Keeper of the Walls

About the Project

The Keeper of the Walls - A Digital Humanities Repository of Contemporary Black Family Archives in the Deep South is an initiative that explores visual art as a means of resistance and refusal. It aims to preserve and celebrate the stories of contemporary Black families in the Deep South. The project serves as a digital humanities repository of family photographs, documents, and oral histories. All of these resources are made accessible to a global audience. This initiative empowers Black communities to tell their own stories, challenge dominant narratives about race and family, and preserve their rich history for future generations.

Credits

The Keeper of the Walls project site wouldn't have been possible without the valuable assistance of Dr. Pamella Lach, who serves as the Digital Humanities Librarian and Digital Humanities Center Director, and Dr. Sureshi M. Jayawardene, an Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies and Associate Director for the Digital Humanities Initiative for 2022-24, as well as an Affiliate Graduate Faculty at SDSU.

We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this project, including:

• Alma North 
• Tonja North and our immediate circle (Tristan & Iesha, Robin Jr., Robynn, Tristan Jr., Shundell Jr. & Tru)
• The late James North and Joy North
• Robert Hill
• Wilma Brown
• The late Ray Franklin 
• Dorothy Childs 
• Steve and Deborah Taylor 
• Cherlyn Hodge 
• The late Patsy Brown
• Melvin Ross
• Billy and Wanda North
• Larry North
• George & Yolanda North
• Jack Brown 
• SDSU Art + Design faculty: 
  • Sondra Sherman
  • Dr. Gillian Sneed
  • Kim Stringfellow
  • Tina Yapelli

And the many family and community members who have been generous enough to share their time and family archives for this important work.