Reimagining Black History: Research, Relevance, Resistance

Emily Brashear: I want to welcome everybody to this amazing panel that we’re about to have and we can learn from. It’s very exciting for me and for the Office of Research to be hosting this panel. It’s really reimagining Black history research, prevalence and resistance. We have, a couple speakers. Chioma is going to introduce everybody. And, host us as, you know, we’ll discuss some research that’s happening within WSU.

Emily Brashear: There’s going to be times for questions and answers. If you do have questions throughout this as the speakers are speaking, feel free to put those in the chat. And as time is appropriate, we will answer those. Definitely have questions and answers at the end for sure. But if you don’t want to forget your question, feel free to put that in the chat.

Emily Brashear: And I’m going to turn the time over now to Chioma and the rest of the group.

Chioma Heim: Okay. Thank you, Emily, and welcome everybody to the Office of Research Advancement Panel on Reimagining Black History Research, Relevance and resistance. My name is Chioma Heim, and I’m the director of academic advising and student services for the College of Arts and Sciences. And I am thoroughly honored to have been asked to moderate this panelist that consists of successful colleagues and faculty and friends of mine as well.

Chioma Heim: I’m going to say it, they’re my friends, and I’m really excited to be here and, to be to be guiding this conversation. But just to kind of start, before I introduce the panelists and allow them to introduce the research that they and they focus on, as we approach the end of a Black History Month, it’s critical to recognize that our discussion about reimagining Black history research, relevance and resistance extends far beyond just one month, because we know we dive into this real hard for, you know, February and then we don’t necessarily hear about it later.

Chioma Heim: But it’s important for us to know that it really does extend beyond today, in this hour. And this month. So, higher education has long struggled to truly embrace and support Black scholars, both our scholar students and our, our scholar faculty. The journey of Black scholars has been one marked by exclusion and marginalization and underrepresentation.

Chioma Heim: And unfortunately, this legacy continues to persist as we opened up our social media and news blogs. Each day we see this, being a big part of today. So, like I said, in today’s current climate, we’re witnessing troubling trends that seek to silence and erase voices that challenge the status quo from the unjust termination of federally funded researchers working in agricultural disciplines, to questioning the inclusion of female colleagues in leadership positions to the ongoing battle of equal access for professionals with disabilities.

Chioma Heim: Higher education is under intense scrutiny coming after all of us. But despite these setbacks, our panelists today represent a resilient and determined force that will persist as we always have. As a and as they always will. But the research and scholarship produced by Black scholars, such as the incredible individuals joining us on this panel, have changed the course of history for everyone.

Chioma Heim: And yet we know that many who benefit from this research often remain unaware or indifferent to its value. Our hope for this panel is that you leave here today not only seeing the immense value in the work being done by Black colleagues, but also with the renewed commitment to making their important contributions more visible and supported beyond again this hour and this Black History Month.

Chioma Heim: This is not just a conversation. It’s a call to action. I’ll take a little bit of time because I just want our panelists to have all this this time, so they can share their invaluable insight and, and work that they do. But I encourage you to listen closely, engage thoughtfully, and walk away understanding how you can support the work, that’s being done and that’s shaping a more inclusive and equitable future.

Chioma Heim: So thank you all again. And I’ll just start introducing our panelists. I’ll start with Doctor Marlene Gaynor, who is an assistant professor out of the Department of History. And like I said, assistant professor in the Department of History. And she specializes in the social and cultural histories of the United States, Canada and British Caribbean during the long 20th century.

Chioma Heim: And, her research interests cover popular culture, diasporas and urban histories. But they’re going to tell you about a lot more. I’m just going to do like this one line and then they’ll be taking it away. And then we have Professor Diamond Beverly-Porter, again, assistant professor out of Digital Technology and Culture. Professor Beverly-Porter, does specialize.

Chioma Heim: She specializes in culture and, immersive interactive technologies and game design again. She’ll take it away and explain it way better than I just did. And then we have Doctor Amir Gilmore, associate dean of equity and inclusion and also associate professor of cultural studies and social thought in education, because he has just become tenured as of like a couple days ago.

Chioma Heim: Is that correct? Doctor Gilmore Yes. Okay. So I just want to make sure everyone, just turn your camera, clap it out, or give us a little reaction. On your screen. But this is our new tenured, faculty. There are very few, Black tenured faculty over the history of Washington State University. So this is very, very big and very huge.

Chioma Heim: And I’m really glad to be able to tell them, like I said again, as my friend and colleague, congratulations. So his research is, he does,

Chioma Heim: Things are a very.

