Putting an Ethos of Care into Practice in Work and Life

My summer with the HBCU Radio Preservation Project has taught me how to navigate the world as an individual and a professional. Beginning with our first meeting as interns in Yellow Springs, Ohio, it was evident that this project is guided by an ethos of care that informs the preservation work with the HBCU radio stations and the communities they serve and extends to the HBCU RPP team of preservationists and memory workers.

While visiting WCSU 88.9 FM at Central State University, I saw how our material preservation team, Bryce Roe, Becca Bender, and Chinyere Neal, attempted to support the university’s only library staff member by offering to connect CSU’s library to other organizations that could lend assistance if needed.The care they exhibited in this moment set the tone for the remainder of my internship.

As a Women’s Studies master’s degree candidate, I have always considered how an ethos of care impacted how I told stories, but my experience with the HBCU RPP has expanded my understanding of this concept to include how I care for myself and others in this work.

Chanah Dunbar, left, Chinyere Neal, Vincentt Craft Sutton II, Jasmine Sears, and Dana Green outside of the 16th Street Baptist Church, the first Black Church to organize in Birmingham, Alabama., in 1873, and the site of the 1963 bombing by the Ku Klux Klan that killed four young girls.

I have never travelled this much in my life, and this project made it clear how little I had seen of the world outside of the American South. Born and raised right outside Atlanta, Georgia, I thought that going to Tennessee State University for undergraduate school was leaving home, and it was, to a point. However, this summer I truly felt that I had left home. All that I knew–the people, places, and culture–were different in places like Ohio, Boston, and Virginia. I had to adapt quickly to the changing environments and learned a lot about how to care for my mind and body in the process. I learned to regulate my breathing when traveling became stressful, or I became impatient. I learned to care for myself by being present–something I’ve always had trouble with.

The work became overwhelming at times, but these moments did not dampen the joy I felt in contributing to this important work. This joy was best felt during our Alabama site visits. Alabama A&M, Oakwood, and Alabama State universities all welcomed our team with open arms. Each institution’s excitement for the future of their station’s preservation was infectious. These visits taught me that building trust with the communities of each institution is essential to a successful partnership, and a core practice in the HBCU RPP’s ethos of care.

Jasmine interviewing Micah Cannon at North Carolina A&T’s WNAA 90.1 FM

When it came time for me put this practice to work, I felt more than prepared. I had the opportunity to conduct oral history interviews with Micah Cannon and King Mosely, two on-air personalities at North Carolina A&T University’s WNAA. Each interview challenged me to consider the complexity of their unique stories and contributions to the station. Though I had a plan for how each interview would go, I quickly understood that I had to adapt to the flow of each unfolding conversation.

I am grateful for my time with the HBCU Radio Preservation Project. The experience has solidified my confidence in my chosen profession. Prior to this, was unsure about my position within humanities centered spaces. Concluding my internship at the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) Conference in Philadelphia showed me that I have been in the right rooms all along.

As my confidence as a professional grows, I feel my foundations are growing stronger. I can say with much more conviction that I am a public historian, a memory worker, and product of all those who have poured their knowledge, expertise, and care into me.