Individual Profile: Who Am I?
I am a mother, performance archivist, educator, community member and founder of The Radical Archive of Preservation, LLC. My daughter and her future inspire me to create a space where she has roots and a sense of belonging. My practice is inspired by ritual, resistance, and movement in Black women’s performance art practices. I earned a Ph.D. in the Moving Image Studies program at Georgia State University, a M.A. in Curatorial Studies from New York University; a B.A. in Art History from The College of Saint Elizabeth, and an A.A. in Fashion Business from Berkeley College. My professional experience includes working as a costumer in Atlanta’s film and television industry, establishing the costume archives of Tyler Perry Studios, and most recently as a Senior Archivist for Heritage Werks.
I describe myself as a radical archivist. As a radical archivist, I use the methods of social justice archiving. In short, I seek ways to bring equity in archival and historical spaces. I analyze and assess power relations in the archival process (i.e. acquisitions, metadata and description, cataloging, records management, funding and resources, etc.) and then work to balance out the needs and desires of historical subjects with those of the historicizing agents.
As I started to understand the interlocking systems of oppression that have effectively denied, erased, and dismissed experiences, identities, and communities I personally relate to, I began to seek out ways to support the preservation of these communities and individuals in creative ways. After Cedric Robinson, Saidiya Hartman, and Fred Moten’s ideas of Black radical practice My background and experiences in Black production culture offered me insight into the improvisational nature of the work and the availability of physical material produced within these communities. The lack of materiality in circulation within these communities justifies the lack of archival material in repositories.
Social justice archiving is a way for me to fulfill the needs of my community and collect and distribute resources. I aim to be a resource for all that are interested in preserving their own memories, the work of their community, and/or loved ones.
Professional Values and Goals
Heritage Werks has “redefined the centuries-old approach to archives, developing proprietary technologies and service innovations to become the world leader in managed solutions for archival content.” Interestingly, their client-base is large companies, corporations, and wealthy families. I would like to see how HW can continue to offer their high quality service to the broader community and those that cannot afford their services. My work with The Radical Archive of Preservation, LLC (T.R.A.P.) is also invested in the interests of various underserved groups (i.e., BIPOC communities, civil rights activists, and visual and performing artists and companies) within the Atlanta community, but also across the larger archival industry.
Not only will this project help me figure out how T.R.A.P. can partner on social justice initiatives, this project will help me assess the current offerings of the organization, propose better strategies of engagement, identify points of contention, present and demonstrate my activities towards my goals of equity during my employment with Heritage Werks and as the Director of T.R.A.P.
References
Robinson, Cedric J. Black Marxism. Penguin Classics, 2021.
Hartman, Saidiya. Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America. New York: Oxford UP, 1997
Moten, Fred. In the Break: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. 2003
Heritage Werks Website. https://www.heritagewerks.com/