About WATR
Scholar activist Vincent Harding described the history of the Black freedom struggle like a river.
He wrote, “with the passing of time and the deepening of our collective vision,
it is possible to recognize that we are indeed the river,
and at the same time that the river is more than us—
generations more, millions more. Through such an opening we may sense that the river
of black struggle is people, but it is also hope,
the movement, the transformative power that
humans create and that creates them, us, makes them, us, new persons.”
We share in that vision.
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The first WATR course launched in the midst of a global pandemic and on the heels of uprisings against sanctioned racial violence. As people took to the streets and found other avenues to demand justice, our creator imagined a space where people could come together and study the long history of Black resistance to white supremacy. Far too often and for far too long, knowledge of an inclusive, useful, and robust Black history has remained limited. This intentional marginalization is a dangerous disservice. Our goal is to help remedy the prevailing gaps and encourage the use of history as a liberatory tool.
In his seminal text, There is A River: The Black Struggle for Freedom, Harding explained his motivation for writing a history of the Black freedom struggle in America- “So I write in hope that some men and women will read the words and recognize that they/we are the essential force, are the river, are the vision. I write, trusting that some parents and grandparents and teachers will read aloud and share this with children, will become new sources of memory, will remind one another that our destination has always been a new, transformed humanity, a new humanized society (not “equal opportunity” in a dehumanized one), will remember that we have come thus far at great cost.”
We are here to answer that call. We Are The river.
We are flowing towards the ocean of transformed humanity.
Meet WATR
Dr. Sarajaneé Davis
Sarajaneé’s love for history started as a love for reading. Growing up, she eagerly anticipated library trips with her parents. Before long she realized that the best stories are the real ones. Historical narratives revealed truths about her community, her people, and the choices that created the status quo. These interests demonstrated that like her name, (a combination of her great-grandmother and grandmother’s names), understanding history bridges the past and present and offers tools for the future.
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Sarajaneé was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 2012 she graduated from UVA with a B.A. in African American & African Studies (+ Political and Social Thought). Before starting graduate school she taught high school English. Sarajaneé earned her Ph.D. in History from Ohio State University in 2020. If she’s not deep in a book, she might be found baking, talking to her plants, or planning a trip to feel the warmth of other suns. Other things to know about Sarajaneé? She’s a proud Aquarius, teal enthusiast, and considers it an accomplishment when she stays awake to watch west coast basketball games.
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Today her work focuses on increasing access to inclusive histories. She develops engaging content that centers Black history as a blueprint for an equitable future. While her focus is on the southeast United States, her interests extend to Black experiences, especially Black womxn, throughout the Diaspora. In the classroom, Sarajaneé emphasizes the value of collective knowledge. An avid reader turned historian and educator, Sarajaneé is committed to amplifying historical Black perspectives.