2024 NAP SCHOLARSHIP AWARDEE: Dartricia Rollins
Written by: Dartricia Rollins
Edited by: NAP Staff
As I enter the final semester of my MLIS program at the University of Alabama it was really important for me to attend the Society for American Archivists Annual Meeting (SAA) for the first time this year.
The archives world still feels very new for me and through my attendance, I was able to learn more about the field and make connections with so many Black archivists in particular.
I attended many great sessions, but the ones that stood out most to me included “104: Archives and Making: Empowering Learning through Hands-On Engagement and Creative Exploration” and “302: Archiving Black Life: Alternative Models and Interventions for Culturally-Affirming Community Engagement and Collaboration.”
Session 104 was so packed that many of us were standing or sitting on the floor, which I counted as a good thing. I attended because creative exploration is something I am trying to put into practice in my oral history and organizing work. Hearing from professionals about how they activate their collections through zine-making, collaging, and other creative methods with their students felt like a necessary thing to hear as an emerging professional. I think archives get a bad rap for being too stuffy or sterile, but these presenters showed us otherwise.
Members of Dartricia’s SJ4A cohort at the University of Alabama in front of a poster about the program.
Pictured L-R: Sierra King, Jehoiada Calvin, Sandy Yango, Dartricia Rollins, Nestor Rave
The other session, “302: Archiving Black Life: Alternative Models and Interventions for Culturally-Affirming Community Engagement and Collaboration” was the most impactful and had me hooked from the beginning. I have only interacted with Mrs. keondra bills freemyn as a friend of social media, but her presentation on the Black Lunch Table left me with many notes and things to take back to my own oral history and archival practice.
Black Lunch Table’s framework for oral histories and community conversations was inspiring because it centered on collective memory and introduced me to the idea of “Black oral traditions.” I also learned a lot from freemyn’s presentation of their processing methods and digital archives. I was also blown away by Micha Broadnax’s presentation on the Black Teacher Archive. They were funny and candid and showcased a large initiative that I’ve had fleeting ideas about but have never thought about how to actualize it.
Finally, I attended a couple of fun meetups, one being the Black Memory Workers (BMW) organized by Zakiya Collier. Again, so many Black archivists! I had impactful conversations with other Black Memory Workers who gave me great advice about preparing for an upcoming job interview I have at a university (my first archives interview--ever). They also encouraged me to apply for other jobs and told me about their specific position and what the day-to-day looks like. I walked away with new friends and colleagues. I believe that this was a step in the right direction as I emerge into this field.
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