Archives Have the Power to Boost Marginalized Voices | Dominique Luster | TEDxPittsburgh

Archivists have an important job - a job that has the ability to save or erase an individual's history or even the history of an entire people. Dominique Luster works to build a historical view that includes marginalized voices and conscious language. In this talk, she shares lessons of this as put in motion with her work archiving the iconic photography of Charles "Teenie" Harris. Dominique Luster is a native of Kentucky, transplanted to Pittsburgh for school and work, and currently serve as the Teenie Harris Archivist at the Carnegie Museum of Art. As the Teenie Harris Archivist, Luster is working to build a world-renown archive, that is uniquely hyper-specialized on the life of African Americans in the mid 20th century. The Teenie Harris Archive consists of nearly 80,000 images dating from the 1930s to the 1970s; documenting what might be one of the most complete insights into African American urban life at that time. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@anomalousoddity]

"we do this by actually asking those communities how they would like to be remembered" I mean this should be so obvious but you can hear the incredulity in her voice, it's unbelievable that we even have to think about this. This woman is amazing, fantastic fantastic video

[@elizabethworley7073]

Thanks for the video. I am using it in my undergraduate Intro to Public History class when we talk about how archives are not neutral spaces.

[@lubu613]

The only way this could be better is if Dominique did a mic drop at the end :)

[@joanfrancis4782]

Forgotten voices, places and spaces are extremely important. I experienced that after coming to grips with the fact that my grandfather was a WWI veteran in 2012. What was shocking to me was interviewing family members who I have known all my life and realizing that in fact, I did not know them as their voices were "hidden" in plain sight. Please see my paper, "Jamaican WWI Veterans Presence and Heritage in Cuba 1930s" published in 2019 by the Journal of Arts, Science and Technology - University of Technology, Jamaica. Dominique Luster is right on point. Thank you.

[@pournima8096]

Thank you for sharing. Would love to read.

[@seanmacmillan5562]

Very well done.

[@jennyparish215]

Excellent!

[@revlyde]

Absolutely awesome!!! God so much from this

[@ericashakes9531]

Good presentation

[@MHawk-xt7vq]

Understandable presentation I'm using this video for my homework in political science a bit fast but great.

[@icsindia]

Excellent presentation. Your each and every concerns applies on Mithila and Manjusha art in Bihar, if we talk particularly about the marginalized art communities which has power to subdue the world with their creativity and expressions. Thank you.

[@paigecoolest]

Very good

[@luisalbertomiercisneros8207]

lOVE IT .