Writing for Justice
Summary:
This project was purposely left very open-ended. The main requirements were that there be a written component no longer than 10 pages, that it be accompanied by an “artifact,” and that it engage with socio-political discourse in some way. I chose to write about Black American identity and its discursive evolution over the last ~60 years. I chose this essay because it displays well my research and analysis abilities, as well as the strength of my prose. Furthermore, I compiled articles, books, media, plays, etc. and examined them in context. Further, I created a cohesive narrative that traces a complex issue over decades and many disparate works and academic writing. This essay won the 2020 Sigma Tau Delta critical essay competition.
Reflection:
This project was quite an undertaking. I spent weeks researching the topic, days writing the paper, and even more days revising. I learned the value of iteration with this project. I went through multiple variations and multiple rounds of review. I had to cut here and add there. It took a lot of work to create a final piece. I learned how to focus my writing and “cut the fluff” as a former manager of mine would say. Limiting such a large topic to 10 double-spaced pages required a lot of specific language use and concision. Further, in doing this project, I learned how to explore this paper beyond the page. As a companion to the project, I conducted a brief ethnography that explored the topic from the perspective of friends and family. This required I quickly learn how to edit video. In doing so, I learned how to us iMovie video editing software. Iteration, concision, and quickly learning new software are all skills that I have carried with me through my studies and will (and have) help me in the professional world.