“Call My Name, Clemson”

Dr. Rhondda Robinson Thomas, Clemson University

Dr. Rhondda Robinson Thomas is an associate professor of English at Clemson University with a research focus on early African-American literature.  Dr. Thomas received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, funding a fellowship focused on recording oral histories, digitizing archival records, and preserving the history of African-Americans and the legacy of slavery in Clemson, South Carolina, and at Clemson University. Her research developed into a community project, which brought together the voices of the past with those of Clemson students and alumni to gain a better understanding of race and culture throughout the university’s history. Since receiving this grant, Dr. Thomas has digitized over 2000 primary source documents relating to this history. She will present her research from this public history project and her book “Call My Name, Clemson” at the Upcountry History Museum’s September Lunchbox Learning program on September 14, 2022.