{"id":1103,"date":"2024-12-03T11:41:13","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T16:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/antarc135-fa24\/?p=1103"},"modified":"2024-12-05T11:19:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T16:19:25","slug":"ayana-flewellen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.smith.edu\/antarc135-fa24\/?p=1103","title":{"rendered":"Ayana Flewellen"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Shannon Corbett, Pheona Xaykosy, Grace Coyne, Holly Rose Pacyon, and Paige Stoppel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cWhen I dove into the Clotilda and was in the hull of that ship, the closeness, the intimacy, and the coldness of that space profoundly affected me. Yet I held my breath, reminding myself that I am alive\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ayana Flewellen for The Guardian US<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ayana Omilade Flewellen<\/strong> (they\/she) is an archeologist who focuses on the topics of sexism, classism, and racism as a Black Feminist. She received her highest degree at the University of Texas at Austin<\/strong> with a PH.D. in Anthropology and later joined the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University<\/strong> as an Assistant Professor. Notable projects they have worked on include the Estate Little Princess Archeology Project<\/strong> (2017) and the Slave Wrecks Project <\/strong>(2008) . <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Flewellen says that their love for Archeology stems from the museums and beaches they would frequent as a child. They and their mother often moved around the states, so there was never enough to see according to Flewellen. With this inspiration, they would move on to make many research papers, to do many interviews, and to publish many journals detailing the pleasure that is the community someone may find when taking the time to explore history through archeology. <\/summary>\n

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Society of Black Archaeologists <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flewellen is a member and cofounder of the Society of Black Archaeologists<\/a>, an organization whose mission is to “center the histories and material cultures of global Black and African communities in Archaeological research”. The SBA has made possible a network of Black archaeologists across the world and seeks to fight against the systematic exclusion of Black and African scholars and communities within the field of archaeology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Society of Black Archaeologists’ goals from when it was created are listed below (as detailed on their website):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. To lobby on behalf and ensure the proper treatment of African and African Diaspora material culture<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. To encourage more people of African descent to enter the field of archaeology<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. To raise and address concerns related to African peoples worldwide<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. To highlight the past and present achievements and contributions that people of African descent have made to the field of archaeology<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. To ensure the communities affected by archaeological work act not just as objects of study or informants but are active makers and\/or participants in the unearthing of their own history<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Flewellen’s involvement in SBA is representative of their overall pursuit of Black Feminist Archaeology<\/strong> a framework that shapes Flewellen’s archaeological practices and perspectives. Through these two intersecting identities and frameworks, Flewellen has been able to apply a much more new, and critical lens to archaeology that had been previously ignored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keep On Diving!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of Ayana Omilade Flewellen’s most special contributions to the world of archeology is through their work on the board of “Diving WIth A Purpose (DWP) ,”<\/strong> a maritime heritage conservation project with a focus on historical archeology where Flewellen has made it their goal to represent the lives of slaves at the time whose stories were lost along the Atlantic slave trade. Flewellen started her advocation journey for her project in February of 2020 when they travelled to Port Huron, Michigan to meet with the DWP team. One of their first tasks was to speak with students in a rural town about how they would be recovering a Tuskegee Airman’s submerged aircraft which had crashed into the Great Lakes during World War 2. They had this to say about the experience: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Flewellen believes in the right to make contact with history because they believe it deepens ones connection to their community and to their roots. Within the ocean, Flewellen makes it their goal to resurface history for everyone to experience so that the record of their existence can never be forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    Slave Wrecks Project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Slave Wrecks Project<\/a><\/strong> is an ongoing archaeological project sponsored by the Smithsonian that focuses on uncovering and raising awareness of sunken slave ships and gaining further knowledge and understanding of the transatlantic slave trade. Flewellen’s personal involvement in the project, that works in tandem with her work in Diving with a Purpose, includes the continuous involvement at St. Croix, where Flewellen uses their knowledge and expertise across these two organizations as an outlet of educating and sharing in the knowledge and lived experiences with the Crucian youth that live there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    What makes them a Trowelblazer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    With Flewellen\u2019s advocacy for diversity both within archaeologists and in their scholarship, it is no surprise that she has what it takes to be a trowelblazer. By humanizing her work of enslaved populations in the US Virgin Islands, to uncovering history thought to be long lost to the ocean, they are committed to discovering previously untold stories. The methods and histories of their work is strongly influenced by her identity as a black feminist archaeologist. By also providing access to opportunities in archaeology for students at HBCU’s (historically black colleges and universities), they strive for a better future in the field of archaeology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In addition to their many publications, grants, and research projects, Dr. Flewellen is incredibly committed to making the field of archaeology more diverse and equitable. All of her scholarship centers on the creation of an antiracist archaeology, which includes her research on the Levi Jordan Plantation <\/a>and the Estate Little Princess excavation<\/a>. Early on in their career, Flewellen co-founded the Society of Black Archaeologists<\/a>, with the purpose of giving archaeologists of African ancestry a way to meet and connect with each other. In addition to being a board member on Diving With a Purpose<\/a>, they are an instructor. This gives them the opportunity to work directly with young people who are beginning their work in archaeology, helping to instill in them the importance of an antiracist archaeological praxis. Flewellen\u2019s direct involvement with the archaeological community, especially its younger members, helps to advance the field, and make it more equitable, accessible, and diverse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Some of Their Works and Publications:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    2021<\/strong> – Authors: Ayana Omilade Flewellen, Justin P. Dunnavant, Alicia Odewale, Alexandra Jones, Maria Franklin, Zoe Crossland, Tsion Wolde-Micheal. \u201c\u2018The Future of Archaeology is antiracist:\u2019 Archaeology in the Time of Black Lives Matter.\u201d In American Antiquity <\/em>(peer reviewed).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2022<\/strong> – \u201cDress and Labor: An Intersectional Analysis of Clothing and Adornment Artifacts Recovered from the Levi Jordan Plantation.\u201d In Archaeologies<\/em> (peer reviewed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2021<\/strong>– Co-Authors: Ayana Omilade Flewellen, Alicia Odewale, Justin Dunnavant, Alexandra Jones, William White III. \u201cCreating Community and Engaging Community: The Foundations of the Estate Little Princess Archaeology Project in St. Croix, USVI.\u201d In International Journal of Historical Archaeology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Photo Credits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n