Doug Peach: LeAna, tell me about Los Pleneros de la 21’s Community Collections Grant (CCG) project and what inspired you to undertake this work?

LeAna López: Our project is titled, “The Evolving Practices and Perspectives of Bomba y Plena in the Diaspora.” We’re focusing specifically on the New York City tri-state area [Editor’s note: the tri-state area is New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut]. My inspiration, I think, is really a response to the shifts that are happening within our community, my expanded role in the community, and the increased responsibility that I now have. I’ve always had an interest in doing research and taking a more retrospective “bird’s eye view” into our cultural practices. The Community Collections Grant presented itself and was a perfect opportunity to do so.

COVID-19 created some major shifts in our community in the ways that we practice and share our musical traditions. Change is inevitable, but during COVID-19, something extraordinary happened where we were all forced into our homes and had to resort to technology. And I think technology was extremely helpful, and has been extremely helpful, in connecting us. Bomba is now practiced in Japan! In giving others access [to our cultural practices], it allowed us to connect, to take classes, to learn, to continue to grow. But, I think it also shifted the culture in other ways.

As our elders begin to age and shift their practices or unfortunately pass away, it created yet another change. Those who have studied under these masters for years are now stepping into new roles as cultural bearers and educators. There are different responsibilities, levels of accountability, purposes, and intentions. Outside factors such as technology, social media, and COVID-19 felt like they expedited these evolutionary processes. For these reasons, it felt like we needed to collectively pause and look at what was happening. In passing, we have conversations about how everyone is feeling because of these changes but for me, it felt like we needed time to be intentional, to reflect, and have these one-to-one conversations with elders and practitioners. Bomba and plena for most of their histories have been oral traditions. This grant presented an invaluable opportunity to be in the trenches of the community in a different way and document our rich culture and history. I know most of us wish we could go back in time to see pictures and videos of those who came before us. I wanted to document this not only for us, but for the many generations that follow. This was my inspiration for this project.

Doug Peach: What are you doing to have these conversations?

LeAna López: I am accomplishing this project through interviews. The interviewees are a mix of elders, those who I like to call straddlers—those who aren’t just quite elders yet, but also aren’t new to our traditions—and then some people who are fairly new and up and coming in our practices. Everyone’s interview looks a little bit different. I ask foundational questions of everyone, but everyone’s story is also so colorful and so beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful stories and reflections.

Doug Peach: Let’s back up for a bit. If you were describing bomba and plena to someone who had no idea about these traditions, what would you tell them?

LeAna López: Bomba and plena are our musical expressions, cultural expressions. It’s our identity, whether we are in Puerto Rico, or in the diaspora, it is part of who we are. Our ancestors brought over their knowledge of the drums, and when they arrived in Puerto Rico and encountered the Taínos and the Spaniards, it was then that bomba was born. Bomba also has influences from other Caribbean islands as people migrated through the various islands—Haiti is one of them.
In bomba, the relationship between the drummer and dancer is highlighted. There is a non-verbal conversation where the drummer interprets the dancer’s improvisational body movements on the drum. When playing bomba, you are part of a collective. As a dancer, you oscillate between the world that you are in when you dance, but also your place within the community and playing close attention to the music that you are creating. Bomba is composed of song, dance, and percussion and each aspect has its element of storytelling and invites everyone to be an active participant.

And then you have plena, which is the younger genre of music which came out of the working-class communities of Puerto Rico, and it is referred to as “the sung newspaper.” Plena is played with hand drums that are similar to tambourines. In the songs you can hear stories about love, the neighborhood, gossip, and socio-political affairs. Bomba and plena are both Puerto Rican musical expressions, but not one in the same.

Doug Peach: When you’re talking to these elders or youngsters or straddlers, what kind of questions are you asking them?

LeAna López: I’m asking them, first of all, where their journey began. I think that there are so many people in our community who we see, who we know in passing, but don’t know the origin story of how they encountered bomba. And everyone’s origin story is a little bit different. Some have been living in New York for many years but are from Puerto Rico—their first encounter with bomba and plena was there. Some have never had the experience of playing bomba and plena music in Puerto Rico first-hand, but their first experience of the genres was in New York. Those origin stories have been so diverse and so beautiful in that way, no matter where your entry point was into our traditions. Some of the other questions that I asked them are who their elders are, who their inspirations are, depending on the practitioner, the socio-political climate of their time, and how these genres of music have responded to what was happening. And if you have an elder, we can go as far back as the sixties and the seventies and what was happening at the time. Bringing it to the present day, we have Black Lives Matter. We have the issues in Puerto Rico with the government. So, there are many different perspectives, but bomba and plena still serve the same purposes and provide a vehicle for responding to these societal issues.

Some of the other questions that I’ve asked is about their response to the changes that have been happening in our culture—the good ones, the maybe not so good ones, too. And, where do they see themselves as a part of the future of our communities? What’s going to be their contributing role? How has technology affected, improved, shaped, shifted what we’re doing?

I ask them about their own work as practitioners—whether it’s dancers, drummers, or singers. I also ask about the inspiration behind the pieces that they’ve created, history about their specific town, their practices, and how that differs from other places. I also ask about the influences that New York City and the diaspora have had on their practices. In New York, we are exposed to so many different cultures—from Latin America, the Caribbean, and beyond—and we’re seeing that we are all running in similar circles. I’m also curious about how being exposed to these different cultures has contributed to and shifted what we do, how we play, and who we know. We’ve gotten very personal. It’s been cathartic and a time of reflection for everyone!

Doug Peach: At this writing, you’ve done about ten interviews for your CCG project. Can you tell me what’s been surprising to you in the interviews so far?

LeAna López: What’s been surprising to me is that some of the people that were born in Puerto Rico had access to bomba and plena, but they didn’t really take off on their journey with these traditions until they got here to New York and into the diaspora, which is very interesting, right? Because you would think—“Well, I have access there.” You can go to Puerto Rico and you can see bomba anywhere. You can see plena anywhere. But for some, it was just practiced during the Christmas season, it was just maintained during the holidays. But, when you’re away from home, there is a need to connect back to your home. We call it plantando bandera, like “planting your flag.” There is this need to affirm yourself and find your community outside of home. So, it was [in New York] where their journeys took off as practitioners of bomba and plena. So, I found that very interesting.

