Living History: Finding Myself in the Reflection of My Elders

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2016-07-08

Department

Cultural Sustainability

Program

MA in Cultural Sustainability

Citation of Original Publication

Rights

Collection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.

Abstract

Living History: Finding Myself in the Reflection of My Elders is an in depth reflection on my personal feelings of detachment from my heritage as an African American - an unfortunate byproduct of the silence of the generations past and the overwhelmingly limited documentation of the legacy and accomplishments of African Americans within the broader context of American history. It details my journey to find the details of my ancestry and little known facts of my father's military service on the shores of Normandy during WWII, and chronicles my transformative experiences in the field working with elders of the African American community who have championed these historic preservation efforts for decades, and share the same passion for sharing these untold stories with the next generation.