This repository contains and organizes an ongoing effort to identify, collect, preserve, and analyze FREEDOM discourse, as constituted and argued by Black users online. Directed by Dr. Jessica H. Lu, this project is currently advanced by several undergraduate students at the University of Maryland, College Park: Sophia Crooks, Kayla Graham, Kaanita Iyer, Ariana Lawson, Alice Liu, and Courtney Richardson.

THIS PROJECT VALUES:

1. The agency and empowerment of Black people and their voices
2. The historically innovative language practices of African Americans
3. The intellectual, physical, and emotional labor of Black rhetors, and those who endeavor to amplify and analyze their contributions to public discourse
4. The vital role of archives, both traditional and digital, in constituting and disrupting human histories and public morality
5. The power of archives to make meaning of human pasts, presents, and futures

THIS PROJECT AIMS TO:

1. Identify, collect, preserve, and analyze freedom discourse, as constituted and argued by Black users online
2. Extend understandings of African Americans' rhetorical history, especially concerning conceptions of FREEDOM, and their use of language to disrupt and resist anti-Black logics
3. Affirm and analyze Black people's creative use of digital spaces to innovate human language practices
4. Cultivate productive and healthy workflows and research habits
5. Offer transparent and accessible educational materials, enriched by critical theory and concepts, to public audiences

This project is made possible by the support of the African American History, Culture, & Digital Humanities (AADHum) initiative, the First-Year Innovation and Research Experience (FIRE), and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

All questions and concerns can be directed to Jessica H. Lu, via jhl dot jessica at gmail dot com.