Doug Peach: One of the great things about the CCG program, is that it gives community members who may or may not have prior experience doing oral history interviews, the chance to interview those from their own community and document history from their community’s perspective. You didn’t have any experience doing oral history interviews before this project, right?

LeAna López: No.

Doug Peach: What have you learned and what have you experienced through the process of conducting these interviews for your project?

LeAna López: There’s been a huge learning curve. I began my interviews in a very rigid way, fixated on the questions and making sure that I got through them. But as the interviews continued, I realized that I needed to trust the process. I’ve been [doing bomba and plena] my whole life. My journey wasn’t always linear, however, but this has always been part of my life always. So, trusting that process, trusting my knowledge, and letting them tell their story. There is a flow to each interview—a beginning, a middle and an end that we want to get to. But allowing them to express themselves and to tell their story. In that storytelling, the questions will be answered. And, I am learning to be present, be in the moment, listening.

What I found most interesting was we are typically in silos. And these interviews are a chance to just reflect on your own practices, your own intentions, your own philosophy as an educator. You think within yourself all the time, but when someone asks you something and you bring the questions to your awareness, it’s a little bit different. There are certain questions that I ask where people say, “Wow, I’ve thought about this, but I need a moment to answer.” I think I’ve cried after every interview. So, it’s just really been a surge of emotion and gratitude.

Doug Peach: You mentioned that you grew up with bomba and plena. Can you tell us about your background with these traditions and with Los Pleneros de la 21?

LeAna López: I began as a student with Los Pleneros de la 21 in 1997. I didn’t have prior knowledge of bomba or plena. It was a Christmas thing for me. Then, I walked into a class and saw them playing the panderos [Editor’s note: a pandero is a hand-held drum, commonly used in plena music]. And, that was it. I haven’t turned back since I was a student. I was around 15 years old when I began to teach. Then, I began to perform professionally around the tri-state area. I was always a practitioner. I was always in the community. However, I went on to finish school, get my master’s, and to become an educator. And then in 2018, I came back to teach with LP21. It is a full circle moment. My journey speaks very much to the mission of the organization, the intergenerational connections, the passing of the torch. And that’s what I do here. I teach the children, I teach adult classes, I develop lessons, curriculums, I oversee the educational programs. I teach dance and play a supportive role in teaching percussion alongside my co-teachers Jorge Vazquez and Matthew Gonzalez. I also make it a point to integrate history into our classes. I am also part of LP21’s school performance ensemble which is part of our “In the Schools” and “In the House” educational programs.

The most beautiful thing about this project has been speaking to my teachers—that is what has made me cry. I got the chance to actually thank them for their impact. The village has been so monumental in my life. I think that when you’re young and you’re in it, you don’t realize it. It isn’t until you get older that you realize and appreciate the contributions these people have had on your life and the community. It has been really nice to hear people’s stories and learn from their wealth of knowledge.

Doug Peach: What are your future goals for this project, and what do you hope will happen with this body of work 5, 10, 20 years down the road?

LeAna López: I would hope that everyone has access. I would love for everyone in our community to access this somehow. To hear the voices, to hear the stories. We all want the same things for our culture and for our music. We just haven’t had the time to really sit and be intentional about how we’re going to do that. I hope that we can continue having conversations and having those difficult conversations sometimes, especially as our elders are passing and some of us are stepping into new roles. And I hope that everyone can feel that this is theirs. This is not for me. This is for us. I’m the conduit. I’m a vehicle, a vessel for everyone.

Doug Peach: Thank you, LeAna. It will be an honor to steward your collections at the American Folklife Center, where others can access these important interviews. We wish you the best for the rest of your CCG project.

Read more about other AFC’s Community Collections Grant projects here, on the Of the People blog.

The exhibition, which has been highlighted on national and local press outlets such as Garden & Gun, Forbes, INDY Week, and others, is on view until January 25, 2025.  

The state-run historic site consists of several original buildings including a timber-framed barn (c. 1860), four original slave dwellings (c. 1851), and the Bennehan house (c. 1799). Freelon’s works, which use her signature tissue-paper sculptures, can be found in the barn and in seven rooms throughout the Bennehan house. The pieces draw upon Library of Congress materials to honor and re-imagine the lives of enslaved children. One sculpture contains the printed names of 200 children who were enslaved on the plantation.  

For her project, Freelon sought to identify 19th century images of Black children that represented “innocence, beauty, light, and love amidst a terrible situation” in an effort to memorialize their experiences. However, it is rare to find images of Black children experiencing joy during this time period. Instead, she would more often encounter heart-rending images of Black children in distressing situations. As a result, Freelon had to expand the criteria for photos she sought in order to uncover photos like this one of a young Black girl smiling while standing in a field of flowers and other candid moments. Staff from the Library’s Prints and Photographs Reading Room were instrumental in helping Freelon find the photos she needed. 

Freelon used images from the Library’s Farm Security Administration, Liljenquist, and Gladstone collections, as well as her partner Jess Vanhook’s family archives to aid in the creation of her work. After identifying the images she wanted to use, she scanned them to high-resolution, allowing her to expand the photos to massive sizes. By using creative processes such as her patented Tissue Ink Monoprint, she was able to transform dozens of images, like this one of a young Black girl posing next to a chair, into colorful, intricate works of art.  

The exhibition opening’s theme was “play,” evoking and celebrating the innocence of children held in bondage. Nearly 60 people attended the event, including the descendants of people who were enslaved on Stagville Plantation. There were a range of activities for attendees to participate in, from musical engagements to childhood games such as “Little Sally Walker” and “Down by the River.” Nnenna Freelon, Freelon’s mother and an award-winning jazz singer, sang nursery rhymes such as “Hush My Child” and invited attendees to accompany her with provided instruments.  

