‘Sojourning to Freedom’ Panel Elevates Black Women’s Voices

On Monday, March 10, Whitman College faculty members invited the college community to a panel event highlighting the contributions of Black women to their research, theories, classrooms and lives. 

The “Sojourning to Freedom” panel, named for 19th-century anti-slavery activist Sojourner Truth, focused on Black women’s legacies of survival, joy and visibility.

About the Panelists

The panel was sponsored by the Office of the Provost and led by Assistant Professor of Gender Studies Giramata, whose work is concerned with Black feminisms, Black diaspora studies, anti-colonial Black visual arts and critical trauma studies. Supported by the Gender Studies Department, they initiated and developed the two-part panel series aimed at highlighting the unique experiences and contributions of Black people, pluralistically. It was curated alongside fellow Black faculty at Whitman, highlighting their experiences and needs in and outside the classroom. Giramata is particularly invested in the anti-colonial political education and the study of Black life through Black feminist thought. 

The panel also included:

• Dance Faculty Fellow Jessica Bertram Williams, whose work is guided by Black feminist/womanist thought, communal liberation practices and the movement of the Africanist aesthetic. 
• Assistant Professor of Religion Ralph H. Craig III, whose research focuses on South Asian Buddhism and American Buddhism. His first book, “Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner,” focused on Turner’s development as a Black Buddhist teacher. 
• Indigeneity, Race and Ethnic Studies Faculty Fellow Ayondela McDole, whose research is concerned with Black feminism, Black Marxism and ethnography. 
• Photography Faculty Fellow Robin North, whose research examines Black family archives in rural Deep South Texas, using photography to question dominant frameworks and reinterpret history through a participatory, human-centered approach grounded in ethical responsibility, accessibility and community ownership. 

Assistant Professor of Art Deshun Peoples was also slated to be a panelist but was unable to attend. His work reflects elements of Black and queer resistance and intergenerational lived experiences.

An Enduring Legacy

At the event, the panelists spoke about the impact of Black women’s legacies on their own research, educational practices and personal lives. They noted the ways in which  Black women’s voices are systematically excluded from many spaces, particularly within academia, and they explained how they deliberately incorporate those voices into their teaching. 

The panel also partnered with Penrose Library to create a book display and library guide specifically for the event, currently on display in the library lobby. The list is a fantastic resource for anyone who would like to explore the legacy, voices and contributions of Black women.

Across their various disciplines and backgrounds, the panelists thoughtfully underscored the importance of Black women to—and erasure from—historical and current narratives. Black women, they argued, form the systemically and purposefully concealed foundation of society. And they hope the event shed light on the enduring fortitude, pain, love and sacrifice  of Black women past and present.