debates in the Digital Humanities 2016. 2016. University of Minnesota Press. [Cross Ref]

[13] Hine Darlene Clark. The Black Studies Movement: Afrocentric-Traditionalist-Feminist Paradigms for the Next Stage. The Black Scholar. Vol. 22(3):11–18. 1992. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[14] Jimerson Randall. Embracing the Power of Archives. The American Archivist. Vol. 69(1):19–32. 2006. Society of American Archivists. [Cross Ref]

[15] Marie Johnson Jessica. 4DH + 1 Black Code / Black Femme Forms of Knowledge and Practice. American Quarterly. Vol. 70(3):665–670. 2018. Project Muse. [Cross Ref]

[16] Johnson Jessica Marie. Markup Bodies. Social Text. Vol. 36(4):57–79. 2018. Duke University Press. [Cross Ref]

[17] Joseph Peniel E.. Dashikis and Democracy: Black Studies, Student Activism, and the Black Power Movement. The Journal of African American History. Vol. 88(2):182–203. 2003. University of Chicago Press. [Cross Ref]

[18] Kelley Robin D. G.. Black Study, Black Struggle. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies. Vol. 40(2)2018. California Digital Library (CDL). [Cross Ref]

[19] Kershaw Terry. Toward a Black Studies Paradigm. Journal of Black Studies. Vol. 22(4):477–493. 1992. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]

[20] Irma McClaurin. Commentary on Digital Publishing in African American Studies: Continuing the Dialogue and Expanding the Collaborations. Fire!!! Vol. 3(2)2014. Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). [Cross Ref]

[21] Powell Chaitra, Smith Holly, Murrain Shanee', Hearn Skyla. This [Black] Woman’s Work: Exploring Archival Projects that Embrace the Identity of the Memory Worker. KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies. Vol. 2:2018. University of Victoria Libraries. [Cross Ref]

[22] Quan H.L.T., Willoughby-Herard Tiffany. Black ontology, radical scholarship and freedom. African Identities. Vol. 11(2):109–116. 2013. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[23] Radhakrishnan R.. The Epistemology of Pessimism. The Comparatist. Vol. 43(1):41–67. 2019. Project Muse. [Cross Ref]

[24] Robinson Cedric J., Edwards Erica R.. The Terms of Order. 2016. University of North Carolina Press. [Cross Ref]

[25] Rogers I.. The Marginalization of the Black Campus Movement. Journal of Social History. Vol. 42(1):175–182. 2008. Oxford University Press (OUP). [Cross Ref]

[26] Tatum Beverly. Talking about Race, Learning about Racism: The Application of Racial Identity Development Theory in the Classroom. Harvard Educational Review. Vol. 62(1):1–25. 1992. Harvard Education Publishing Group. [Cross Ref]

[27] Wilderson Frank B.. Incognegro. 2015. Duke University Press. [Cross Ref]

[28] Willoughby-Herard Tiffany. Fighting for an intervention in history in the face of dreams deferred in the making: Twenty years of South African democracy. African Identities. Vol. 12(3-4):225–235. 2014. Informa UK Limited. [Cross Ref]

[29] Wilson David C., Davis Darren W.. Reexamining Racial Resentment: Conceptualization and Content. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Vol. 634(1):117–133. 2011. SAGE Publications. [Cross Ref]