Dr. Allie Martin, Freelon’s fellow 2024 CCDI Artist/Scholar in Residence, presented a motion activated soundscape in the Stagville barn. By walking around the barn, attendees could play and hear different noises, ranging from Nnenna Freelon’s vocals and Martin’s own voice, to wind sounds from the cemetery where Martin’s grandmother is buried. This transformed the barn into a unique instrument that could be played by multiple people at once.  

Whippersnappers is a project that centers an often-overlooked population in the study of slavery, Black children, as they navigated inconceivable atrocities during enslavement in the United States. Freelon’s tissue paper creations acknowledge their experiences, memorialize their perspectives, and center their innocence and joy through delicate multidimensional works of art. She aimed to craft and place these pieces with care, saying in Garden & Gun: “I wanted to uplift Black children and bring honor, respect and beauty. We all experience childhood, and we can all agree it’s sacred.”  

Projects like Freelon’s highlight the experiences of Black communities and showcase Library materials, supporting CCDI’s goals and extending the Library’s reach to new audiences.  

Whippersnappers is on display at Historic Stagville in Durham, North Carolina until January 25, 2025. 

CCDI is part of the Library’s Of the People: Widening the Path program with support from the Mellon Foundation. This program provides fellowships and grants to individuals and institutions for projects that innovate, imagine, and remix Library materials to highlight the stories and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other communities of color from any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and its territories and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands). Learn more about CCDI. 

Artists/Scholars in Residence:  

Dr. Allie Martin: Sampling Black Life: Soundscapes and Critical Intention 

Dr. Allie Martin kicked off the event by sharing two soundscapes she developed as part of her project. Martin defines the soundscapes as short “sonic collages” which layer recording samples Martin has made herself with audio recordings found in archival collections. One of the audio pieces featured an interview with Fountain Hughes from the Library’s Voices Remembering Slavery collection, as well as ambient noises and Martin’s own vocals.  

Over the course of her project, Martin hosted community listening sessions where individuals from Chicago, Illinois; Fort Valley, Georgia; and DC were able to listen, respond to, and participate in her soundscapes. 

Maya Freelon: Whippersnappers: Recapturing, Reviewing, and Reimagining the Lives of Enslaved Children in the United States 

Maya Freelon discussed her process of using mixed media to create tissue-paper artwork featuring images of Black children from the 19th century. These pieces were created to honor and celebrate the innocence, beauty, and resilience of Black children. Freelon’s work features materials from multiple Library collections, including the Johnston (Frances Benjamin) and Gladstone collections. 

She also shared information about her exhibition, which recently opened at the Historic Stagville plantation in Durham, North Carolina. During the exhibition opening, fellow 2024 CCDI Artist/Scholar in Residence Allie Martin, presented a motion-activated soundscape in the plantation’s barn, where attendees could play environmental and vocal sounds by navigating the room. Nnenna, Freelon’s mother and an accomplished jazz singer, sang children’s nursery rhymes at the event. 

Higher Education recipients: 

University of Houston-Downtown: Discovering Afro-Latino Heritage: A Reflective Story Map Project to Enhance Student Belongingness and Learning 

For their project, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) team created a Story Map with the assistance of students and faculty members. The Story Map covers a range of topics from African Musical Traditions to Afro Latinx perspectives in Caribbean countries. The team used an array of Library materials in their work, including the Africana Historic Postcard collection, the World Digital Library, and research guides such as A Latinx Resource Guide: Civil Rights Cases and Events in the United States. The UHD team shared photos from their LatinFest AfroLatinidad 2024 event, which they hosted in conjunction with UHD’s Center for Latino Studies. The university-wide event, which featured performances by a Garifuna dance group, highlighted and celebrated Afro-Latino heritage. 

Indiana University: Connecting Collections: Indigenous Identities in Edward Curtis and Joseph Dixon Materials 

Indiana University’s (IU) team worked together with three artist/curators-in-residence: Debra Yepa-Pappan, Molina Two Bulls-Parker, and Yatika Starr Fields to examine and respond to materials from the Library’s Curtis (Edward S.) collection and materials from Indiana University’s holdings. The artists created works that highlighted their experiences and sought to reclaim the racist depictions of Native Americans in collections created by white photographers. The team opened a physical and a virtual exhibit featuring the work and hosted a public conversation with the artists and IU community. 

You can view information about the physical exhibition and experience the virtual exhibition on the IU website.  

Angelo State University: All History is Local: Celebrating the People of West Texas 

Angelo State University (ASU) worked with students and faculty across campus to produce a series of Story Maps highlighting local Afro Latinx perspectives in West Texas. The Story Maps were organized into various themes, such as “People & Places,” “Education,” and “Civic Engagement.” The team researched and used materials from Chronicling America, the Civil Rights History Project, and other Library collections in their project. Students were heavily embedded into the research process, with several making exciting discoveries. One student who has been researching the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in San Angelo, Texas discovered a pamphlet created by Prince Hall in the Library’s African American Perspectives collection.  

Libraries, Archives Museums recipients: 

Hoboken Public Library: The Puerto Rican Experience in Hoboken and America 

Hoboken Public Library’s (HPL) team developed a virtual exhibition and timeline to showcase Puerto Rican history and experiences in Hoboken, New Jersey. The project features multiple Library collections including Sanborn Maps, National Jukebox, and the World Digital Library Collection. The team hosted four cultural festivals and also attended the 58th Puerto Rican Flag Raising Ceremony, which is part of a festival that celebrates the island and its people. 

Explore the team’s project on The Puerto Rican Experience in Hoboken and America. 

Friends of Tijeras Pueblo: The Ancestral Tiwa World Connected to the Present: Tijeras Pueblo in Context 

Friends of Tijeras Pueblo (FTP) created interactive videos and a digital zine to supplement the visitor experience at the Tijeras Pueblo Archaeological Site Museum. The videos, presented in English and in the Tiwa language, accompany the museum’s mural map of the Central Rio Grande Valley and cover topics such as Pueblo weaving from master Tiwa Piro weaver, Louis Garcia. The digital zine, entitled “We Are Still Here” uses various materials from the Library, including 19th century photographs of Isleta Pueblo people. 

