Q & A with 六月自由奖 recipient Professor Jennifer Tilton

六月自由奖接待处当举行 6月16日 在校园 at the University of 雷德兰兹 celebrating the theme “Building Bridges to the Generations.在典礼上，九个 奖ee被 荣誉ed 与 六月自由奖.

六月自由奖s recipient Professor Jennifer Tilton of Race and Ethnic Studies at the U of R shared more information about her research and what the 六月自由奖 means to her 与 Bulldog Blog.  

Bulldog Blog: How did you become interested in studying race and ethnic studies? 

Jennifer Tilton: My path to a deeper study of race in America really started at the end of college for me. I graduated in 1992 right at the time of the Rodney King beating, 警官们的无罪释放, 然后是洛杉矶的暴动. 作为一个年轻的白人女性, I started to realize that there was a lot I hadn’t had to face about how the race worked in America. It was a bit like 2024 students in this generation, in terms of opening a lot of conversations about racial justice. 当这一切发生的时候, I decided to apply for a post-graduate public service yearlong 实习生hip, and I was lucky enough to be hired by an amazing organization called the Westside Health 作者ity in Chicago, where I worked for three years in a predominantly Black neighborhood and Black led organization. 今天的我, what I know and the questions and work I have pursued in the decades since, comes from my experiences working in Chicago and being mentored by that community.  

BB: What project or research topic are you most proud of?  

JT:我热爱我的教学和研究, but the thing I am most excited about today is the work I'm doing in collaboration 与 Bridges Project and so many amazing community history keepers, 谁在帮助我们讲述一个更加多样化的故事, 真正的, 以及内陆帝国丰富的历史. It's been really inspiring to dig back into the early 20th圣贝纳迪诺和雷德兰兹的百年历史, and to discover the men and women who have long been building the foundation and the bridges for a truly democratic and inclusive society.  

Discovering the early founders of the NAACP (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in San Bernardino in 1918 or the men and women who came together to found CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) in 1963 inspires me; as does thinking with local teachers about how we can bring some of those stories to inspire young people today to see their own power to make a change. I think it's really exciting and important to understand the ground on which we stand and the history that built the communities we live in today.

BB: What does receiving the 六月自由奖 mean to you?

JT: I am incredibly 荣誉ed to receive this 奖. I have collaborated closely with leaders in North 雷德兰兹, and from Second Baptist Church to help tell stories of the historic Black and Mexican American communities in 雷德兰兹, and that work has helped make me feel at home in this community even 虽然 it’s not where I’m from. 这个奖真的不属于我, 虽然, 因为这是对我的学生工作的认可, 实习生, 社区领袖, 和我一起做的事. 

BB: What are some resources for people to learn more about Juneteenth or other facets of African American history?

JT: There are so many resources people can follow to learn more about Black history. 特别是, I encourage people to follow the Bridges Project on Instagram and 脸谱网 @IEBlack历史. You can also find the story maps we have produced if you Google “A People's 历史 of the I. E.”  

A great recent book about California Black history is called “吉姆·克劳的西部.” I also love podcasts and one of my favorite Black history podcasts is called “抓住自由,” which does an amazing job about bringing the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction to life through Black voices and experiences. In general, I recommend paying attention to local Black newspapers like “黑声新闻” or “《澳门威尼斯人官方网》,这两份报纸都是历史悠久的IE报纸, which also continue to cover Black history and current events. I also think reading fiction can be a great way to learn more about Black history and one favorite recent novel is called “情歌 (W).E.B. 杜波依斯.” There are even great picture books for young elementary students that teach Black history in wonderfully age-appropriate ways. 我的孩子们喜欢的一本图画书是托尼·莫里森的《澳门威尼斯人官方网》, which chronicled the school desegregation struggles in the voices and with images of kids. 我想说清楚，我的孩子们, 谁是白人?, need to learn Black history too because Black history is American history. 

BB: Is there anything else you would like to share? 

JT: It's been wonderful to see how actively 雷德兰兹 and the University have been celebrating Black history, 和六月节都是如此. So, I want to thank the committee and volunteers on and off campus who have made that possible.  

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