Chioma Heim: A lot of stuff, Black boy joy. I know that’s, part of the research that you do. Yes. And so I’ll let I’ll let you guys play a little bit more of what you guys do, in your, your research and your introduction. So we can start with Diamond, if you don’t mind maybe talking a little bit about your research and what you do.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Sure. And thank you for that introduction. I’m also really excited to be here. So to dive into my research. So my research really exists at the intersection of, of course, game studies. Critical media studies, African-American studies, digital humanities, and of course, game development. So each of these disciplines really informs and strengthens my approach to kind of understanding and reshaping the digital landscape, particularly with respects to like race and identity and representation.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So then I’ll just go through a few of the different fields of study and how they interconnect. So game Studies really just provides the kind of like theoretical lens to examine, like culture and social and esthetic dimensions of video games. And of course, video games are not simply entertainment. They’re powerful cultural artifacts that reflect and influence societal values, ideology, and of course, power structures.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So through game design, I create an analysis.. words today, Monday, Tuesday. The way in which video game mechanics and narratives reflect broader cultural themes such as representation of marginalized groups, particularly Black communities. And of course, by understanding games as kind of vehicle for cultural expression, I explore how they can either reinforce or challenge dominant cultural narratives, especially those rooted in stereotypes and erasures, and then going into like African American studies.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So this is the real foundation of my work, grounding my approaches in the kind of lived experiences, histories and cultural expression of Black people. So this field kind of deepens my understanding of how race and identity are constructed within historical and contemporary contexts, both within the real world and then in virtual spaces. So by centering African-American African American cultural narratives, my research really explores how Black people and communities can assert their agency and identity through digital media and games.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So together, all of these different fields game studies, critical media studies, African American studies, digital humanities, and game development equip me with this kind of theoretical and of course, practical tools to, kind of reimagine the role of video games in shaping cultural narratives and social change. So by grounding my work in these kind of intersecting disciplines, I strive to create digital spaces that are not only representative, but celebratory spaces of Black voices and experiences.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So my research really seeks to dismantle systemic inequalities in digital media and then, of course, advocate for a future where Black experiences can or are fully recognized, valued and celebrated across all forms of media and digital. And of course, the beyond. So short blurb of my research.

Chioma Heim: Thank you. Yes. Very good synopsis. Better than I could have done you all just do so much. And so, Doctor Gilmore, if you want to go next and better explain the wonderful research and work that you do, please be.

Amir Gilmore: Sure. And so for, for my research, you could say, like I do Black studies within education. And so obviously bridging the connection between the arts, humanities and social sciences. But I would also say that I’m very, like, undisciplined, right. And not in a bad sense of the way. I just don’t like to be typecast. And so I do a lot on joy, right?

Amir Gilmore: That’s what people know me for. But I don’t always want to be known as the guy who does joy. Right? And so, like, my research interests really have kind of, like, changed over time. So thinking about joy, like I’ve done joy, I’ve done the intergenerational aspects of what does joy look like for, the notion of like, passing from father to son and vice versa.

Amir Gilmore: And you can actually read more about that in The New York Times, because I was featured in The New York Times about that. I think after the summer of 2020 with George Floyd, the protests, Black Lives Matter, a lot of my research kind of looked at also like Black anger and rage. I’m most famous for my piece on adultification in Black children.

Amir Gilmore: And education and society. A lot of my research also focus on anti-Blackness and also bad faith. What is bad faith look like in the means of education and society? Because we kind of live in an era of bad faith now. And so and then lastly, I also like dabble with colorism, colorism studies as well. So I am very broad and I just kind of like moving and grooving to the beat of what I want to do.

Chioma Heim: Dr. Gilmore. All right. And then Doctor Gaynair, tell us a little about yourself.

Marlene Gaynair: Hi everyone. So I am I glitching already? Okay. Am I am I moving all right. So I call myself, social and cultural historian. I don’t do the old things as I called history, as I call history. I’m very much a modernist 20th century historian. I look at, I’m very much focused on popular culture, as it gives me a way to see, society.

Marlene Gaynair: And I tend to look at people from the bottom up. So I really like looking at urban histories as a way to really engage with, different… I hate saying “ethnic groups,” but different groups of people, particularly migrants, immigrants and, you know, diversity in terms of our society on so many levels. Right? Diversity, not just engaging with race, but class and gender and, places of origin and nationalities and cultures, ethnicities.

Marlene Gaynair: I know a lot of us, not anyone in this room, but it’s definitely beating over people over the head comparing, I mean, finding out the difference between race, ethnicity, ethnicity and nationality. It’s just it has people in a chokehold. So a lot of my work is really, diving into these things. And, as a historian loves to say, change over time or finding continuities.

Marlene Gaynair: So, particularly for my research, because I am looking at I like to say that historians either study themselves or study someone completely different. So my work looks at the Jamaican diaspora in urban Canada and the US, or I, I make a point of saying the English speaking Americas without excluding Mexico when I speak about North America. And the type of work I believe a lot of us do, particularly on this panel, the perhaps the scholarship has not caught up to what we are doing yet.