As a result of their CCDI award, the Friends of Tijeras Pueblo have developed an even closer working relationship with the Pueblo of Isleta. Additionally, they were provided a grant from New Mexico Arts to fund a new project.

DC Public Library: Documenting the Ethiopian Communities of DC 

DC Public Library (DCPL) conducted, transcribed, and translated several oral histories with local DC community members. Last month, the team also hosted a “DC Ethiopian Archives Day,” an event that encouraged Ethiopian DC residents to digitize their family photos and participate in a pop-up exhibit. The project examined materials from the Library’s Ethnic Heritage and Language Schools in America Project collection.  

Congratulations to all of CCDI’s 2024 award recipients!  

You can view CCDI’s 2024 Fall Awardee Project Celebration video recording on the Library’s website. Learn more about CCDI’s 2024 award recipients on the Of the People website.  

CCDI is part of the Library’s Of the People: Widening the Path program with support from the Mellon Foundation. This program provides fellowships and grants to individuals and institutions for projects that innovate, imagine, and remix Library materials to highlight the stories and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other communities of color from any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and its territories and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands). Learn more about CCDI. 

Find more about the Library’s historic Of the People initiative. 

Transforming Education with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: My Journey with the Library of Congress Digital Collections

My name is Ava Thorpe, and I had the privilege of working on a transformative project titled “Supporting Culturally Relevant Pedagogy with Library of Congress Digital Collections” through the Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office, which runs the Teaching with Primary Sources program. The goal of my project was to create primary source-based, culturally relevant materials to enhance teaching outcomes in history and social science. As an educator myself, the connections between this project and practice were tangible and transformed the way that I viewed primary sources as valuable evidence for research.

Diving into the Digital Archives

I began this journey by delving into the Library of Congress’s extensive digital collections. Using keywords and topics aligned with the undergraduate courses I teach in criminal justice, I explored a wide range of primary sources, including photographs, oral histories, sound recordings, films, and historic newspapers. This exploration offered a deep and poignant look at the historical significance of the chain gang from the 1860s to the early 1900s, creating a tangible record of the historical record of the impact of chain gangs on social, political, and economic issues of this period. The research was both enlightening and humbling. Chronicling America, the Library’s historic newspaper database, was particularly impactful. It provided first-hand accounts and vivid narratives that expanded my understanding of the chain gang’s influence on America’s economic, political, and social systems during the Reconstruction era and beyond.

Uncovering the History of Chain Gangs

Through this research, I discovered how chain gangs—groups of prisoners forced into hard labor—symbolized systemic racism and the exploitation of African American men and boys. Rooted in the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and reinforced by Jim Crow laws, chain gangs were not merely punitive; they were instruments of economic and social control.

Their impact was profound and far-reaching, shaping the economic landscape of Southern states while influencing societal norms and policies. These insights offered critical context for understanding the intersection of economic exploitation and correctional practices, connecting the Reconstruction era to broader movements such as the Great Migration. The perspectives and narratives uncovered through my Chronicling America research revealed a deeply divisive stance on the chain gang system of corrections, drawing striking parallels to the polarization and societal divisions we observe today.

Creating Curricular Connections

My research culminated in the development of innovative teaching materials, including a “critical thinking tree” and a detailed timeline that incorporated these powerful primary sources. These tools, designed to foster engagement and analysis, will soon be available as a digital album in the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Teachers Network.

The network, an online community for educators nationwide, proved to be a valuable resource for collaboration and inspiration. It encouraged me to transform my traditional lectures into dynamic learning experiences, integrating primary sources to inspire curiosity and critical thinking in my students.

The Impact on My Teaching

This internship was a turning point in my educational approach. Before, my knowledge of primary sources was limited. Now, they are integral to my teaching. Topics like social control, criminal justice policy, and procedural analysis have come alive for my students through the lens of history.  For example, one compelling primary source, a newspaper article titled “Workin’ on the Chain Gang,“ illustrated the harsh realities of correctional philosophies between 1864 and 1910. This single document sparked meaningful classroom discussions about the evolution of punitive systems into more rehabilitative approaches, connecting historical injustices to modern-day practices.

Why This Work Matters

Teaching with primary sources does more than educate—it empowers. It bridges the gap between past and present, providing students with tangible records that illuminate the development of criminal justice institutions. For my students, many of whom aspire to become leaders in the field, these insights are invaluable. They encourage reflection, questioning, and a deeper commitment to justice.

Moreover, examining culturally relevant primary sources, like the narratives of chain gangs, helps students understand the roots of systemic racism and its lasting effects. This knowledge is essential for shaping a more equitable future in criminal justice and beyond.

Final Reflections

My AHHA internship experience was transformative, not just for my teaching but for my perspective on the power of primary sources. It reinforced my belief in the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy and its ability to engage students meaningfully. I’ve seen firsthand how this approach fosters critical thinking and inspires students to explore complex topics independently.

As I reflect on this journey, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to grow as an educator and to contribute to the development of resources that will benefit classrooms nationwide. Teaching with primary sources is more than a method—it’s a bridge to understanding, empathy, and action.

Thank you to the Library of Congress AHHA program, Stacie Moats, Vivian Awumey, and the TPS Teachers Network for making this transformative experience possible.

Five men stood looking up at the flag they had grown up under. A white flag with an emblem of a mshikè (turtle) on it and the words: Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. There it hung among hundreds of flags of proud nations who have populated the Americas long before the Stars and Stripes was stitched together. These men stood in the halls of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., having journeyed from Athens, Michigan to walk the footsteps of those who had come before them and connect the past to the present. All are members of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP), a Native Sovereign Nation who reaffirmed federal recognition nearly 30 years prior when the previous generation of Huron Potawatomi traveled to Washington, D.C. to sign the paperwork, a trip which changed the trajectory of all the tribal members’ lives forever.

