Joyah Mitchell, a second-year student in the MCRP program, recently received an award from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council (GRAC) for work she contributed to a project highlighting the history of the African-American population of Tybee Island, Georgia. Working alongside researchers and the Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization, her work also culminated in an article published in the Geographical Review titled The Tybee Island, Georgia Black History Trail: A Community Approach to Black Geographies.
Mitchell began this project as an undergraduate student at Georgia Southern University, where she worked alongside professor Dr. Amy Potter to document the history of Tybee Island. One of Georgia’s barrier islands–located less than twenty miles from Savannah–Tybee Island has long been home to a substantial African-American community, particularly on the northern part of the island, where Black employees of establishments on Tybee and nearby Hilton Head resided. Over the past few decades (and particularly after the 2008 financial crisis), many Black community members have gradually been displaced from the area, inspiring Mitchell and others to document the experiences of residents with a series of oral histories, historical markers, and a digital guided tour.
Continuing her work on the area, Mitchell plans to use her experience working in Tybee as a launch point for her Master’s Project, which will involve the creation of a documentary-style collection of oral histories from another predominantly Black community in Georgia.
Congratulations, Joyah!
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