废奴主义者, 演说家, and writer Frederick Douglass is a prominent figure in African-American 历史. His legacy is celebrated nationwide as Douglass Day on February 14, which is the birthday he chose for himself.
今年，澳门金沙赌城线上游戏的 人文学科的集体 和 Student Diversity and Inclusion Office celebrated Douglass Day with a transcribe-a-thon focusing on the Frederick Douglass Papers: General Correspondence, 1841 to 1912, 在 国会图书馆的档案. This collection includes public letters, 亲密的家庭时刻, 还有更多, revealing the many versions of Douglass across so many parts of his long and storied lifetime fighting for Black rights and citizenship.
This is 澳门金沙线上赌博官网’s fourth year participating in Douglass Day festivities. Participants gathered on the first floor of Coates 图书馆 and enjoyed cake and a livestream of various lectures, 阅读, and discussions of Black 历史 while they transcribed Douglass’ primary letters. Co-director of the 人文学科的集体 and 英语 教授 克劳迪娅·斯托克斯, Ph.D., says, “This event is made possible through the 彩色公约项目 housed at Penn State, which creates the web presence and portals that make transcribing possible.”
英语 教授 and 人文学科的集体 co-director 克劳迪娅·斯托克斯, Ph.D., speaks with a participant at Douglass Day 2024.
The Douglass Day event gave 澳门金沙线上赌博官网’s community the unique opportunity to take part in preserving 历史. “I enjoy feeling like I’m making a difference in some way,” says Dean Zach ’24, an 英语 主要. “People assume computer programs can decode writing, 但在现实中, this is not the case because cursive writing is complicated. 这就是需要人情味的地方.”
Attendees accessed the primary documents and transcribed them using either their laptops or the ones available at the event. Those transcribing looked at Douglass’ handwritten letters, 直接翻译, and submitted their transcriptions to be reviewed.
学生 and faculty used laptops to transcribe the letters of Frederick Douglass.
“First-hand experience with documents isn’t something you really get, so it’s interesting to look at the text itself instead of something typed up by another person,27岁的瑞茜·吉利说, a 历史 主要. “There is a tradition of discrediting Black writers, especially early on when the slave narrative was the predominant Black literature in America. It’s important to recognize the words of Douglass and that no one else wrote them.”
This event brought together not just students of all 主要s but also faculty and staff. 阿曼德Saliba, senior director of 研究 and Sponsored Programs for 学术事务, speaks to the importance of celebrating Douglass Day. “Frederick Douglass helped articulate the suffering and experiences of enslaved people, 和re is a reason why his legacy endures. It’s a testament to his importance and contribution to American 历史. 我很感激Dr. Stokes and others put this event together to expose students to writings that were controversial at the time but can be recognized now.”
英语 教授 and 人文学科的集体 co-director 凯瑟琳·维梅洛·桑托斯, Ph.D., hopes students leave the Douglass Day event with a sense of curiosity about the past. “Important historical figures still have so many aspects of their life and work left uncovered, and this is an opportunity to remedy this. 黑人历史不是被动的, and we as Americans can ensure Black 历史 continues to be preserved,她说。.
英语 教授 and 人文学科的集体 co-director 凯瑟琳·维梅洛·桑托斯, Ph.D., is glad to see students helping to preserve Black 历史 at Douglass Day.
在这个事件之外, Stokes specializes in 19th-century American literature and teaches Douglass’ writings to honor him as a leader in American literature and 历史. “There is a continuing need to conduct historical research on slavery’s 历史 在 United States,斯托克斯补充道. “历史没有定论. 这是一个有机的、持续的过程. African-American 历史 is undervalued, unrecorded, and has gaps. There is still so much important work to do in preserving African-American 历史.”
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