In 1999, lawyer Julieanna L. Richardson founded the archive as a testament to the importance of preserving the contributions of the African diaspora to the nation. In 2014, the HistoryMakers Digital Archive became permanently housed at the Library of Congress. Since its founding, Richardson’s leadership has inspired the HistoryMakers to record and collect over a thousand interviews. 

More than 3,400 videos of oral histories, 11,000 hours of interview, and previously unheard tales from both well-known and lesser-known African Americans who have made significant contributions to the world are included in the archive. While primarily focused on the United States, the archive contains some accounts from across the African diaspora, including the Caribbean and Latin America.

During Torkornoo and Fitzpatrick’s presentation, they highlighted the achievements of some of Wellesley’s own HistoryMakers. Adelaide L. Sanford ’50, former vice chancellor of the board of Regents University of the State of New York, is recognized as a trailblazer in education. Broadcast journalist Callie Crossley ’73 is famously known as the host of WGBH’s Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and her commentary on race, culture and politics. Dr. Vivian Pinn ’63, the first Black woman chair of the department of pathology at Howard University College of Medicine is recognized for her advocacy in promoting women’s health and increasing representation in medicine. She also serves as the founding director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Health Institute (NHI). 

Fitzpatrick shared her insights on the significance of the archive, her aspirations for its future use and the circumstances that led to her involvement in the project, which recently granted the Wellesley faculty and students access to the HistoryMakers Archive.

The Wellesley News: What led to your involvement in the project? 

Fitzpatrick: My passion for equitable, empowering, and emancipatory education infused with my sacred vocation to undo the perils of miseducation from within Western institutions and “right” the missing and misrepresented stories of Africa and African peoples, have led to my involvement with The HistoryMakers. Ultimately, my life’s work is to diversify, humanize, and harmonize the tone, texture, and complexion of the curriculum. In this instance and essence, to “right” the distorted history of the world using the power of orality and expansive pedagogies that center and amplify the dynamic voices, contributions, and lives of marginalized peoples, who have pioneered world civilization and the evolution of humanity.

The Wellesley News: What has your experience been collaborating with Izzy and others to spread awareness about the Archive?

Fitzpatrick: Exhilarating! My students, colleagues, and the staff at the College have been truly enthusiastic about the pedagogical importance of integrating The HistoryMakers into their lives and curriculum, which has been quite gratifying, transformative, and rewarding. I must say that Izzy plays a pivotal role in this collaborative effort. As Izzy’s professor and major advisor in Africana Studies, and her advisor for The HistoryMakers, I have had first-hand impressions of her exuberance and intellectual dedication to and activism for Black life, which deemed her an excellent candidate and choice for the Student Ambassadorship. Izzy and I share an unmatched synergy and infectious love for Blackness and equity, which have contributed significantly to what we have been able to achieve with The HistoryMakers on campus. 

The Wellesley News: What has been the most enlightening discovery you made through the use of the Archive? Through promoting the Archive? 

Fitzpatrick: It has been a little over a year since I’ve brought the Archive to the College and based on a recent usage report delivered at The HistoryMakers Higher Education Advisory Board Meeting, held in Alexandria, VA, Wellesley College ranks at number 6 — out of over 50 attending institutions. This says a lot! It reaffirms for me that we are serious about inclusive education and excellence at Wellesley and Black history is everybody’s history and preserve! 

The Wellesley News: What are your aspirations for the future use of the Archive? Future additions? 

Fitzpatrick: Last fall, I proposed two new courses to CCAP: AFR 205: Black Pedagogies and AFR 220: The History of Black Studies and Black Life at Wellesley where the Archive will be integrated into the syllabi. My desire is to also establish a HistoryMakers Chapter on campus to facilitate and increase awareness and discussion about the Black experience, Black history, and the revolutionary accomplishments of Black people within our community through active engagement with the Archive and an ongoing relationship with the parent body. 

The Wellesley News: Do you have any unique ways for including the Archive into your teaching or course materials?

Fitzpatrick: As a professor of Africana Studies, I teach what I live and live what I teach. Who I am and what I do are inseparable. My teachings are informed by my inborn wisdom and lived experiences. As such, I encourage my students to engage life and education in color, to read and breathe between and beyond the lines, and always put the text in context. Course material comprises a rich selection of literary works, art, music, spoken word, and other media. I seldom teach from books. In this regard, the Archive’s core mission to preserve, celebrate, and elevate the Black experience using real-life video oral histories told by legendary African Americans and people of African descent has emboldened my pedagogy. To see and hear Black people tell our-stories in such an innovative way is invigorating! 

