Public History

Penn & Slavery Project

Through the Penn and Slavery Project’s Augmented Reality Mobile App, released in Spring 2021, I document the history of my family over five generations, from slavery to the present, set in contrast with the fortunes of my family’s enslavers, which included two men who received medical degrees from Penn during the 19th century. I conducted genealogical and archival research, created the “Generations” tour stop, filmed and edited the featured videos, and provided historical documentation to highlight the social, economic, and political inequalities that persist from slavery. I engaged the multimodal creative mediums of augmented reality, videography, oral history, and material history creatively share my research. Learn more about my work with the Penn & Slavery Project here.

Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

In 2019, I was commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to create an art installation for the opening of their New Africa Galleries. I collaborated with artists to co-create a dress, titled “Wearable Literature,” which uses art to historicize and communicate the Akan principle of “Sankofa” (“it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind”) in the design of the fabric. Learn more about my exhibit here.

Past projects