This knowledge journey began long before the flight that brought these men to the U.S. capital left Michigan soil in August, 2024. While attending the Audio Engineering Society (AES) New York Conference in October, 2022, JW Newson, who leads Multi-Media Productions for NHBP, learned of a rare opportunity to attend a special conference at the Library of Congress. The June 2023 conference, hosted at the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation in Culpeper, VA, focused on Audio Archiving, Preservation, & Restoration. This conference was developed with the goal of bringing researchers and practitioners together for three days to support and encourage collaboration and interoperability between industry and the preservation, restoration and archiving communities. In this spirit, Mr. Newson sought the insight of a highly esteemed panel from the Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing for an upcoming archive initiative. This project aimed to record and preserve the voices and life experiences of the Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi) people at the Gathering of the Bodéwadmi Nations hosted by NHBP in July, 2023. Attesting to the power of professional organizations such as AES to bring together individuals in a field to share experience and insight, Mr. Newson was surrounded by support to successfully bring this project to fruition.

Additionally, it was through this network of professionals that Mr. Newson was informed of a Community Collections Grant offered through the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center to empower diverse groups to document and preserve their recent history. With the support of NHBP’s Tribal Council, JW Newson worked with NHBP Chief Planning Officer Dan Green and to apply for this opportunity, and was awarded a Community Collections Grant in February, 2024. The preservation effort empowered by this grant award has focused on ensuring that tribal members seven generations from now and beyond will still have the knowledge of this transformative time in NHBP’s history spanning three different generations: members of the generation that included boarding school survivors; members of the generation who fought to reaffirm federal recognition status for NHBP; and members of the generation who have grown alongside the transformative development that has happened on NHBP’s homeland, the Pine Creek Indian Reservation, over the last few decades.

Intergenerational involvement of NHBP Tribal Members in all aspects of the process has been designed into the project as a key priority. Elders from NHBP have shared their life experiences and the history of what life was like on Pine Creek Indian Reservation prior to the development opportunities that accompanied federal recognition status; back when it had been referred to as “Indian Town, MI.” Younger relatives have been incorporated as fieldworkers, asking the curated list of interview questions during the recorded interviews, engaging multiple generations in the sharing of knowledge and history. Real time reflections and interactions between mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, were opened by these exchanges as both parties received the questions for the first time during the interview, giving honor to the tradition of passing oral histories to the next generation. Younger tribal members were also able to share their own experiences, viewpoints, and reconnection with their ancestral lifeways through group podcast-style interviews. Membership including teenagers participating in NHBP’s Youth-Learn-Work Summer 2024 program have been involved in the behind-the-scenes production aspects of the project as well, with 25 tribal members aging from 13 to 82 comprising an 100% tribal member production support crew. Finally, an intergenerational group of NHBP Historical Advisory Consultants was assembled to give direction on who to contact for interviews and provide feedback throughout the process.

The recordings took place at one fixed location at Pine Creek Studios located on the Pine Creek Indian Reservation and two offsite temporary studio locations in Dublin, Ohio and Washington, D.C. In each of these locations, the sets were carefully curated to include culturally representative items and were artistically arranged by a collaboration of Tribal Members. Such items in the set designs included historical Black Ash Bodéwadmi Baskets, Bodéwadmi Applique works, tradition medicines, and an heirloom Buffalo Hide.

Among those who have been key contributors in this process is NHBP Tribal Member and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Onyleen Zapata. Ms. Zapata aided in the interview question development as well as conducted several of the interviews and participated in one of the podcast-style interviews along with NHBP Tribal Member Alexandria Sulainis.

The group of five men who made the journey to Washington, D.C. in August, 2024, were also key participants in the project. Lovelle Marshall and Daejion “Ziggy” Morseau, who were involved in previous NHBP Production initiatives, served as Production Assistants. Johnathon Moulds, Photographer for NHBP, served as Director of Photography for the Indian Town collection. Brothers Kevin Harris II, NHBP Culture Specialist, and Devonne Harris, who specializes in several styles of traditional Bodéwadmi dance, served as cultural ambassadors for the visit to Washington, D.C. In addition to these five, Diop Harris, who lives and works on Capitol Hill, also joined his fellow tribal members.

The next stop for these men was the Library of Congress itself. Out of the millions of books, recordings, films, and artifacts archived and preserved within the Library of Congress, only one was of the Potawatomi. This singular artifact was a recently uncovered field recording of a Potawatomi song that was recorded in 1943 by Willard Rhodes in Lawrence, Kansas, presumably at a boarding school. These men journeyed to Washington, D.C. to be the first Bodéwadmi ears to hear this recording since students Wilma and Christiane sang these powerful songs. In a cultural repatriation, a copy of these preserved songs that were lost to time are being returned to these Bodéwadmi representatives to bring back to the language revitalizers collaborating across multiple Bodéwadmi nations.

Dressed in regalia honoring their heritage, moccasin-clad feet danced for the ancestors on the mosaic floors of the Library of Congress’s Great Hall and climbed the marble steps worn by the feet of other knowledge seekers over the last 127 years since the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building’s construction.

These Bodéwadmi ambassadors viewed the field notes where the Potawatomi recording was referenced, saw the original device it was recorded on, and then listened to the digitized version of the 81-year-old recording. Though information on this recording is minimal, it is believed that the song was recorded at a boarding school in Kansas during a time when the policy of the U.S.  Government was to eliminate the languages, cultures, and religions that had been practiced on this land for millennia. To now be bringing traditional Bodéwadmi dance to the center of the government’s archive of knowledge and culture honored the strength and resilience of generations of Bodéwadmi, showcasing what could not be stomped out.