Students actively search, study, and discuss the diverse content in the Archive based on the weekly themes of the course paired with their interests and course material. Towards the middle of the semester, each student formulates a thesis and research topic inspired by their meaningful work throughout the course and Archive, which all culminate into an oral presentation and written essay. In doing so, I seek to engender critical and creative thinking, empowering learning, and empowered beings.

Corrected on Feb. 24, 2023. A previous version of this story misspelled Izzy Torkornoo’s name. The News regrets this error.

On Sunday April 10, Mezcla and the Student Farmworker Alliance, in collaboration with the Wellesley College Film Society, hosted a screening of the documentary “Fruits of Labor” in Collins Cinema. “Fruits of Labor,” the coming-of-age documentary, directed and produced by Emily Cohen Ibañez, follows 18 year old Mexican American teenager Ashley Solis Pavon. Pavon, a high school senior, aspires to attend college, but the realities of poverty and immigration politics forces her to start working on a strawberry farm. 

The documentary follows Pavon as she labors in the fields of a food processing company in Watsonville, Calif. By tackling themes of womanhood, family structure, poverty, immigration and migration politics, the documentary provides an intimate look at the lives of farmworkers through the experiences of Ashley and her mixed-status family. 

“For me, I find that there is so much importance in art being shown,” Zaria George ’22, co-president of Mezcla, said on the significance of the film. “I feel like documentaries and movies are a way of beautifully showing one’s culture and reality.”

George also noted that the film allowed students to understand injustices and place themselves in the shoes of somebody else.

“18 years old, a senior in high school, wasn’t too far ago for many of us, especially the first-years. In a lot of Black and Brown families, this is not a new story to us,” George said. 

During the Trump administration, xenophobic efforts to crack down on immigration targeted farmworker communities, the core of the American agricultural and food production industries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has become more active in detaining undocumented persons. 

Student Farmworker Alliance Representative Lily Cuellarsola ‘22 grew up in a predominantly agricultural community near Immokalee, Fla. that was heavily impacted by the lack of protections for farmworkers. Cuellarsola noted that the issues of farmworkers range from immigration to gender violence. 

 “Not a lot of people realize that it is one of the few protected fields,” Cuellarsola said. 

Alluded to in the documentary, Pavon’s neighbor and fellow farmworkers were targets of this mass detainment and subsequent deportations. Her struggle intensified when she learned of labor policy that neglected domestic and farm workers, leaving them vulnerable to malpractice of employers. 

In fact, California state law states that the minimum age “at which a minor may work in agriculture during school hours is 18, 16 if not legally required to attend school.” California agricultural child labor laws also state that the minimum age at which a minor may work in agriculture outside of school hours is 12 years. 

“I thought it would be a very interesting [perspective] that a lot of people here at Wellesley wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see potentially. It builds a lot of empathy and understanding for what people are going through and how the system of farm work is structured in the United States,” said Cuellarsola.

Upcoming events this month include a picnic in Boston on April 16, Latinx Alumnae Panel on April 19 on Zoom and a Latinx Community gathering on April 22 in Alumnae Ballroom. On April 27,  the final guest speaker, journalist and founder of AintILatina, Janel Martinez, will host a lecture on Afro-Latina identity on Zoom. 

Students interested in learning more about the Student Farmworker Alliance and its current campaign to remove Wendy’s, the fast-food chain, from campuses nationwide may contact Student Farmworker Alliance representative, Lily Cuellarsola.

WASA’s emphasis on community participation has played a huge role in fostering a sense of camaraderie amongst students of African descent and the African diaspora. The showcase, alongside Africa Week, is symbolic of WASA’s mission to engage the Wellesley community with aspects of African culture, history and contemporary issues. 

Mamaland occurred annually until the pandemic, after which COVID restrictions made it difficult for WASA and other organizations to hold events. This year, WASA and community members celebrated the return of the showcase, focusing on the theme “kabajaa,” the Oromo word for celebration.

The show featured a first-year dance performed to a series of Afrobeats songs. Spoken word and poetry performances by students Izzy Torkonoo ’23 and Ruvimbo Tanaarwo ’23 centered around identity and individuality. Harambee House’s Dean Patricia Birch performed a spoken word piece on the importance of perseverance to Common and John Legend’s “Glory.” 

Mamaland’s focus on the diversity of cultures shined through dances and music from all corners of the African diaspora. Yanvalou, the African and Caribbean drum and dance ensemble, performed a Kongo drum routine with roots in Haiti. 

“I honestly think it has been my favorite Wellesley event that I’ve ever attended and been a part of. It was great seeing so many Black students all together at once to celebrate each other,” Zora Levette ’24, a member of Yanvalou, said. 

