Just within today’s beginning of the project, there has been so much information and knowledge shared and the inspiration already streaming is immeasurable. We began today with an overview of the community rules and goals we hope to achieve which to me already gave me high hopes for what the group together can achieve, as everyone seems ready to share the safe space and contribute to in depth discussions surrounding the themes of this years project. We then delved into the Lemon Project as an organization, and there the amount of excitement, enthusiasm, and pure passion for the topic at hand from the leading graduate students only increased my personal excitement and passion about the topic. Then did we get to learn about the specifics of the theme we will be focusing on for this year’s project, which is: the rethinking of spaces on campus that are familar to us today by using primary sources from the Legacy Three to aid in the reconstructing of the relationship between African Americans and the College of William and Mary. This project comes at an opportune time, as in 2017 the College is also celebrating its 50th anniversary of the admittance of African Americans at the College, while in 2018 the College celebrates the admittance of women. Given that all the participants on the trip, the graduate students, and the Legacy Three are all women just gives an overall sense of empowerment that is so uplifting and exhilarating, or well to me at least. We then were able to watch an interview with Lynn, Karen, and Janet where we got to get a preview of their insights and experiences as students here, while being the first African American students as well. One of the most fascinating poins that I gained from the interview as a whole was just the amazement of how something that became so powerful and influential to so many generations later, was at the time so simple to the Legacy Three. For in their minds, they were only simply choosing to attend a university as students ready to learn. Then as we began to actually work towards that goal by separating into groups not only did I get to witness everyone else’s minds spurring with energy and interest but I too got to encounter random fascinating facts and plenty of points of interest that will aid in the efforts of completing the project. Topping off the day with the viewing of Hidden Figures was perfect as it tied together the themes of the project as well as overall empowerment to women and minority women everywhere in a delightful and heartening film. I already have high hopes and much excitement for what tomorrow brings, and I already know there is no way I could be disappointed considering the brilliant minds I get to work with on the project, as well as the strong and powerful women (aka Janet, Lynn, and Karen) that I will have the pleasure to meet and interview.
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