Report: Recap of Race, Memory, and the Digital Humanities Symposium

From the report:

RMDH featured an all-star cast of Digital Humanities speakers, including opening and closing keynotes by Dr. Jessica Marie Johnson and Dr. P. Gabrielle Foreman respectively, remarks from Dr. Marcia Chatelain, and an artist talk with Pamela Z. Each of these amazing women left participants with remarkable insights. Professor Johnson incorporated music, videos, literature and mapping to take us to Puerto Rico and New Orleans, to make us consider digital Blackness and Black codes, and what would happen if we refuse Blackness as null. If Johnson’s talk asked us to organize with our digital work, Professor Foreman showed us how. Through a history of the Colored Conventions and Langston Hughes’ poetry, Foreman showcased the digital archiving and organizing work her team at Colored Conventions Project are doing. Pamela Z’s outstanding electronic and contemporary classic performance was only enhanced by her discussion of how our best work comes from mistakes and imperfection—so don’t be afraid of them. Similarly, Chatelain reminded us that failure happens in the academy, and when it does we must move onto the next thing. Her talk on the #FergusonSyllabus showcases how #syllabi are a way for academics to teach and lead the public, as well as show that academics are invested in our society and that we have tools which can be helpful.

Read the full report here.