In the dark before the dawn of August 11, 2024, the 46^th anniversary of the signing into law of the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act, a lone figure danced on the National Mall, illuminated by his brethren surrounding him. The Bodéwadmi drum echoed like a heartbeat off of the marble monuments surrounding. This man danced for the ancestors who walked this land before European settlers arrived. He danced for the survivors of the boarding schools who kept the culture and the language alive. He danced for those who fought for the right to practice Indigenous religions and lifeways freely. He danced in the spirit of the Bodéwadmi: The Keepers of the Fire, burning bright as a symbol stating, “We’re still here.”

I am honored to be an American Folklife Center Community Collections Grant recipient. I was born and raised in New Mexico. My father’s side comes from Taos in northern New Mexico, where he was raised with heritage from Jewish and Irish pioneers mixed with Spanish and Native American ancestry. My mother’s side is Spanish and Native American. Our Native American lineage was discovered after DNA testing and extensive research.

I have lived in New Mexico my entire life, living for the past 34 years in the East Mountains outside of Albuquerque. My maternal lineage connects to the original Land Grant settlers in an area known as Cañon de Carnué, present day Carnuel, and along the turquoise trail that runs north to Santa Fe. My great-grandmother, Delfiña Garcia neé Nuanes / Griego / Gurulé, was born, resided most of her life, and died in her home in Carnuel, New Mexico. It was through my maternal line that I was exposed to the traditions of the Danza de Los Matachines as a young girl.

After my semi-retirement from the defense avionics industry, I pursued my passion for genealogy and New Mexico history. Like many New Mexicans, I took for granted being raised in this very rich cultural environment. As I grew older and travelled more, it became evident that New Mexico was unique. There are areas of New Mexico that appear the same as they did hundreds of years ago and within many communities, the traditions are well preserved. I utilized my genealogical experience to serve on the Board of the New Mexico Genealogical Society as the Chairperson for an important program called, Primeras Familias de Nuevo México, which used primary resources to certify family lineages back to the year 1598. Since 2016, I have volunteered as the Land Grant Genealogist for the Cañon de Carnué Land Grant.

Over time, I have seen our traditions and ways of life slowly vanishing. However, some of these small villages are fighting to maintain their way of life and traditions. Witnessing this, I felt it important to document the historical preservation of these traditions and recognize my contemporaries who are working to maintain them. My goal for this Community Collections Grant project is a detailed preservation and explanation of these long-held traditional fiestas and the accompanying Danzas (dances).

During the past several months, my team and I have been documenting several fiestas celebrating the Patron Saints at the Mission churches located in the mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. We have become familiar with the people in the communities and have gained an even greater appreciation for their spiritual devotion and dedication to maintain old traditions in challenging times and changing environments. Although there are short videos on social media about the tradition of the Danza de Los Matachines, we focus on the small Mission churches that are in more remote areas with greater focus on the roles, trajé (traditional dress), meanings, and importance to community.

It was meaningful for me to attend these smaller fiestas and realize they were unchanged from what I remembered as a young girl. The music, the number of dancers, the beautiful missions, the comida (food), all brought back a feeling of nostalgia, and more importantly the value and meaning of the tradition to these communities. These traditional fiestas are an annual highlight for these small villages, a celebration that brings familias (families) and vecinos (neighbors) together, presenting a welcome break from the hard work and monotony of weekly life, and they serve as a celebration of their shared faith and in honor of their village’s Patron Saint. Recent history has shown that dwindling participation and support has caused the demise of the Danza at certain locations, and presents the possibility that future generations may never get to experience the Danza and, more importantly, understand what they are seeing.

After beginning this project, it became apparent to me that many people are unaware of all the intricacies of the Los Matachines Danza and its story. As I interviewed more vecinos (neighbors), I found it fascinating that bits and pieces of the Danza were interpreted differently by different people and the meaning and their interpretations having changed over time. They emphasized the origin as well as that the meaning was very individual, and the bonding element was in sharing this history passed down from our antepasados (ancestors/ forefathers). This project seeks to document the tradition, its different meanings, and to honor those who devote themselves to keeping the traditional Danza de Los Matachines alive.

The second portion of the project focuses on the reclaimed Danza de Los Comanchitos. This Danza is based on the cautiva (captive) culture and the narrative of their descendants. In New Mexico, the blended culture of Hispanics and Native Americans is the result of interrelations dating as far back as the Spanish Conquistadores. Historically, it was common that during raids, primarily between Comanche and Apache peoples, Native American captives were taken and traded to Spanish and European communities for goods. Captive women and children were brought into families as servants to help plant and harvest crops, and perform household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. They were taught to adopt the Spanish / Catholic ways of living, the language and beliefs, and were gradually integrated into the New Mexican families. A collective memory of Danzas to welcome these captives into village life has been preserved, which includes pieces of the songs and prayers that were passed down. The inhabitants known to descend from this captivity often intermarried within these communities. Today, these New Mexicans are referred to as Genizaro.

With the establishment of larger settlements, such as Albuquerque, the governors founded perimeter villages made up of the Genizaro population. Native American raids were an issue for the larger villages, and these bordering Genizaro communities were used to provide a first line of communication and defense. Over many hundreds of years, the cultures blended and have preserved traditions from their identities. Today, many New Mexicans, through DNA and genealogical research, have discovered their cautiva roots and lineages.

The reclaimed Danza de Los Comanchitos de Las Sandias began in 2016 in Carnuel, New Mexico, acknowledging our inherited Native American blood and honoring our ancestors who were forced to sacrifice their way of life due to capture and trade. In addition to documenting these, the project is also documenting the Danza de Los Comanches de la Serna de Taos, New Mexico, which has existed for much longer and takes place on New Year’s Day at Ranchos de Taos.

By documenting these unique New Mexican traditions, this project seeks to create a permanent record of how the rich and vibrant communities are honoring their past and celebrating their present.

In the following guest post, Jonathan Walton, a 2024 CCDI Junior Fellow, shares more about the process of developing his project, Diversity and Multiculturalism: The Interconnected Sounds of America.

As a musical artist and an African-American, I have always been interested in the sounds of my culture. I have always found that I could express myself best through music, ever since I started playing the cello in the third grade. Now in college, I find myself exposed to the ever-diverse communities of the people around me, stemming from all different backgrounds. I found myself drawing upon this influence while working on my project for the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative.