Marlene Gaynair: And sometimes that can be invalidating in academe because the sense of if it’s not there, then it is not worthy of scholarship or it’s not important. So I know when I research, I do research and I engage with the communities that I study past, present and in the future. I make sure that I engage in forms of reparation, making sure that I am creating my scholarship or about the community so that the community can also engage with it and use it.

Marlene Gaynair: I’m not just being extractive, I’m also paying back, or I’m trying to be a part of the community that that I, that I work with. So yeah, that’s pretty much what I do. And I mean, I started out with, you know, looking at social, I’m pivoting into sports history now. I do food history. I’m all over the place.

Marlene Gaynair: Whatever is poppin at the time.

Chioma Heim: Thank you, Doctor Gaynair. All right. So we’ll just jump into some questions. And like Emily said to you guys have, you know, questions, please put them in the chat. We’ll try to get to those as well. But this will just kickstart our, our, conversation. All right. So in what ways does Black scholarly research challenge and contribute to the dominant narratives in academic and public discourse?

Chioma Heim: And maybe, Marlene, you can take that that question response off.

Marlene Gaynair: Could you repeat the first part for me again, please? Sorry. Absolutely.

Chioma Heim: Yeah. And what ways does Black scholarly research challenge and contribute to the dominant narratives in academic and public discourse?

Marlene Gaynair: Okay. Thank you. A part of my work is challenging. First of all, as a Canadian, I love to also drag Canada a little bit because I’m tired of hearing about how nice Canadians are. If you know, one please introduce maybe more than one increase the sample size. I feel that because the United States, on so many levels, so huge and exceptional, the it shadows Canada for better and for worse.

Marlene Gaynair: Right? And so my work drags Canada more into the conversation about, empire and complications on citizenship and belonging. So when you look at Canadian history in terms of immigration, people of the African diaspora don’t exist until the late until the 70s, 80s and 90s. It’s like slavery, yada yada yada. And we pop up during disco.

Marlene Gaynair: And that really stresses me out because, people of African descent have had a long, continuous history in Canada for 400 years. Right? So my work is really challenging what it means to be a Canadian or what it means to be an American. And I think I’m looking at this historically, but obviously we can find, contemporary connections, especially in today’s climate in 2025.

Marlene Gaynair: And that is my contribution. I’m definitely looking at the historiography that we have as historians, done so far. But I do that using, interdisciplinary methods to fill in the blank and make a more complete history. And that oftentimes, means I’m engaging in sociology. A lot of social sciences who have made that, who’ve made those current and updated scholarship so I can use this work to fill in the blanks of my archival research and interrogations about race and identity and, make a real contribution, not only to historical scholarship, but, in general and not to necessarily make my work marginalized or niche, but to bring it

Marlene Gaynair: together in, general conversations and public conversations.

Chioma Heim: Thank you Marlene. Thank you for letting people know that we existed in between slavery and disco, because we did. We have a long history. So thank you. And this is why this research is important. All right. Doctor Gilmore or professor Diamond Beverly anything you’d like to contribute to that.

Amir Gilmore: Sure. I think, you know, what I find, is that, you know, that the role of the intellectual is something that many people don’t assume Black people can be. Right, like athletes and rappers and this, but like, whoa, intellectual Black person. And, like, this is impossible. Like, how did you make it? Who are you speak so well.

Amir Gilmore: And so just the mere appearance of me on campus challenges a lot about what people think, about what Black professors are. Black intellectuals are. And so I’m thinking about the notion that, right, like, our research is important or that, you know, Black scholarship can’t bring research dollars, that it’s not scholarly. That’s not rigorous enough. So every day I just wake up and challenge these notions.

Amir Gilmore: But I think also within teacher education, because I’m a teacher educator, right. There’s not that many Black people within education that want to be teachers, but also those are going to be teaching teachers. And so every day I’m really challenging people’s notions and assumptions and dispositions about like, what it is to be an educator, what it is to be an intellectual.

Amir Gilmore: And so I usually am breaking people’s brains for no reason at all, just for the fact that I happen to be Black and possess degrees and can talk to people. It’s fascinating. I think last two last things is that I would also say is that, I think that sometimes people think that Black scholars don’t read the scholarship of, like, you know, European canon.

Amir Gilmore: So I’m thinking about the German and French philosophers I like. We read those people. We just don’t always agree with those people. Right. And so this, this notion that we just are not well read. I’m like, Black studies is quite well read field because we have to read everybody because we talk about when everything it’s in every type of different conversations.

Amir Gilmore: Very interdisciplinary. And so when people don’t think that I haven’t read like Foucault, Fanon or, Adorno, I mean, like I’ve read so many people, I’m just not it’s not my people. Right. But I think lastly, thinking about the research that we all do, I mean, our research is really critical to the conversation in the United States.

Amir Gilmore: And so, like, how could you talk about U.S history or anything? Sports, music, entertainment, fashion and not mentioned Black people? I was like.

Amir Gilmore: How could this be possible?

