Hello Friends,
This will be a two part blog.
I do not not exactly how to start because the assignment was to review an article about an archive(s) that deal with diversity or minority groups and how to best advocate for a diverse collection within large archives.
I was supposed to read only one, but in a time when I am crunched for time and have my thesis to work on and a Linguistics project to complete of course I procrastinated and read all of the articles.
And I realized, not for the first time mind you, that I am ignorant.
Not the ignorant that says hateful things.
Ignorant because I do not listen enough to the voices of my neighbors.
As a historian I spend most of my time reading about the lives of dead people who lived over one hundred years ago and half way across the world from me. I sit among archives that contain voices of people who were wealthy and who had power and prestige.
I- I use the word I too much and do not stop and think enough about the lives and histories of people that I encounter on a daily basis.
Archives, I have learned are not just repositories for the senators and business people of the world, but also can house the experiences of farmers, activists and students if there is an interested party willing to do research on those lives. With an increased interest in the lives of women, African-Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ+, and Indigenous peoples, archives are being created to fulfill this desire.
But the question is- how do we make it so that the lives of these people are not just "specialty" topics? How can historians, archivists, and greater academia incorporate the lives and voices of these people without losing the significance that these groups for the majority of history- have not had a voice or place among the gilded halls of libraries, archives, and history books?
Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but the examples of them are few and far between.
One of the main lessons I learned from my readings is that especially underrepresented voices, when they do have an archive created, it is filled with emotion. There are some of the same legal and official documents that are found in older archives, but the oral histories and letters are filled with an emotion that cannot but helped be felt by the archivist.
This part of my internship will stick with me for a long time, and I hope it will remind me, regardless of my future profession, that all voices have gravity, purpose, and merit in the history of their community.
Until later my dear friends.
Peace,
-Kylie
This will be a two part blog.
I do not not exactly how to start because the assignment was to review an article about an archive(s) that deal with diversity or minority groups and how to best advocate for a diverse collection within large archives.
I was supposed to read only one, but in a time when I am crunched for time and have my thesis to work on and a Linguistics project to complete of course I procrastinated and read all of the articles.
And I realized, not for the first time mind you, that I am ignorant.
Not the ignorant that says hateful things.
Ignorant because I do not listen enough to the voices of my neighbors.
As a historian I spend most of my time reading about the lives of dead people who lived over one hundred years ago and half way across the world from me. I sit among archives that contain voices of people who were wealthy and who had power and prestige.
I- I use the word I too much and do not stop and think enough about the lives and histories of people that I encounter on a daily basis.
Archives, I have learned are not just repositories for the senators and business people of the world, but also can house the experiences of farmers, activists and students if there is an interested party willing to do research on those lives. With an increased interest in the lives of women, African-Americans, Latinos, LGBTQ+, and Indigenous peoples, archives are being created to fulfill this desire.
But the question is- how do we make it so that the lives of these people are not just "specialty" topics? How can historians, archivists, and greater academia incorporate the lives and voices of these people without losing the significance that these groups for the majority of history- have not had a voice or place among the gilded halls of libraries, archives, and history books?
Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but the examples of them are few and far between.
One of the main lessons I learned from my readings is that especially underrepresented voices, when they do have an archive created, it is filled with emotion. There are some of the same legal and official documents that are found in older archives, but the oral histories and letters are filled with an emotion that cannot but helped be felt by the archivist.
This part of my internship will stick with me for a long time, and I hope it will remind me, regardless of my future profession, that all voices have gravity, purpose, and merit in the history of their community.
Until later my dear friends.
Peace,
-Kylie
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