Author: Christina
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Summer Reading
I moved back home for a few days before my summer travels –civil rights tour, birthday celebration week, and a trip to Harlem. By July, I will settle into my new place in Baltimore (speaking it into existence). A few months ago, I received a Barnes and Noble gift card from a former professor and…
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Change.
I successfully defended my thesis and graduated. I am excited about this next chapter in my life and a bit nervous (a good nervous). For those who do not follow me on social media, I will share my PhD reveal photo shoot. So where I am going, take a look and see. First, I graduated…
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Differing Opinions: Segregation in Philadelphia’s Public Schools During the 1930s
As I complete the second chapter of my thesis, I re-read Rachel’s articles published in the Philadelphia Tribune between 1931-1933. Her eloquence, her writing, and her activism is always worth admiring. In her first article, “What Have You to Say?: A System that Breeds Prejudice, she directed her argument against a previous article written by Jas…
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(Updated) Chauncey Sawyer Flowers
In 1895, Harry and Nancy (Sawyer) Flowers gave birth to their first child, Chauncey Flowers in the city of Jacksonville, Florida. He is Rachel Flowers’ eldest brother. One of the first items I look for in my research is a photo. I discovered a number of primary sources detailing his life, yet currently no photo…
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Chapter Two: “What Have You To Say”
With the completion of chapter one of my thesis, I move on to the introduction (backwards I know) and chapter two, the biography of Rachel Flowers. Photo Source: Messiah College Archives This image first introduced me to my research. Messiah College archivist placed the image’s date between 1916 to 1918, the years of her enrollment.…
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Joseph J. Sawyer and Zion Sabbath School, 1868-1870
First thesis chapter submitted and still no break–PhD application time! Joseph J. Sawyer’s legacy rested largely in the Florida AME Church. He stood as a pioneer of the church and as a reverend who pushed for the funding of the denomination’s first church school in the state–Florida Divinity High School (Jacksonville, FL). I also wanted…
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Thesis Writing
Photo Source I am writing my thesis, the long awaited thesis. I entitled the project “Our Children’s Children Live Forever”: The Educational Activism of the Sawyer-Flowers Family in America From 1866-1988. It is exciting, but it is a bit scary. Scary because I am writing the history of a family I have never met. Scary because it…
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“Our Children’s Children Live Forever” By Geraldine L. Wilson
Geraldine Wilson, undated, Schomburg Center I am overwhelmed by this thesis (in a good way). Because my time at the archives was precious, I did not read Wilson’s papers as close as I hoped to. As I begin to transcribe letters and review her records, I often cry. I cry because she was so passionate for…
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“My Grandmothers Were Six Feet Tall”: Geraldine’s Family Memories
Geraldine Wilson, 1955 The more I discover about this family, the more I wondered if they were aware of one another’s accomplishments. I wondered if Geraldine knew of her grandfather’s service in the American Civil War. Did Rachel know of her grandfather’s educational activism? Did this fuel her own activism?As always in research, with many…
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#BlackGirlsTravel: A Week in Panama
Taboga Island, Panama I love to travel. If I am not traveling, I am planning my next international adventure. So Panama began with a phone call to my old college roommate, Djola (who I know loves to have fun) and my sister, Faith, who needed a stamp in her passport. I wanted to spend a week…
Diary of a Historian 