This summer, I worked on a project where I created a soundscape composition using audio from the Library of Congress’s collections. My focus was on arts communities within communities of color across the United States. The goal was to weave together these diverse sounds into one big sound collage, illustrating that all groups are interconnected through art. By exploring this universal connection, I wanted to emphasize that no one is truly free until we are all free. My project aimed to map through sound how different communities connect through their art, celebrating multiculturalism and shared experiences.

Building on the methodology of Dr. Allie Martin, who is an Artist/Scholar in Residence with the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative, I was inspired by her project Sampling Black Life: Soundscapes and Critical Intention. Dr. Martin’s work in soundscape and community engagement has shown me how sound can be a powerful medium for storytelling and community connection, and her methods have inspired me to explore similar themes within the broader context of arts communities. I was also inspired by the German term “Gesamtkunstwerk,” which translates to a “total work of art.” Coined by Richard Wagner, this concept describes an artwork that combines different art forms to create a cohesive whole. It’s a perfect representation of what I want to achieve with my soundscape composition.

I also wanted to highlight the importance of art as a tool of communal expression. It provides insightful commentary on how individuals and communities perceive and also express themselves. Using audio from the digital collections at the Library of Congress, my composition answers this question: How do the various diverse communities of the United States express themselves through art and sound?

To create this soundscape, I collected various samples of music, spoken word, and interview audio from collections like the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection, The Juan B. Rael Collection, The Center for Applied Linguistics Collection, and others. I found that the materials within these collections specifically showcased the diversity of America’s population. During my research, I discovered items from Japanese, Greek, Hispanic, and African communities, among many others. I wanted to focus on the joy of their experiences, while also drawing attention to the reasons why they create their art.

One of the most exciting parts of this project was the ability to remix the digital collections from the Library of Congress. By taking historical audio recordings and reimagining them in a contemporary context, I wanted to bridge the past and present, showing how these sounds can resonate in new ways today. Remixing allows us to honor the original context of these recordings while also creating something entirely new and relevant to our current cultural landscape.

Through my soundscape, I hope to reflect the identities, beliefs, and ideas of the various communities I’m exploring. A recurrent theme in these materials is the resilience and creativity born out of displacement and resistance. With my soundscape, I hope to underscore the belief that to progress socially as a nation, we must come together in unity.

In summary, my soundscape project embodies the spirit of Gesamtkunstwerk – “a total work of art” where diverse sounds and voices come together to form a cohesive whole. Through this project, I hope to celebrate the creativity and unity of arts communities, illustrating that our shared struggles and triumphs are what truly connect us. By utilizing the digital collections at the Library of Congress, we can enable storytelling that bridges different communities, connecting us through our shared histories and experiences, art, and sound.

You can listen to Jonathan’s soundscape below (link to audio transcript):

Apply for a 2025 Junior Fellows Summer Internship

You can also work with the Library as a Junior Fellow!

The Junior Fellows Program is an annual summer internship program for currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate or graduate students. Fellows have the opportunity to explore the Library of Congress’ digital and analoofg collections, while working directly with Library staff across the institution in a variety of fields, including: information technology, reference, preservation, and more.

Applications for the Library’s 2025 Junior Fellows Program are open from now through Monday, November 18, 2024. Apply today!

CCDI is part of the Library’s Of the People: Widening the Path program with support from the Mellon Foundation. This program provides fellowships and grants to individuals and institutions for projects that innovate, imagine, and remix Library materials to highlight the stories and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other communities of color from any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and its territories and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands). Learn more about CCDI here. 

For more about the Library’s historic Of the People initiative, click here. 

This year’s Higher Education and Libraries, Archives, and Museums award recipients include: Angelo State University, Indiana University, University of Houston-Downtown, DC Public Library, Friends of Tijeras Pueblo, and Hoboken Public Library. CCDI’s 2024 Artists/Scholars in Residence include: Dr. Allie Martin and Maya Freelon.  

From creating Indigenous artwork in response to the Library’s Edward S. Curtis collection to honoring the experiences of enslaved children through visual media, each project has found creative ways to engage and otherwise respond to Library collection materials. These projects will conclude with a wide range of publicly available tools, activities, and resources including: soundscapes, a digital mural, community events, digital and physical exhibits, StoryMaps, curriculum resources, and more. 

Collectively, the projects have explored over 30 Library collections and resources, from the PALABRA Archive to Sanborn Maps, to the Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories collection. 

At CCDI’s 2024 Awardee Project Celebration event, representatives from each of the project teams will share their experiences, demo their final projects, and share their project outcomes. At the end of the event, attendees will have the opportunity to ask the award recipients questions about their work. 

Registration is now open! Please join us and share widely with your network. 

Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance to ccdi@loc.gov. Additionally, attendees may request ADA accommodations at (202) 707‐6362 or ADA@loc.gov. 

CCDI is part of the Library’s Of the People: Widening the Path program with support from the Mellon Foundation. This program provides fellowships and grants to individuals and institutions for projects that innovate, imagine, and remix Library materials to highlight the stories and perspectives of Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and other communities of color from any of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and its territories and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands). Learn more about CCDI here. 

For more about the Library’s historic Of the People initiative, click here. 

Exploring Image Descriptions

How would you describe the image above using only your words? Maybe you would mention its pencil-sketched look or describe the focused behavior of the readers. Perhaps you would even note what else is in the foreground, middle ground, and background.

In doing so, you are sharing what details make this image different from another.

As a 2024 Junior Fellow, I created a game for anyone to explore writing image descriptions of photographs and prints using the Library’s free to use collections.

For some users, a short image description (known as alt text) is the main way of interacting with an image. You may have come across alt text without even knowing it. When an image fails to load on a website, a sentence or two of alt text often fills in the missing information.

Alt text communicates visual information to all users. This includes those who are blind, have a limited internet connection, or have security settings that prevent images from loading. Search engines, like Google, also use alt text to improve their search results.