Both Wellesley and MIT’s Ethiopian dance crews performed traditional dances, dressed in white habesha kemis. Through Mamaland, performers found themselves forming close bonds with each other beyond the Wellesley community.

“I grew so much closer with my friends in practicing our dance and performing together. What Mamaland means to me is celebrating community,” performer Mela Nebiyeloul ’24 said.

Afrobeats’ dancers performed a set of dances including the Nigerian Shaku Shaku and South African Gwara Gwara dances to Lojay’s “Monalisa.” There were three fashion shows, including one featuring the family-owned fashion brand, Obioma, that specializes in a mix of traditional West African and Western styles. The event closed with a final display of gratitude from Co-President Bilqis Ayeni ’23 and Vice President Aline Irafasha ’23 and a dance including all of WASA’s e-board members. Organizers and attendees alike thought Mamaland was an impressive showcase of Africa’s diverse cultures and an important experience for the greater Wellesley community.

International students face different and often overlooked sets of challenges while studying in the United States. Especially under the Trump administration, international students and other immigrants have faced increasingly oppositional and xenophobic national policies, such as the suspension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. . 

The ISU focuses on structural barriers that, according to an ISU e-board member, “prevent international students from realizing [their] full potential.” The union acknowledges that all international students experience these structural barriers differently, prioritizing low-income and/or undocumented students. With the recent notice from Vice President and Dean of Students Sheilah Horton asking students working off-campus to quit their jobs immediately, financial situations have  only worsened for these students. The pandemic itself has delayed processes necessary for international students to fulfill their education and obtain necessary documents for remaining in the country. e. For example, the closest immigration office in Framingham is operating at a slower pace and blocking international students from obtaining social security numbers, which are necessary to work. 

“Because of COVID-19, visa programs [offered] by consulates in other countries are currently closed, so you can’t get your new visa,” an ISU member who wished to stay anonymous said.  “So, how do you ever come back?” 

According to students, the combination of financial strain and the possibility of not being able to continue one’s studies have not all been addressed by the administration, thus forcing students to take matters into their own hands. Organizing during a pandemic has its drawbacks, such as a loss of physical interaction, or  meeting in person with the administration, but the ISU has endured. Additionally, the time difference in various countries can make organizing meetings difficult. 

The pandemic has laid bare our institutions’ faults and inequities and simultaneously opened people up to radicalization, to “start engaging in the work that needs to be done,” said a member. Their main concern, like many other organizations, is that not being able to meet in person diminishes their impact and visibility on campus. 

“Because of our inability [to meet in person], it makes us seem like we’re not doing much, and it’s hard to take us seriously,” another ISU member said.

On the other hand, the union has reached a wider global audience via Zoom and social media (@isu_wellesley) to propel their cause and events. 

“We’ve seen solidarity from the Wellesley Leftist Union (WLU), a working relationship with Raiz and signatures on our petitions,” another ISU member mentioned, referring to the DHS petition emailed school-wide on Oct. 6. 

Specific policies the ISU is fighting against includes xenophobic legislation and the requirement for additional documents that may be hard to find.  On Sept.  25, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security announced the suspension of the  duration of status (D/S) for F students and dependents, J, exchange students and dependents,  and I, visas for foreign media representatives. An F student is an individual with a student visa permitting them to study in the US, while a J exchange visitor is an individual permitted to participate in exchange programs. They hold nonimmigrant visas given to individuals visiting the United States temporarily. Xenophobic legislation like this threatens the plans of people immigrating to the US; this legislation placed  constrictions on the grace period allowed for immigrant students in the US. The need for additional documentation to submit extension applications and an attempt to ban 4-year visas makes it much more difficult for international students to stay in the US.

Following the published rule, students, families, organizers, colleges and universities petitioned against it. These events galvanized international Wellesley students, who were studying from home and on campus, to form an International Student Union (ISU). Unlike Slater, which plays a large role in legal matters and protections and is run by members of administration, the ISU is represented by students. This student-led organization has the ability to hold Wellesley College and our community accountable in times of crisis, unlike Slater, where conflicts of interest would arise. 

ISU’s mission was encapsulated by one of the organization’s  e-board members, who wished to remain anonymous: “Students are best represented by students who are going through the same thing.” 

On the horizon for the International Student Union is a solid position in the community, and in the short term, definite financial aid. The union plans to launch a campaign for financial aid in the future because Wellesley’s current financial plan is not need-blind for students who are not US citizens or permanent residents. 

“We want to be a force to be reckoned with,” an e-board member said. “When anything comes up, you need to think of the international and immigrant community.”