JSU: Phyllis Wheatley Poetry Festival

Hi! I'm Sydney Jackson, a history graduate student at San Francisco State University. I recently graduated from SFSU with my undergrad degree in history and a minor in Africana studies. While finishing my undergrad degree, I was able to join an oral history digital archival project, preserving the history of the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front strike. Through this project, I've been able to meet some of my heroes and would not be where I am today without them. After graduating and continuing my graduate studies at SFSU, I'm honored to still be working on this project and also working more closely with Dr. Tiffany Caesar, an Africana studies professor and a public historian whose specialty is preserving black women's history. She has invited me to the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival at Jackson State University, a conference where I'll be able to meet other black women writers and historians and aid in my future research. As most graduate students, my personal budget is small, especially living in San Francisco. I also work as a barista off campus, so this money would be able to cover the days that I miss at work.This money would be used to pay for my flight and travel expenses while I'm in Jackson and also provide a small safety net for me, as I will be missing work at my off-campus part time job which I need for my living expenses. It would mean so much if anyone could help me afford to make it as this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.