I am excited to enhance
learning about Chicana feminism and become a part of the history-making
process. I cannot express how cool/rewarding I believe this project will be
both for me as an undergraduate researcher and for the legacy of Latina history
that we are becoming contributors to. My (honest) initial perception of
archiving was/is the accumulation of information that will eventually lie dusty
somewhere in drawers, only within reach of academics. I sincerely hope (and
believe) that my perception of archives will change. Since this project has
been introduced as something that will be available to community members and
the public (and will be made available electronically), it is virtually
guaranteed that whatever information we archive will not just be filed away
somewhere. I do not know much about archiving information (as can probably be
inferred from my initial perception of archiving) but I do want to learn more,
especially how newer information technology is changing the face of archiving. I
also do not know very much about the oral history process; however, its
similarity to interviews (like ones conducted by journalists) and its ability
to take on a life of its own after an initial question or two (as we have
discussed) sound very intriguing and I am excited to see how one works for
myself.
I am also eager to be
entering the terrain of Chicana feminism both because I think it is an
important area of history that should be documented and because Chicana
feminism is a topic that interests me. I know some basics about Chicana
feminism – such as the divide between Chicana feminism and the feminism of
middle-class white women and the multiple levels of discrimination experienced
by many Chicana women. However, there is quite a lot of information that I do
not know about Chicana feminism. For instance, I do not know specific leaders
of the movement or details about regional experiences of Chicana feminism. I do
not know what policies or community organizations have resulted from the
efforts of Chicana feminists. I hope that this project will give me a much
fuller understanding of the Chicana feminist movement especially its presence
in Michigan.
My biggest fear for
this experience is that I will get caught up in the scanning/archiving process
and not fully appreciate the uniqueness of what we will be doing this semester.
I hope that I enjoy every piece of the archiving/oral history process that we
do this semester. I know in future that I will be extremely grateful to have
had this experience; I just hope that I will also be able to enjoy it as I
experience it as well. I honestly am also a little worried that since I am not
Chicana, my place in this archiving project will somehow be less legitimate. I
know we have already discussed race and different backgrounds in the oral
history context and that it should not be a problem. I am still a little
nervous, however, that some may think I should not be included in this effort
since I am not Chicana. Again, I know how amazing this opportunity is and how
important the information is that we are collecting so I will be excited to
share in any piece of this project. I hope to not give anyone any reason to be
offended by my participation in this project and will put my best effort
towards the success of this project.
To a great semester of
oral history making!
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