University of Sussex History undergraduate Myisha Box recently participated in the Sussex Undergraduate Research Office (SURO) Junior Research Associate scheme.

The scheme aims to inspire and excite students about the idea of postgraduate study. Student Junior Research Associates (JRA’s) are paired with a supervisor, who supports them in undertaking an intensive eight-week, full-time research project. Once the research is complete, each JRA designs an academic poster presenting their research journey and summarising their findings.

Myisha’s project, ‘Mapping Sussex University Library’s Black History Archives’, was displayed in the 2023 poster exhibition, and her research was shortlisted for a prize. 

The inspiration for my JRA project, ‘Mapping Sussex University Library’s Black History Archives’, came from multiple angles. I have always had a love of history and learning. One of the inspirations came from my involvement with Black At Sussex – an ongoing project that shines a light on famous Black alumni from Sussex and their wider impact on society. The Black at Sussex project consists of multiple events, talks and exhibitions; one of which was the celebration of the life of Len Garrison who was the founder of the Black Cultural Archives (BCA). At this event, I was one of two students who spoke about my experience as a Black student at Sussex. I had never heard of Len Garrison or the Black cultural archives before, and the talk made me curious about the idea of Black history, what gets told, and how that links with archives.

I then undertook a summer internship at the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in 2022 which not only reinforced my interest in this area of history but made me realise my love for archives. During my internship with the BCA, I was shown around their archives and saw other people cataloguing, and these observations helped to spark my interest in archives and how they link to the wider idea of history and whose story gets told. Subsequently, my JRA project involved lots of cataloguing and documenting materials in the already existing legacy collection that would go into a newly created Black studies collection. The JRA project was a real chance for me to delve deeper into my developing interest in history, archives, and sources, and how these have practically impacted how Black history is seen and recorded.

The JRA project was an immensely enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. I found it enriching in many areas, including enhancing my understanding of history as a subject, archives, and sources. It also inspired some personal reflections on my own identity. The project brought up important questions about how the existence of archives and what’s in them contribute to what we think of as history. This impacts what we teach in schools and what is thought of as the dominant discourse. Through the project, I also learned about the importance of accessibility. A lack of accessibility and digitisation can be a real barrier. The process brought up other important ideas of decolonialisation and terminology. For example, how does the terminology of countries and groups change how they are seen over time and how does that reflect on changes in society?

The process was very personally rewarding, and I learned more about Black history that I was not aware of – despite belonging to this community. Seeing the history of the Black community, and also how other people saw them, (i.e. through changing terminology) made me consider how this was reflected in my own family. It made me think about how I individually see myself.

In the long term, I hope this project will improve the discoverability and visibility of Black History within the University of Sussex library. This will hopefully help improve the experience of Black students at Sussex in terms of visibility and representation. I hope it will also have an impact on how this material can be used within teaching and learning by connecting students with Black history in a more personal way. This links to the existing ideas within Sussex about decolonising the curriculum, helping to make a difference in a clear and practical way.

Read more about ‘Mapping Sussex University Library’s Black History Archives’

View Myisha’s JRA Poster