The HistoryMakers Fellowship, Mentoring, Training and Placement Institute: Skyla S. Hearn: WK9@THM

Grand Verbalizer, What Time Is It?

Saturday, August 4 We, the IMLS Fellows, are in the final stages of our immersion training at The History Makers. We have diligently worked on two major projects: HistoryMakers Interviews, which include but are not limited to the creation of evaluation summaries, EAD/EAC-CPF finding aids, and PB Core records for the unprocessed HistoryMakers interviews and HistoryMakers Special Collections, which includes traditional processing of the An Evening With..., A Night With... or A Conversation With... events papers then later the creation of EAD finding aids for the collections. The latter project initiated Special Collections Processing Teams who would be responsible for completing six Special Collections. To my benefit, I was partnered with Chaitra Powell, who has become my compeer throughout the course of our time as IMLS fellows. We were asked to review our, what we thought to be complete, Special Collections and agreed to do so this past Saturday. Honestly, we didn't know what to expect but I anticipated a short discussion of our process, possible re-ordering of some papers/folders which should have taken a few hours. However, I was WRONG and was dismayed by the actual tasks that took an entire HistoryMakers work-day to complete. Throughout my initial agitation coupled with snarkiness, Chaitra and I pulled through laughing, listening to music and engaging in frequent conversations with Julieanna as she split her time between us and three other co-workers who were also 'sacrificing' their Chicago Summer Saturday. Not that I'm advocating for working on the weekends (because I'm not) but the results were beneficial for the unification of Special Collections processing procedures, the IMLS Fellows Team and stronger camaraderie between staff.

Food & Fellowship

Friday, August 3 We began the day with a field trip to NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), which included a presentation on the organization, a video highlighting the benefits of discovering and utilizing 'untapped' information housed within the NARA archives, and a tour of the facility. The tour was definitely the most memorable aspect of the Field Trip. I have an affinity for ephemera which, at times, speaks louder than the written words found in monographs, manuscripts and other text-related rare materials in archives. I fell in love with two pieces: A letter from a 16 year old extortionist who attempted to imitate gang behavior in order to strong arm merchants into giving him money; and a hand-written letter from "a black man" Bobby Seales to the United States government detailing the horrible treatment he endured from prison guards, the injustices of the US government and the brutality of the Chicago police while a prisoner on trial for the Chicago 8 trial. I plan to make numerous trips back to NARA. Later that evening, we rewarded ourselves with dinner at Ras Dashen, an Ethiopian restaurant, and a movie, Beasts of the Southern Wild--my second screening of the independent film!!!! I feel it is just as important to recognize the benefit of personal connections made during interpersonal gatherings as it is to benefit from the combination of gains from graduate school, internships, fellowships and on-the-jobs trainings.

Thursday through Monday This was the first week at The HistoryMakers where each week day symbolized an 'instantiation'. Since June 4, the weekdays have merged into weeks and the weeks into months. On many occasions I have forgotten the day of the week, etc. So I'm proud to share the highlights of each day from last week. Thursday, Chaitra and I spent the day processing A Night With John W. Rogers, Jr. I lied about limiting my conversation since I feel my chatter slows us down but its SO hard not to engage in an office of about five other people including my lively processing partner. Despite my inability to shorten my long-windedness we completed the collection. Wednesday, we discussed our individual professional aspirations, conference etiquette and overall professionalism with Dr. Salvatore, Archival Seminar Lecturer. ...I'm patiently waiting to discuss the effects of remembrance exhibitions as curated by archivists and librarians in our upcoming archival lecture. Tuesday, we engaged in another intense conversation with Dr. Reed, African American History Lecturer. Monday marked the beginning of the week's journey.

Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang

(Sierra Leone/USA|Chicago Debut)

Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang

(Sierra Leone/USA|Chicago Debut)

Sunday was not a day at the office but the wonderful event I attended, The Clark Street Festival, guided me in spirit into Week 9@TheHistoryMakers. The authentic Mexican food, Senagalese & other world music and performances filled my soul with enough positive energy and good vibes to counter balance challenges and obstacles of a hectic work week including navigating through Chicago rush hour traffic. As I prepare for an exciting Week Ten, I'll leave you with some colorful images...