As we embarked upon this project, we wondered if we would come across some of Hartman’s struggles. Although our exploration process was quite different, we paralleled Hartman’s project in particular ways. For one, we are physically on the soil that AAPA was founded on, and have access to archives and people who were apart of the movement, similar to Hartman’s physical presence in Ghana. Additionally, both marginalized groups have tremendously impacted us in the present and shape our lives on the daily.
Through the progression of our project, we began to uncover some difficulties that mirrored Hartman’s journey. Whether it be analyzing photographs or conducting interviews, we noticed the difficulty in going beyond the evident–surely we could spot emotion in photographs or attempt to retrace the events verbalized by the professors, yet making meaning out of these emotions, and not being able to fully empathize with those of the past prevented us from truly “uncovering history.” As emphasized by Hartman, those of the present can not fully fathom the events of the past.
Additionally, the role of perspective was an aspect our group members were curious about coming into the project. If we were to take the same event, but each interpret the event in our own ways, what would this tell us about incorporating perspective into a historical archive? Moreover, would our pieces work in tandem? Or would they fail to connect with our differing interpretations of the event? Evidently, our choosing of different mediums already showcased that we wanted to portray the events different. From there, while some of us chose to construct narratives, others analyzed them, shedding light on the fact that we each found importance in the event, just in different parts, and different ways.
So the conclusion? Admittedly, our one month project does not weigh equally to Hartman’s year long, decade-driven journey. However, from this project, we felt that while we did not have the ability to fully empathize or fully grasp the totality of the movement, we still recognized the importance. We highlighted the different aspects of the AAPA movements, signifying what we personally deemed interesting or most important. As we attempted to understand the past, we grew more interested, more passionate, and more aware–which, essentially, we believe is more valuable than remaining oblivious to such an impactful movement.
Through the progression of our project, we began to uncover some difficulties that mirrored Hartman’s journey. Whether it be analyzing photographs or conducting interviews, we noticed the difficulty in going beyond the evident–surely we could spot emotion in photographs or attempt to retrace the events verbalized by the professors, yet making meaning out of these emotions, and not being able to fully empathize with those of the past prevented us from truly “uncovering history.” As emphasized by Hartman, those of the present can not fully fathom the events of the past.
Additionally, the role of perspective was an aspect our group members were curious about coming into the project. If we were to take the same event, but each interpret the event in our own ways, what would this tell us about incorporating perspective into a historical archive? Moreover, would our pieces work in tandem? Or would they fail to connect with our differing interpretations of the event? Evidently, our choosing of different mediums already showcased that we wanted to portray the events different. From there, while some of us chose to construct narratives, others analyzed them, shedding light on the fact that we each found importance in the event, just in different parts, and different ways.
So the conclusion? Admittedly, our one month project does not weigh equally to Hartman’s year long, decade-driven journey. However, from this project, we felt that while we did not have the ability to fully empathize or fully grasp the totality of the movement, we still recognized the importance. We highlighted the different aspects of the AAPA movements, signifying what we personally deemed interesting or most important. As we attempted to understand the past, we grew more interested, more passionate, and more aware–which, essentially, we believe is more valuable than remaining oblivious to such an impactful movement.