Research Question:
In class, we have been investigating major events in African American history, primarily by looking at well-known figures. But we know that many ordinary citizens also often played key roles in these events. What was the involvement of so-called average people in a particular historical time period of your choosing? What geographical location were they in?
To answer this question, we will use both primary and secondary sources.
Primary source:
For your primary source, please choose an elder from very your own family, neighborhood or community.
You will briefly interview this person to gain information directly from his or her experience.
The paper will not be a biography of the person’s life, rather it will analyze their involvement through the lens of one of the terms and concepts we have been using in class, such as empowerment and disempowerment or voice and voicelessness. (See Canvas Modules: Terms and Concepts.)
Secondary sources:

For your secondary sources, please use one or more of the approved resources which will be discussed in class, such as the following:

Google Scholar
Library Database, such as Academic Research Premier
Other appropriately scholarly website with one of the following suffixes:
.edu (education)
.gov (government)
.org (organization)
Be sure to write down the source, as you will need to include it at the end of your paper on your Works Cited page.
QUOTE FROM SCHOLAR(S)- (minimum two quotes, maximum three):

You will need to find a minimum of two quotes from a scholar or scholars as evidence for your analysis of the elder’s empowering or disempowering experience during the time period in question.
QUOTE FROM THE ELDER: (only one elder)

You will need a several quotes from the elder regarding his or her activities.
Caution: Not too many quotes in an analysis. Balance them with your own analysis.
Remember, this is not a personal essay about you. Please avoid the first-person “I”.
RESEARCH TO DO:
Interview the oldest person in your family or community that you can find.
If you cannot speak to a family member, check with Dr. Liz right away. You may need to speak with an elder in a friend’s family.
Ask that person which historical time period was the most meaningful or challenging for them? Can they tell you what impact it had on them and how they participated in a particular historical time period and in a particular geographical location?
By “time period” we do not mean simple gossip or hearsay. What did this person actually do or not do?
For example, how were they constrained (disempowered), perhaps as a person of color, woman, or gendered individual? At work? At home? In the community?
How were they empowered or how did they empower themselves? Was it through the challenge of using their voice, even though others tried to keep them voiceless?
Did they find ways to work, attend school, keep the family together, in spite of the constraints of a particular time period and geographical location?
I.e. 1. Jewish or Armenian family enduring the Holocaust.
2. First female in the family to go to college.
3. Could be about an achievement (empowerment in spite of disempowerment) such as mother or grandmother finally went to school at night, graduated and got a great job; father or grandfather finally got out of a sweatshop, owned his own farm or started his own business; helped the family.

WRITING GUIDELINES:
(Microsoft Word; min. 3-5 pp, double-spaced, Times New Roman font, 12 pt.; number the pages; grammar counts.)
INTRODUCTION (Do not write the words “Introduction”, “body” and “conclusion” in your paper.)
Set the scene – brief mention of
Historical time period
Geographical location
Person focused upon
State the problem that family and/or person was up against.
Thesis statement- How empowerment occurred as person developed in spite of (seeming) disempowerment and how the the family or community was affected, for better or worse.
At least six sentences minimum.
No details, stats or quotes in introduction.
BODY
First page – Explanation of the historical time period and geographical location when and where person was growing up. (Back up with at least one scholarly quote. Use MLA format for citation within the paragraph.)
For instance, what was an important event that occurred in the state or city or nation when the person was growing up that might have affected him or her, or the family?
Such as assassination of President Kennedy or Martin Luther King, Jr. or Rodney King rebellion.
Second page – Explanation of occurrences that caused the person to choose one alternative versus another—could be economic or political. (Back up with a second scholarly quote. Use MLA format for citation within the paragraph.)
For instance, what choice or choices did the person make that were either making the best of a challenging situation or taking advantage of an opportunity to get ahead and perhaps help other family members as well?
Conversely, the person may have done something (or not done something) that had a bad, adverse effect on other members of the family?
Third page (and subsequent possible pages)– Explanation of the family story or stories that are told about that person and his or her importance in the family or community.
Also, include an explanation of the cultural and social context the family was originally in and how it changed over time. What values were (or are) important and how have they been passed down in the family?
Passed down through narratives (family stories)?
Passed down through a favorite song or songs?
Other?
CONCLUSION
Sum up what you presented in the introduction without repeating word for word. What has been the value (or lack of value) of the story or stories that circulated about the person you chose?
Make sure you have not veered off your original topic.
WORKS CITED PAGE
Using MLA format, list all of the sources you used in the paper.
If you know another academic format, check with Dr. Liz re using instead of MLA.
For more information on how to do academic formatting, we will have another short paper workshop.
You can contact the reference librarians in person, by phone or email. You can also check the Purdue Owl Writing Center website online for more information: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Do not use regular Google or Wikipedia. Google Scholar or selected entries from the Wikipedia Reference page may be all right.
Do not use almanacs, encyclopedias or unknown .com websites except for general background information.
Do not use the class textbook as a source for this paper.
Use verifiable websites only (.org; .edu; .gov)
You will have to cite your sources at the end of your paper.