“You Know Me Well,” a conversation with Bilphena Yahwon
A brief clip of a conversation between Bry Reed and processing archivist and organizer Bilphena Yahwon. The two women discuss local organizing strategy and the origins of Yahwon's work as a processing archivist at The Afro Charities in Baltimore. This clip is a portion of a larger conversation entitled "Discovery" that situates personal commitment to archival practice within the frame of the violence of American imperialism on communities. A transcript of the conversation will be featured in the final portion of 1927, a memoir in 3 parts.
Excerpts from 1927, an ongoing collage of my family’s history
What is 1927?
This project is an intergenerational non-fiction work with creative and scholarly components. The first (titular) section, “1927”, will explore my maternal lineage's journey from the Lowcountry of the Carolinas to Baltimore, Maryland. I seek to explore Hoodoo traditions, grief, and loss to situate histories that shaped the East Baltimore row home where I took my first steps. The second section will center on my conversations with my paternal grandmother and explore my grandparents' 1960s love story we are also exploring the impact of redlining and displacement on a young Black couple. Lastly, I examine my relationships through conversations with friends and mentors.