Amir Gilmore: Like how how how so, you know, I would say this to those that are here that may be professors, you know, as you’re going through your syllabi. Right. And if there’s no Black people, I mean, you might need to ask yourself the question, like, why aren’t there no Black people in your syllabus? Right. Because how could you have a conversation with students in the United States and not center any context of Black people at all?

Amir Gilmore: Anyway, I digress.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: And then for all of the good things I was saying so far, because I also see that there is just a lack of seeing ourselves reflected in all the spaces. Right? But particularly in like, Black scholarly like work and as like professors. So of course, one of my favorite quotes I always, I think it’s hung up in my office is “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: And that very much applies to what it means to navigate different spaces. Especially as like Black professor person. Because within my academic journey, I’ve only had one Black professor. Not even professor. But we love Doctor Norwood. But he was my one Black teacher. And one of the reasons I both started doing, like, game design and then also became professor person is because I wanted to, you know, broaden the space, make sure that we see ourselves reflected whenever we go into these different, like scholarly spaces.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: And that’s also what I do with some of my scholarly work. Yes to all.

Chioma Heim: Appreciate it. Appreciate everyone’s responses. All right. So next question. How does your research inform or advocate for social justice movements and the fight against systemic inequalities, both within academia and in broader society? A little similar question, but Diamond if you want to maybe kickstart that response.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Sure. So my research and my creative practice are really deeply rooted in both personal experiences and a commitment to really dismantling systemic inequalities within digital media. So, of course, as one a first generation college student and then also a person coming from like a working class Black family, I’ve experienced the impact of limited representation, particularly within the realm of video games.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Right? So growing up in a predominantly African-American community in the South, I was really shaped by this kind of rich culture and history, but often neglected in terms of both the infrastructure and resources that we had available. So this experience really inspired me to kind of dream of digital spaces where Black people and culture were celebrated. And today I actively work to kind of bring those like ideas and experiences and dreams into life by creating immersive and interactive experiences that center Black voices and Black narratives.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So of course, as around like 2% of like Black game developers, my work really challenges the lack of representation within gaming. So video games are often depicting Black characters and these kind of harmful stereotypes or ignore them altogether. So I’m really committed to disrupting these tropes, and my academic focus on representation and diversity in digital games. And part of my creative project and practice.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So, for instance, one of my recent work. So I’m working on that kind of addresses this question. It’s titled The Role of Romance in Shaping Player Interactions in Thedas, which is a, four part game series, I guess I’ll just stop there. I roll with that. But it’s just this deconstructing with misogynoir and fan interpretations of the one Black female character.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So in this, I’m kind of looking at how, why do we have a Black woman character who’s like, magical and she’s like, really cool and can do all these really interesting things. And for once, she’s not necessarily a background character, but then the fan reception of her in combination with, like, this digital space and mysogynoir made her, very, very disliked in the actual like, fan community.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So what does it mean that even in the digital space with like, dragons and magic and stuff, this Black woman character is still subjected to, like the kind of racism, sexism themes that we have, sources really interesting interconnection between like video games and of course, just like digital spaces that often go beyond this kind of real world, quote unquote, like digital world, virtual world kind of thing.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Right? So whenever I’m thinking about systemic inequalities, both in academia and broader societies, I also think about how my work, interacts with different communities and cultures. So this is where like the, kind of digital game aspects of my research and scholarly work comes hand in hand. So I’m currently developing a game part, Rhythm and Rope, and I’m really looking at video game culture, Black girlhood, and of course the art of Double Dutch.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So Rhythm in Rope is a game that kind of centers the unique experience of Black girls. And this kind of communal setting, with a particular focus on the kind of embodied practice of Double Dutch. Right? And of course, musical play. So these activities are rooted in Black oral traditions, and they’re both reimagined as these kind of digital experiences where both technology mediates their kind of cultural production and then also remixes them into this kind of digital sense, making, kind of experience.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Right. And then this game is I’m working with the South Dallas Cultural Center to build like arcade cabinet, to let the people in my communities can also, like, play the games without like a barrier of access. So I always think about who my work is centering and how they have how they will have access to it. As like the foreground at my work.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So,

Chioma Heim: Thank you. Diamond. Dr. Gaynair, anything you want to add to that?

Chioma Heim: Or Dr. Gilmore, okay.

Amir Gilmore: And, I think that my research really challenges I would say, think about notions of social justice, but really challenges, like, you know, obviously we think about reactionary maybe like conservative thoughts, but also even like liberal thoughts about, like what it is to like, you know, be a member in the society and who can be a citizen and think about the notion of like life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and like, what does that like, look like and mean?

Amir Gilmore: So also challenging, even just the notion of like, what is to be neutral, right. To be those that are politically neutral or even challenging those things, ideals that are colorblind or color evasive, really just bringing that to the forefront or illuminate to people like, why? What does it mean when you say that you are, you know, color evasive, and how does that actually really affect us?

