Cydney Brown

Which grant that you received do you want to talk about?
Summer Undergraduate Research Grant

Please provide a brief summary of your research.
For 8 weeks (June 12th-July 31st) I researched eight Black female activists during the Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) whose contributions appeared invisible in history because as Bernice McNair Barnett elucidates, Social Movement scholarship focuses on male leaders. My goal in this project was to recognize Black women and their leadership. The intersection of these women’s identities have resulted in the erasure of their contributions to American History furthering the notion that men were the only leaders during this time. The purpose of this project was to show Black women the power their voices hold, by highlighting the voices of Black figures that came before them. The women I researched are as follows: Claudette Colvin, Gloria Richardson, McCree Harris, Septima Poinsette Clark, Pauli Murray, Diane Nash, JoAnn Robinson, and Georgia Gilmore. I wrote first-person poetry from the perspective of the women I studied using journal articles, interviews, archives, and oral histories to elucidate their lives. I chose poetry as the medium to tell the stories of these women because of its accessibility and relatability as a modern medium of communication.

What made you initially interested in researching your project in particular?
Originally I wanted to do a research program, but after meeting with Megan Novak we realized I already had an interest in doing poetry centered research. Megan helped me to hone in on what marginalized community I wanted to focus my poetry on, so that my research wasn’t too broad.

What made you interested in pursuing (interdisciplinary) research more broadly?
I became interested in pursuing research after taking SESP 251 Pathways class that focused on doing meaningful work during the summer through SURG or SIGP. I also attended events where UGR would present, so I was very interested in doing research and poetry.

Describe your experiences with research thus far. Was it tricky? What skills do you think you’ve gained?
Research is fun, rewarding, and thorough. I found it fun researching each women and learning anecdotes about them that I was never taught in history class. It was difficult when I couldn’t find information on some of the women after trying different avenues to obtain it. It was also tricky revising poems, some poems would have revisions that would take a few days, while others would take weeks. From my research experience I have gained patience and flexibility. Some days, I would have to wait for sources to come through interlibrary loan, so I would be flexible and start researching another activist.

Any tips or advice you have for students similar to you that are interested in pursuing undergraduate research?
Schedule a meeting with Office of Undergraduate Research they are really helpful in understanding how your interests can become a research opportunity.

What was your favorite childhood story (written, spoken, or film)?
My favorite childhood story was The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, my mom used to read it to me when I was younger.