Hello! I am Adaeze Nwigwe. I am a first year student in UCF's MA in History program. Additionally, I am in the Public History track and have an interest in community-based projects that feature hands-on applications of history. This summer I look forward to continuing work with the Olustee project under Dr. Gannon. This project is affiliated with UCF's Community Veterans' History Project which collects oral histories from various military veterans. The Olustee project specifically focuses on the 1864 battle where Union soldiers, including black soldiers, were brutally killed and put into a mass grave. Through the project we hope to bring recognition to the unnamed soldiers and ensure that their sacrifice is not lost to history.
During the spring semester when I originally began work on this project, I focused mainly on community outreach. This included trying to get the opinion of the local African American community. We sought their thoughts on what reconciliation efforts they would like to see regarding the mass, unmarked grave. Some contacts that I made expressed their frustration at the lack of attention towards the African American soldiers who were brutally killed. Subsequently, during the summer I will follow up with these community contacts. Also, I will continue outreach to historic churches in order to see if they have any records about this battle or funeral procedures during the 19th century. Historic black churches could offer interesting insights into the battle and the soldiers who fought there. Other goals during the summer will be to continue research efforts in identifying the fallen soldiers. This will include going through certain databases provided by the Library of Congress. Furthermore, each week I will meet with Dr. Gannon and other interns to review our findings and discuss where we can improve our efforts.
Overall, I hope to gain a number of skills from this opportunity. For one, it will be integral practice in ethically conducting oral histories. This type of historical tool requires empathy as well as extreme professionalism when discussing more difficult past events. In the same regard, I will gain knowledge in working within a community. So far we are still trying to ascertain the community's views on possibly erecting a plaque in honor of the fallen soldiers. Gathering such opinions will give me experience in what could happen when there are opinions that differ from a project's goals. Then, I also hope to learn more detailed research methods as great effort will be taken towards trying to identify which soldiers could be in the mass grave. Moreover, this project will occur during a difficult time in Florida's political landscape. Currently there are many changes being made to how history is presented or which parts can be taught. In turn, this project can become susceptible to increased scrutiny by the local government. This type of environment will give me a poignant lesson on balancing personal goals with possible bureaucratic restrictions. Nonetheless, this project will serve as a challenge to narratives that want to erase the mark left by the valiant African Americans soldiers who fought for not only their own freedom, but also the freedom of future generations.
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