“I learned that if I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive. My poetry, my life, my work, my energies for struggle were not acceptable unless I pretended to match somebody else’s norm. I learned that not only couldn’t I succeed at that game, but the energy needed for that masquerade would be lost to my work.” – Audre Lord in her 1982 address at Harvard University entitled Learning from the 60’s said,
Inspirations
- James Baldwin
- Audrey Lourde
- Toni Morrson
- Zora Neal Hurston
- W.E.B. Dubois
- Maya Angelou
- Jared Blake
- Michelle Caswell
Notable Projects
- The Body/Remembers
- Dance/USA Archive and Preservation Fellowship
- Dayton Metro Library Partnership- Karen Brame
- Preservation Assessment- Teatro Stabile Torino (Turin, Italy)
Characteristics
- Avid Researcher
- Embodied dance practitioner
- Activist
- Driven
- Self Motivated
“It is a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”- W.E.B. Dubois 1903
I Believe Statement
Ubuntu, “I am what we are together”, is what I believe most. My work as a Black queer professional is a reflection of the ways in which I am inspired by the resourcefulness and boundless creativity of my African/African American ancestors and contemporaries. As an activist, archivist, and griot, I often seek to evade respectability politics and the “white gaze” by zeroing in on that which is truest to BIPOC expressions of self, of joy, of community, and divinity. I highly value indigenous technologies such as oral history, genealogy, local history, ethnography, and community archive work. I am inspired by the principle of Sankofa, “Go back and get it”, thusly my work seeks to shake the narratives of who we became as a result of oppressive white supremacist systems by boldly protesting who we are, who we have been, and who we will always be.
The MLIS learning outcomes I closely align with are: Apply the field’s foundational theories, principles, values, ethics and skills to everyday practice; Analyze and engage in the changing cultural, educational and social roles and responsibilities of librarians/information professionals and the environments they work in within the global society; and Identify needs and connect individuals and communities with information that engages and empowers them. I also feel that the SAA Core Values of Identifying and preserving essential records that document the cultural heritage of society and Assisting in the process of interpreting documentation of past events through the use of primary source materials, are also essential to my work.
The SAA Core Values statement suggests that, “historical records held within archives often afford the most power to those who create and control the archive itself. In a democratic society, such power should benefit each individual equally. Hence, archivists should ensure that their professional guidelines empower them to equitably provide labor and resources in service of all members of society” (Society of American Archivists, 2020). Given the historic adherence to neutrality, which upholds the biases of the status quo, I would say much work needs to be done to assure that records related to BIPOC communities are adequately included in the record. Guided by the SAA’s dedication to social responsibility, service, diversity, advocacy, accountability, access and use, I intend to lend my voice to this endeavor.
Through my art and archival work, I strive to spark curiosity and awaken Black communities from the slumber of colonial history. I’ve taken significant steps to realize this vision by investing 10 years to performing with a Black dance company committed to preserving and sharing black stories; pursuing a MLIS degree in archival science focusing on social justice, advocacy, and accountability; co-creating the “The Body Remembers” black archive project which offered an answer to the question “What is it like to be Black in Dayton, OH?”; serving as a Dance/USA archive and preservation fellow in 2021 preserving the history of Dayton’s 56 year old Black dance company (DCDC); and traveling the world researching different diasporic cultural practices.
Society of American Archivists. (2020, August). SAA core values statement and code of ethics | Society of American Archivists. Www2.Archivists.org. https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics#code_of_ethics
MLIS E-Portfolio 