Amir Gilmore: Or even at a university that says that we are believers of like equity, inclusion, but still can still systemically, marginalize Black research? What does that mean and look like? Right. I think within teacher ed, I mean, I work most of my students happen to be white, mostly white women. Right. And so I spend a lot of time working with them.

Amir Gilmore: on how to be culturally responsive and how to connect. How do they understand themselves? How do you understand our own dispositions? But in how are they going to understand the dispositions of others in other communities? And that takes a lot of metacognitive processes and skills, right? So that’s a lot of time. I think within the notion of, higher ed, rights, I think anyone that knows me have been here for like nearly nine years is that I say what I want to say, say what I need to be said.

Amir Gilmore: But I’m always willing to work to help to better the university. Right? So I’m always applying my time. And so I’m always giving back in a lot of service. Right. Just giving to if it’s students, if it’s faculty, just the university at large. So because my master’s degrees in Black studies and that’s a lot it’s centered on community and community based work and service.

Amir Gilmore: Right. And so a lot of what I do is always rooted with the notion of service and giving back to others and making space for others. So yeah.

Emily Brashear: Chioma you’re muted.

Marlene Gaynair: Sorry about that.

Chioma Heim: There. The question for Professor Beverly-Porter. Oh that’s like there was a response to did you want to say anything about that or expand on that?

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: I guess so. It’s really interesting. And one of the interesting points about it, and why I started writing about it, is the fact that it was multifaceted, the like problems that her name is Madame Vivienne de Fer: fancy name. But the kind of reaction she was getting was multifaceted. So it was on one hand, the thoughts behind how like she was written, how she was ingrained in the narrative, and some of the different, characteristics and design decisions that reinforced a lot of the different, negative stereotypes.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Like, even though Madam de Fer was like super cool character, she was also a mistress. And then she wasn’t the only companion character you couldn’t romance. So there’s like a lot of that, like, repeating of, like, different historical harmful tropes of, like, Black women and romance. Right? So someone had to program that. Someone had to like, design. That went through a lot of checks and balances.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: But then also, on the other hand, the fact that the fans, just 1) players just did not like her character because of misogynoir, and then also within like different like fan communities So like the media that we make surrounding the actual cultural artifact was just pushing towards a like, we hate this character and they would never say why, but there’s a, general, knowledge behind why they didn’t like the character, right? So it’s not saying the … part out loud, I suppose. So yeah.

Chioma Heim: Thank you for the clarification and thank you for the question. Lee. And Doctor Gaynair, do you want to add anything to that? The question, I think. All right.

Chioma Heim: Okay. So next question. In an era wherein DEI education is being threatened and dismantled, how is your research extending beyond the university setting and creating value for the community at large? And then we can start with Doctor Gaynair. Is that okay?

Marlene Gaynair: Thank you. So my work is, transnational. So I’m from Toronto. I am, a person of Jamaican descent. So I like to call myself, colonial subject twice over, you know, my experience as a person of Jamaican descent, first generation Jamaican and being, a Black person in Canada. And so, growing up, there was a general public, erasure or absence of a Black Canadian experience that I know people of my age or of all, like, across the board, could not engage with or could not visibly see.

Marlene Gaynair: And so the idea of a Black Canadian experience was one of other or a recent history of just immigrants, as though we’re all… as a we’re not immigrants, like. There are obviously people here before most of us showed up, shout out to the Indigenous people. So a lot of my work is about the community because I study the community and I am a part of the community.

Marlene Gaynair: So I go to, large urban spaces, not just I mean.

Marlene Gaynair: Pullman is urban technically.

Marlene Gaynair: But I look at metropolises, right? So I, for instance, I was talking to someone about this last night. I looked at this larger community group of, older Jamaican people that are connected through their alumni networks, and they have chapters in Toronto, New York, Boston, Philly, basically up and down the East Coast. So when I was interviewing some people who gratefully, gave me their time, it’s also like, how can I pay back?

Marlene Gaynair: So I’m not just interviewing them and then disappearing and never seeing them again. Once I received what I had so I definitely donated my time and contributed monetarily to larger community things like, oh, scholarship fund or could you do a keynote or could you do a workshop? So even though I’m in Pullman, I extend my community work or contributions through Zoom or by phone.

Marlene Gaynair: And then I have made intentional practices of making the Palouse my home or Washington state, my home. So if people desire to have me support or show up or do anything on campus, you know, outside of CAS, in the wider community, like, I didn’t know it was possible to have a Juneteenth celebration in Moscow. Those words don’t go together in my mind to this day.

Marlene Gaynair: And yet it was such a wonderful space to commune with. Not just commune, WSU people, but outside of the ivory tower. And I think it’s very important for all of us to find ways to do that. So we are not just in the community, but we are a part of the community. And that is really about, you know, the I in DEI, the inclusion, you know, also diversity of experiences and lives and things that we do.

