About Us

Our Story

Organized in collaboration between the Jackson State University Department of Art and the Diversity Working Group at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information, this project was a response to the unique problems we noticed in both our departments. While the Faculty of Information seems like the ideal place for Black Digital Humanities projects to emerge — being a program that provides students with both technical knowledge and humanities education — the program has been heavily critiqued for its anti-Blackness and lack of concern for both current and prospective Black students. In contrast, while Jackson State University has a predominantly Black student population as a HBCU, many of the students have limited access to professional development opportunities and the technical resources needed to transform their ideas into something more tangible.

Our Mission

Originally conceptualized as a one-off speaker series to address these problems, its significant success has helped grow this project into something bigger. This lab aims to provide a space for Black undergraduate students to explore, experiment, and engage with the digital humanities through skill-based learning opportunities and participation in research-creation projects that reflect their lived experiences. Moreover, we aim to provide a platform for early-career scholars to share their research.

Team

Jackson State University

Brittany Myburgh, Faculty Advisor, Co-Director

Ashanti Stiff, Research Assistant

Capryka Hunt, Research Assistant

Kaylin Ewing, Research Assistant

University of Toronto

Keith Cheng, Co-Director

Azza Osman, UX Manager

Hayat Abdulhakim, Archival Lead

Research

Conference Presentations

"Digital Dialogues: Exploring Digital Humanities in HBCUs Through a Kitchen-Table Talk Approach"

Myburgh, B., Cheng, K., Stiff, A. (August 9, 2024).

DH2024: Reinvention and Responsibility, Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations

"Power to the People: Digital Humanities for/as Community Development"

Cheng, K. (June 20, 2024). #OTESSA2024: Sustaining Shared Futures