Navigating the tangled architectures of colonial archiving (Spanish and U.S. American), panelists are called to answer not only who will tell our stories but how we work ethically to do so without “exceed[ing] the limits of the sayable dictated by the archive” (Hartman, 2008). Panelists will discuss archiving and representations of Black subjects in Puerto Rico across their research foci: 19th century emancipation (Daniel Morales-Armstrong, University of Pennsylvania), 20th century Black street children’s stories (Dr. Solsiree Del Moral, Amherst College), as well as digital humanities initiatives (Dr. Jessica Marie Johnson, Johns Hopkins University) and curricular analysis (Dr. Isar Godreau, University of Puerto Rico-Cayey) in the present. At the intersection of their diverse research and practice projects exists a common thread: Black histories have long been silenced in state and popular narratives, but are nonetheless valuable and, using creative historical methods, able to be known, written, and shared.

Using the discussion about Black Puerto Rican histories as a springboard, the audience is invited to discuss synergies, points of convergence, and best practices for writing Black history in the Atlantic world writ large. How can these initiatives of preserving Black historical knowledges inform, impact, and be put into conversation with initiatives for Black history elsewhere? As this panel will focus on both the content and practice of witnessing Black life, past and present, junior scholars and graduate students are particularly encouraged to attend and join the conversation.