Marlene Gaynair: In these times, in particular, we don’t want to be that. I think a lot of the population who are thinking and reacting in certain ways feel that they can’t relate to, I’m not even going to talk about the big picture. But in terms of intellectualism, the ideas of being an intellectual or being in higher ed scares a lot of people.

Marlene Gaynair: They feel that they can’t relate. It’s something frightening. And so I believe if we share a lot of our work and make it relatable to the public in certain aspects, you know, I mean, like, we don’t speak to the choir, you know, we express we double down on the relevancy of the importance of the significance of the work that we do across all boards.

Marlene Gaynair: I feel like it will make a bigger contribution. Obviously, I don’t feel like, yay, we’ve solved racism. No. But, the more work that we do, the more work that will help. Yeah, I’m going to say my work does help the community and society. I know I’m making a lasting legacy and contribution. So, I do that work intentionally and yeah, I think that is important.

Marlene Gaynair: Just the platform that we have here on Zoom is important. And it makes sure that we’re not marginalized or erased in these grander narratives of, the intellectual labor and contributions that not only we do as academics, but at large.

Marlene Gaynair: Okay. Thank you.

Chioma Heim: Doctor Gilmore, do you have any anything that you’d like to add to that?

Amir Gilmore: Yes. And, I think it’s really important. Well, I think my research has always been outside, or never been for the university. Right? If I think about my background again, like it’s about service work, right? And giving back to the community. But I think it also like thinking about, you know, leaning on my like, history in Black studies degree.

Amir Gilmore: Right? Like if you look at American history, I mean, like Black people cannot always rely on the institutions themselves to like, help and uplift people. And so we had to do the work ourselves and out in the community. And so I also think about, like, what my work looks like, again, for teacher education. Right? And so like, I’m impacting everyday kids in the state of Washington, right, by making sure that that teachers are well equipped to make sure that, you know, they can support them in all the different type of ways.

Amir Gilmore: I mean, representation matters, right? And so I don’t like when people call me doctor, professor often, but when I have like college kids, that’s like seeing it like, oh, you’re a doctor, you’re a professor. And like, they’re like, how did you do it? And I’m like, well, let me tell you. Right. And so that that representation really means a lot to me.

Amir Gilmore: Or when I go back to even, like, New York, and like, I get to, like, see my family and see my folks and, like, they’re just really proud, right? And they just, you know, they’re really deeply inspired by these, you know, just me being here. It means a lot. So I think lastly, you know, even in the Pullman community, right?

Amir Gilmore: I mean, I’ve been involved with certain demonstrations and marches, some groups that have been around and the Pullman community. But I’m also like, giving my time back to, like, anyone that wants to interview me, anyone that wants to, like, learn about my research. So I’m always giving it right. And so some people, consider that a bad thing.

Amir Gilmore: I think sometimes my faculty’s, like you, give too much time to others, but I’m like, well, who would we be if we did not give time, to others? And so, yeah, I’m a giver.

Chioma Heim: You really are. I’ve witnessed it. Professor Beverly-Porter, your thoughts?

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Yeah. So of course, once again, I agree with all the things. Right? So within my own work, I’m a part of a nonprofit, and I work as, like, an artist and a, like, supportive outreach person. It’s called the Smart Project, in South Dallas. So it helps to bring, the arts and design and, like, game development kind of style workshops and information back into, like, the community I grew up in.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: So just echoing all the things, right? Community work is just really ingrained with all of the kind of work that we do as well as service. So I just echo the like, you know, I like talking about my research or just talking about things. So I usually have like students popping by or just like folks coming in and just be like, so where are you up to?

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Kind of deal. So that was fun to just like make those connections and also just expand the reach of like what we do. Right? So it’s really important.

Chioma Heim: Thank you. All right. So, talking about, giving because you guys give a lot. I see you guys in so many different places and spaces. It’s giving of yourselves. How can WSU, the Office of Research, your colleagues pour and give to you and make sure that despite what’s happening, politically and such, to again, dismantle this work and really, really omit it.

Chioma Heim: Right. What can be done so that again, like I said, the community can give to you and not be performative in that, in that, in that giving.

Amir Gilmore: So pragmatically, tenure will be huge, right? Which I just got. Right. So I was like, phew. You know, thank thankfully. But I think, you know, being on this campus for nearly a decade, I mean, I’ve seen WSU really come from, from, from a different place and like, and where it’s moving to. And so I guess if you think about an arc where it’s bending to and I would just say that, like, you just can’t give up on its ideals and the mission and the values and what it’s already invested in and espoused.

Amir Gilmore: Right. Like if we were about access and inclusion, and we are hiring people that are about that as well. And we, you know, we’re bringing students to this campus on this premises and like, we just can’t give up. I mean, yeah, the words change and words always change. So if you study movements, words always change. But the work that we do always remains the same.

Amir Gilmore: And so I think having that commitment, the constitution and the resolve of saying like, well, we’re just not going to give this up. Yeah, it’s going to look a little different. But like what we do every day, the ins and outs of that is going to be the same. I would think. Lastly, and before I pass it to the others, I would love to have more Black faculty.