To read alt text, blind and low vision users often use a type of assistive technology called a screen reader. These devices read alt text out loud or present it on a braille display. Screen readers are also used by those who have cognitive or learning disabilities that affect reading.

Alt text is crucial for an inclusive and accessible experience for all users at the Library. But if you’ve never written alt text before, it’s hard to know what to include in it.

That’s where my LOC : Alt game comes in.

Writing Meaningful, not “Perfect,” Alt Text

When I first started learning about writing alt text, it felt overwhelming at times because there are so many factors. It’s a big task, especially when your words can make or break a person’s understanding of an image. You might feel the pressure to get it “perfect.”

But there is no one “perfect” alt text. Just like with any writing style, it varies. It changes based on things like the author’s voice, context of the image (is it decorative or essential?), and form of writing (blog, article, etc.). Everyone is going to have a slightly different outcome, and that’s okay! A quest for “perfect” alt text should not prevent you from trying to write it in the first place.

Within my game, I aimed to ease players into this style of writing. Inspired by the language learning app Duolingo, I used a similar method of dragging and dropping word tiles to simplify the writing process. Players only need to choose from the word options instead of coming up with the words on their own.

To do well, you need to focus on making the alt text meaningful for your audience. When piecing together the alt text, you always want to ask yourself: “Is this necessary? What does this add to my description?”

A screen reader will read out loud every word of alt text. So, it’s important to be mindful of information overload and provide succinct, yet descriptive text for the best experience.

Designing an Accessible Learning Game

While there are plenty of online resources about writing alt text, there are no games that allow users to practice on images and receive real-time feedback. This finding, along with my role in supporting document accessibility at the Library, inspired me to create a learning game as a part of my junior fellowship.

As someone who learns by doing, I always value an activity like this that gets my brain thinking. When learning a new skill, it’s more memorable to practice and learn from your mistakes.

My game challenges players to construct alt text sentences to describe five distinct images from the Library’s collections. The images feature a variety of subjects, from humans to animals, along with different mediums, like photography and print posters.

The game also explores nuances of describing different identities, such as one’s disability, gender, and race. I challenged myself to find images that would invite players to test their assumptions and practice respectful descriptions of appearances. In doing so, I researched what different communities prefer for describing themselves—insights I hope to pass along to players.

On top of careful thinking about the game’s content, I aimed to build accessibility into its function. My game needed to work with both the mouse and the keyboard to consider the mobility needs and preferences of players.

I wanted to include a drag and drop feature for a mouse, but I had to think carefully about a way to do something similar on a keyboard. Over time, I settled on numbering the word tiles. Users can quickly press the keys (1-8) to move or remove the tiles from the sentence. Normally, users press the tab key to move one-by-one through each option, but adding a related number lowers the time and physical effort required.

In the end, I aimed to construct an accessible game that invites players to test their skills with the goal of learning how to create inclusive content online.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). It marks a time to learn about the contributions of America’s disabled workers from the past and present. Writing effective alt text is just one way that you can make your digital efforts accessible for people with disabilities.

To learn more about image description and how it relates to disability justice, explore the blog of my co-fellow Avianna Miller as she writes about the Year of Document Accessibility and Describing Disability Justice in America.

The Junior Fellows Program is a paid, full-time internship that enables the next generation of diverse cultural institution professionals to experience and interpret the collections, programs, and services of the world’s largest, all-inclusive library.

Projects increase access to Library of Congress collections and promote awareness of the Library’s resources to Congress and people in communities across America. With guidance from mentors, Junior Fellows produce products that position the Library as a dynamic center for fostering innovation, sparking creativity, and building lifelong connections.

The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. Prospective applicants can read the full list of projects and apply to the program by visiting loc.gov/item/internships/junior-fellows-program/.

The Library anticipates hiring approximately 40 interns for 35 projects. This year’s projects provide rewarding opportunities for Junior Fellows to engage with the Library’s resources, interpret collections and share their findings with audiences through a variety of channels. Below is a sampling of the 2025 projects:

Music and the Arts as Vehicles for History, Civics, and Democracy (Remote): In this project, the Junior Fellow will develop strategies for using primary sources as a way to tell a “people’s history” of the United States, encompassing diverse stories and perspectives including those from Black, Indigenous, Hispanic or Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander and/or other communities of color.

Video Preservation from Shelf to Video Lab and Beyond (Onsite – Culpeper, VA): The National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (NAVCC) is home to the world’s largest moving image collections as well as state-of-the-art preservation laboratories. With guidance from mentors, the Junior Fellow will participate in the processing, digitization, and ingest of moving image materials, following the life cycle of content from acquisition to archiving for long-term preservation.

Digital Rewind: Exploring Connecting Communities Digital Initiative’s Impact Through Digital Engagement and Storytelling (Remote): Junior Fellows will create a dynamic, collections-oriented digital storytelling project that documents and shares the work of CCDI’s impact on stakeholder communities, helping to ensure that histories of underrepresented communities are preserved and shared on a national platform.

Providing Access to American History and Culture (Onsite): Manuscript Division collections typically comprise material types such as correspondence, photographs, born digital media, and other ephemeral materials, documenting diverse cultural and historical events and people throughout United States history. During this project, the Junior Fellow also will work with division staff on tasks like cataloging, finding aid preparation, born digital processing, and preservation assessments.

Enhancing Accessibility: User Research for Inclusive Library Services (Remote): The National Library Service (NLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled serves as a crucial resource for individuals with visual impairments. This project will focus on supporting NLS’ patron experience research initiatives (including usability testing, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups) to gain insights into the needs and experiences of NLS patrons. Under the mentorship of experienced user researchers, the Junior Fellow will engage with patrons to understand their interactions with NLS’ resources and services.

The Junior Fellows Program is made possible by a gift from the late James Madison Council member Nancy Glanville Jewell through the Glanville Family Foundation, the Knowledge Navigators Trust Fund and by an investment from the Mellon Foundation.

Download instructions on how to apply to this summer internship program.