Analyzing Networks through Pension Claims: African American Women’s Community Making at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

This is a hybrid event. The in-person reception will begin at 4:30 PM. Please visit here to register.

In her book, Righteous Discontent, historian Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham describes the turn of the twentieth century as simultaneously the “nadir” of American race relations, and the “woman’s era.” Focusing on the latter description amid the backdrop of this so-called “nadir,” Halima Haruna explores how African American women flexed their rights as citizens by applying for federal pension claims. This digital project aims to visualize how African American women created grassroots pension networks which included veterans and neighbors. Methodologically, it will argue that using network analysis tools can support the analysis of a large set of documents.