Practical Elements of Time Travel

“We study history so that we can know the past, engage the present, and impact the future.” Fall semester 2023 opened with racist graffiti sprayed on the sidewalk outside of Whitman Hall. Rumor has it that white faculty still say the “n-word” in their classes. Being a person of color (POC) at a predominantly white institution (PWI) is challenging. It also represents a challenge for actively anti-racist people, regardless of their ethnicity. Researching the first Black Laurentian, Jeffery Campbell’s history will help to respond to similar present-day Laurentian experiences and impact our responses to future ones. We are traveling back to the early 20th century and investigate Jeffrey Campbell and his world.  “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” -- L.P. Hartley.   We will visit and recreate the life of fellow Laurentian, Jeffrey Campbell: his home life, his campus life, his life after graduation. We will dive into local and national histories, material culture and interviews. We will create a digital exhibit of this famous Laurentian while considering the topics of race, religion, and gender and how they have changed over time.