STAND SYMPOSIUM: URI

CENTERING THE MARGINAL: TOWARD INCLUSIVITY IN THE DOCUMENTATION OF STUDENT STRUGGLE

Contemporary student activism is undergoing a transformation as the traditional methods of direct action through demonstrations and protests converge with online practices where organizing, communication, solicitation, and interrogation occurs primarily within digital spaces. As the discourse on centering marginalized communities within mainstream archives emerges, archivists and other information professionals are being tasked to document this rise in student activism, especially movements led by students in those communities. The archival profession must document the full scope of student life with the objective of capturing these richly diverse histories because they are pertinent to the evolution of colleges and universities and their role in society.

Issues surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion have historically been the most consistent area of student activism at the University of Rhode Island. That history will serve as the backdrop for the June 3, 2019 Project STAND (STudent Activism Now Documented) symposium at URI. It is the second of four symposiums. For highlights of the first symposium held at AUC Woodruff in Atlanta Georgia, click here.

This forum will examine student activism through the lens of difference (including, but not limited to ability, class, gender, race, and sexual orientation) as well as the role of student organizers in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at their colleges and universities. It will provide vital discourse on levels of engagement of student organizers, the impact of place and space first on the development of campus culture and later on student activism, and difference as it pertains to student activism. The forum will also include an investigation of traditional archival praxis within the realm of social media and a discussion of how to forge a more equitable relationship between the record creator and the repository.
The conveners of the second Project STAND symposium seek presentations related to the ways information professionals can best engage with student activists from vulnerable communities to ethically document their experiences and activities. For information about the first Project STAND symposium, see AUC Woodruff highlights.