Amir Gilmore: That’d be great. You know? And so I think when we think about hiring, and then being more expansive by like, who can be a professor? What does the role of intellectual look like? I think that would be really ideal. And I think lastly, because not every Black professor does research on like race and racism in, you know, history, but I think just be more expansive about where’s my words?

Amir Gilmore: I think having faculty be more expansive about like, what does research look like? What is like high level research look like, what is merit look like? What is rigorous research that look like? And so really just questioning and kind of like poking holes and like, what does that really look like? I mean, because everyone’s research looks totally different and I’m okay with that.

Amir Gilmore: However, I have colleagues that are not okay with it. Right? They’re very like old guard about their approaches of like, this is how we do research and this is how this can be done. And this is not how you get a grant. And I’m like, I don’t want to do it that way. So like, I think having faculty that are going to support my ideas and help me try to maybe get the grant dollars or try to get the books and the peer review articles in a different way and kind of be supportive of that.

Amir Gilmore: I think that is something that. So, that would be profound really in my, in my time, I don’t know if it’s going to happen in my era here as a professor at WSU, but hopefully, in the future, that is something that will happen.

Chioma Heim: Doctor Gaynair.

Marlene Gaynair: I’m fortunate to be, in to be appointed in the Department of History. And I say that because I have a very supportive chair, but also, a concerted effort from the, Oh, geez. I was about to call them the elders, but from senior, I hope no one’s on this call from senior scholars who make a point of saying we are going to be supportive.

Marlene Gaynair: We are going to be welcoming, and we are going to make space for junior scholars, the next generation to come in. And part of that was, you know, being very proactive about asking us, hey, is there anything that we could do as opposed to presuming they knew what was helpful or, best for us? And in one instance, I was able to invite one of my friends who is a scholar of, Black girlhood and, social media from UVA.

Marlene Gaynair: I was able to bring her to Pullman and my chair, sponsored the visit. And we also collaborated with DTC. And I made sure that she was able to meet with the students in the African-American student center and just and first gen graduate students, you know, and I don’t know, other schools that would have, I shouldn’t say schools, other departments that would have been so accommodating.

Marlene Gaynair: Also, I know that if I needed research funds to go to a particular archive, not only could I apply and have a high chance likelihood of getting it from internal awards, I know I have received huge grants from CAS, like the new Faculty Seed grant, where I was able to travel internationally, and I think that really helps if you’re not an Americanist, and you do things outside of the continental US that I can speak explicitly, explicitly about race and colonialism and things like that.

Marlene Gaynair: And people are groups. People at WSU, across all disciplines are very supportive and willing to, you know, listen and create space for me and, you know, I was hired as a part of a cluster hire that no longer exists. And there’s a big difference in, you know, having resources to bring people to Pullman, but not necessarily doing institutional change to ensure that people stay in Pullman.

Marlene Gaynair: And so I’m very fortunate that the Department of History is not toxic, and that I was able to establish myself and root myself here, and be watered not only in my department by my wonderful colleagues, but from people like everyone. A lot of people in this room. And that makes a difference between a lot of schools and a lot of departments.

Marlene Gaynair: I can’t speak for Vancouver. And so shout out to Vancouver, Tri-Cities. Also, I forgetting Vancouver Tri-Cities Everett shout out to Everett.

Marlene Gaynair: Global shout out to global.

Chioma Heim: Awesome. All right. Diamond.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Sure. So of course, like, just echoing what everyone’s, already said. Right? So just like, visibility and platform and making sure that, like, you know, the students and, like, we see each other and like, the faculty see each other. And having that kind of collaborative like opportunities across different departments, I think would be really beneficial. And also just kind of a know, making sure because we’re talking about institutionalized change.

Diamond E. Beverly-Porter: Right? So making sure there’s this true commitment to like the faculty that we bring in and then the curriculum also reflecting the different works that we do, but the impacts we’re trying to make with our commitment to the values that are expressed with Washington State. Right. So just making sure we’re doing what we say we do essentially.

Chioma Heim: Yes. Thank you. All those were that concludes the questions that I drafted. But we still have 12 minutes for people to ask any questions that they’d like to ask. Bounce some ideas off of our panelists as to how they can be supporters of their research. Because all of this work should not just fall on the shoulders of, you know, our Black faculty and researchers.

Chioma Heim: It really does fall on, on everyone to, make this all work. So yeah, I’m just going to open it up for people to ask questions.

Emily Brashear: There was one that I received that I put in there, and it’s of the roadblocks that you may have faced. Do you feel there are race related or maybe some other factor, maybe money, time, physical resources, or a combination of all of them?

