Academic Initiatives and Courses

Maymester 2020 Oral Histories: Voting While Black and Female

Feb. 5, 2020

Gather forgotten stories of suffrage in Nashville in this on Campus Maymester titled, "Oral Histories: Voting While Black and Female." Course is with Women's and Gender Studies Professor Danyelle Valentine. — Gather forgotten stories of suffrage in Nashville in this on campus Maymester course titled, “Oral Histories: Voting While Black and Female.” Course is with Women’s and Gender Studies Professor Danyelle Valentine.

Course Description: 2020 marks the centennial of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the American constitution, which was hailed as closing the suffrage gap so that all Americans could vote. As history demonstrates, however, suffrage remained and still remains out of reach for many citizens of this country, most of whom are African-American. Jim Crow laws, voter suppression laws and movements, and the frustrations associated with gerrymandering have disfranchised generations of African-American citizens, men and women. During this centennial year celebrating women’s suffrage, this course will investigate the real-life voting experiences, opinions, and struggles of African-American women in Nashville. Students in this course will recruit interview participants, conduct interviews, and create an oral history database of African-American women of all ages reflecting on suffrage. Save their stories.

Learn More>>