Despite Black Codes that rendered Black people’s gathering illegal, Black people engaged in collective spiritual practices and shared critical information for their survival during the time of enslavement. They gathered at hush harbors, and they danced and laughed in cabins. Eight other states and territories had similar laws to the Alabama Slave Code, as Black people working together was dangerous to white people. And yet, Black folks still gathered, partly because, ironically, their survival and ability to thrive depended on it.
We remark on the power of this gathering as a research collective, especially in this socio-political moment that is criminalizing the teaching of Black history, policing the truths that can be taught in school, and restricting critical theories of race that help us understand how antiblackness has manifested in the United States through time. In difficult environments, we turn to gathering. A study by Drs. Deniece Dortch and Qi Chen, called “In the Midst of the Collective: The Experience and Influence of African American Peer Groups in Graduate School at Predominantly White Institutions,” found that Black doctoral students who have access to Black peer groups are better able to combat feelings of isolation and support their academic success. Studies like this underscore how collectivist approaches strongly impact the wellness and intellectual growth of Black people. These sorts of gathering spaces are not just important in higher education; research has shown gathering to also be effective in work environments.
“It shall not be lawful for more than five male slaves, either with or without passes, to assemble at any place off the proper plantation to which they belong.”
—Alabama Slave Code
of 1833(National Museum of African American History, “Illegal to Gather”)
Thus, in the spirit of thanksgiving, of land back, of liberatory futures for all of us, we are grateful to be a part of this legacy of Black gathering. In our work for The SoulFolk Collective, we get to show up as our full intellectual and richly nerdy selves, where our ideas are validated. In a time where the federal government is egregiously attacking the funding to conduct research with racially minoritized communities, we appreciate an affirming learning space of people who remain committed to addressing the condition of Black people in America and meaningfully contributing to all of our liberation. We are grateful for an academic space where our lived experiences are not only heard and valued, but are also incredibly important to the work we do. We extend deep gratitude to the 70 community members who trusted us enough to share the beautiful, painful, and messy aspects of their lives with us in oral history and scholarly interviews. And we appreciate you for cheering us on. Through personal messages, social media shout-outs, and community gatherings, our community has been with us through every step — and we thank you. We will continue to gather, to have our collective presence be a threat to dangerous antiblack systems through our radical imaginations of a better future for all of us, and to make space together as the seasons turn colder in our city of Madison.