Amir Gilmore: Yes. All the all of that. Yes. Right. And, I don’t know who posed the question, but, yeah, definitely. I think because I’m one of the in the college ed, I’m probably one of the only maybe, maybe 2 or 3. Right. Not counting our new dean. Right. But like, this is not there many. And I’m very explicit about, you know, writing about race, racism, anti-Blackness, and sometimes comments that I’ve received from my faculty who say I need to tone down my language because I write to aggressively and I was like, well, what does that mean?

Amir Gilmore: I don’t know, I mean, I do know, but, and so you get comments like that. I would also say that, like, I don’t also get the I didn’t have the best mentoring either. Right. Because I don’t I didn’t have a senior Black faculty member. So I had to kind of mentor myself through like these moments of like, what’s going on right now?

Amir Gilmore: Which is really hard. I think also time, I think sometimes faculty, my colleagues sometimes don’t think about how much time it takes to give. I’m very invested in the community right. So, for example, for three years I was the advisor for the Black Student Union. And sometimes faculty are like, well, why are you giving your time to students?

Amir Gilmore: And I’m like, well, why am I here? I am, I’m a professor. I’m supposed to give my time to students like, you should be writing articles, you should be writing grants. I’m like, well, the students need me in this capacity. And so they’re asking. It’s because they don’t know who else asks. And so I’m like, I have to serve.

Amir Gilmore: And so I think sometimes faculty don’t always understand how much time it takes or how time is pulled away from you from other things. It’s not to say like, I don’t love service work. I love service work. But sometimes, you know, people just don’t recognize how much time it does take.

Chioma Heim: Yeah. Any other contributions to that question? Okay.

Emily Brashear: I want to follow up with that real quick because, you know, you talked about being an example to the students or faculty underneath you, the newer faculty coming in. Do you feel that that’s well received with them? I mean, you say they’re asking for it, so we obviously need more people to be those mentors, you know, especially in the Black community to and, and Hispanic community, to be those mentors.

Emily Brashear: Is there an outlet or a resource? And I know you guys have said there’s a Black well, I know there’s a Black faculty union or something. I only found the website for Vancouver. I didn’t know if that was if there was something in Pullman also available for students or postdocs. Is there where is that? Where is this available to you and how do they find it?

Amir Gilmore: I think Chioma could probably answer that. Right. Because like you are, I don’t know what position that you serve within the Black Faculty Staff Association here on the campus. But, you know, it’s definitely held me down, at least held us down throughout the years of, like, getting together and doing stuff collectively or talking through thoughts and ideas.

Amir Gilmore: And I think that to your point, Emily even before the first part of your question, I think what’s also will be really cool or really important is to like also maybe even build a pipeline, right, of like having students home, growing students into professors because I was lucky enough to like, be here as a student. So there wasn’t really much for me to be.

Amir Gilmore: It was a shock factor. It was like, it’s a PWI, it’s Pullman, Washington. My school is right there. Right? So making that transition from like grad student into faculty was just kind of seamless, right? So I think even think about like how do we encourage maybe students, grad students who become even professors here. Right. And this talking them through that process, I mean, that’s could be also a really good, important thing because we do have some folks here that can also mentor them through life. life on the Palouse right?

Chioma Heim: Yeah, I know in the Black Faculty and Staff Association, that is a good place, I think. And and it’s and it’s starting to figure out different ways to support the community. But I’m, I’m not an official like I’m not on the, the executive branch of it. I’m just like the unofficial people gatherer. So which is important in community, I think, when we’re trying to think about ways, I think one of our panelists mentioned that, bringing, you know, Black faculty here is sometimes a shock because where do you find the community?

Chioma Heim: We usually happen across each other or there’s, you know, there’s no intentionality about, trying to help, you know, Black faculty and staff and even students figure out, like, where do you belong here? And where can you find the things that help you feel like this is where you should be? So there are places like that. I think that there’s government, spaces for our grad students as well.

Chioma Heim: I forgot what’s called, like, graduate student associations or something like that where they can be supported. Also, but I think there is more work that needs to be done. I don’t think that there’s a lot of intentionality here at WSU to make those spaces well known, or even to create those spaces at all. You just have to happen across it and, and forge it on your own.

Chioma Heim: That’s what I’ve noticed, but of course, I’m staff not faculty, so.

Chioma Heim: anything else that you’d like to say? Any last remarks? Emily?

Emily Brashear: No, I just want to thank you guys. This is such. This was such a good panel. I know it would be, but, again, thank you guys. And we hope to be able to work with you and, the, you know, the Black community a lot more. And to try to bridge these barriers that have, you know, seem to always jump open.

Emily Brashear: So thank you guys.

Chioma Heim: Everyone, I hope you guys got little bits and nuggets that you can take away with you and ways to support our Black faculty and researchers or, and or incorporate it into your research as well. Because this is not only for, our Black faculty research to bear the burden of we all are responsible for carrying out this type of research to support, that all communities.

Chioma Heim: So thank you very much. I appreciate everyone and have a good rest of your day.

Emily Brashear: Okay. I’ll see you guys later.