In 1963, Karen Parker became the first Black woman in undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after transferring from UNC Women’s College (now UNC – Greensboro). Starting in the Fall of 1963 until after her graduation from Carolina in 1965, Parker documented her life through journaling. Many of her journal entries focused on her experiences as a Black woman involved in anti-racist activism while at Carolina, with extensive references to many of the physical spaces and landmarks of UNC-Chapel Hill and the town of Chapel Hill.
Students in Dr. Banu Gökarıksel’s Spring 2021 GEOG 124 (Feminist Geographies) class were tasked with identifying key locations throughout Parker’s journal and conducting archival research, with the ultimate goal of creating a collaborative, multimedia narrative using ArcGIS Story Maps that dissects the gendered and racialized violence Parker experienced. An archive for student research was curated by Sarah Carrier (NC Research & Instruction Librarian, Wilson Special Collections Library) and Lara Lookabaugh (Geography Ph.D. student and UNC Humanities for the Public Good Fellow), both of whom helped design the project and guide student research throughout the semester. The Data Visualization Services Librarian showed students how to add their geographic data to the ArcGIS Online platform and how to integrate their archival materials, written passages, and maps into a Story Map.
The University Libraries provides a digitized version of Karen Parker’s journal, as well as a guide to UNC History. Tips for using Story Maps and other data visualization tools are available on the Davis Library Research Hub’s Data Visualization – Mapping & GIS page.
