Tiffany Caesar, “A Black Womanist Archival Tradition: Revising the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival 50th Anniversary,” Public History Colloquium

Dr. Tiffany Caesar shares her efforts in preserving the legacy of Margaret Walker and the 1973 Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival at Jackson State University. The 1973 Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival served as the premiere gathering of black women, writers, artists, scholars, and activists to celebrate Phillis Wheatley and black women’s creativity. The original conference included Alice Walker, Paula Giddings, Audrey Lorde, and more. Dr. Caesar chaired the editorial committee of the recent 50th Anniversary of the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival, co-editing two journals focused on the conference, one with Callaloo Literary Journal and the other with the JSU Researcher. Dr. Tiffany Caesar shares her journey of using a black womanist archival tradition and her experience as a Mellon Fellow at the Margaret Walker Center, which further thrust her into public history as she continues preserving black women’s stories.