Welcome Call:
This fall the James B. Duke Memorial Library collaborated with University College to raise awareness of the history of Johnson C. Smith University and historically black colleges as well as the legacy of the Historic West End neighborhoods around the university. Jasmine Corbett-Warren, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Rhetoric and Culture, taught semester-long course project called “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself” that allowed her students to do primary source research at the Inez Moore Parker Archives and Research Center in the library as well as to conduct oral history interviews with faculty and JCSU alumni.
The goal was to understand the legacy of past University graduating classes during periods of great change, such as the years surrounding the civil rights movement in 1955 and 1968 and the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The students used photographs, documents, and interviews to create a video for their final projects, which they presented in the library on October 22nd and 23rd to coincide with Homecoming Week.
A group of Professor Corbett-Warren’s students
Students presenting their project
The public was invited to the presentations, and the project was a rousing success which has inspired further collaboration in the future between University College and the library on more alumni projects. The video presentations can be seen on YouTube, click here to view one of the projects.