January 16, 2012
Since July 2011, TeErra Johnson, C'2013, and other Spelman women have played an integral role in preserving the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through the King Center Imaging Project, an initiative of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in partnership with AT&T and EMC Corporation. The fruit of their labor will be available for the public to enjoy on January 16 when the website containing thousands of images of Dr. King’s historical documents -- the largest archive of civil rights information accessible to people globally -- is launched.
Keeping the Dream Alive
Spelman students and alumnae comprise about a third of the individuals involved in the historic project. Johnson says of her experience, "It is exceptionally relevant that the women of Spelman College play such an enormous role with this project considering the King family legacy at Spelman. Dr. King's funeral was even held in Sisters Chapel on Spelman’s campus."
For the last six months, Spelman students have worked on the project with a diverse group of people including managers from JPMorgan Chase's Technology for Social Good program, U.S. military veterans from The Veterans Curation Program, King Center staff, and students from Morehouse College, Emory University and Kennesaw State University.
Opportunities of a Lifetime
Johnson, who was chosen from a field of 40 interns as one of four individuals to represent the project at the Partners in the Dream booth during the King Memorial dedication in August 2011, in Washington, D.C. says, "As Spelman women, we are truly blessed and honored to be a part of this project. In addition to the personal growth we have experienced, there are definitely educational benefits from reading thousands of documents daily, using the writing skills we developed at Spelman routinely, and carefully creating titles and abstracts for the documents."
Hands-on Learning Experiences
"As interns, a great degree of professionalism is required of us because we work for JPMorgan Chase & Co, one of the nation's largest financial corporations. We are also drawn into the reality of our history because reading scores of documents (e.g. note cards, notes, essays, telegrams, speeches, sermons, and corresponding letters), is a part of our daily work. We are also fortunate to be exposed to advanced technologies as we manipulate the imaging and special technology systems used to make the website."
Life-long Connections
Johnson, a political science major, believes another benefit of helping digitize close to 200,000 documents associated with Dr. Martin Luther King, including his most famous speeches and correspondence, is an opportunity to meet and talk with a vast array of historical figures and corporate executives such as Martin Luther King III, John Frazier, alumna Kimberly B. Davis, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer and president of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
A Choice to Change the World
When Dimon visited the King Center, Johnson says he asked one question, “Who in here goes to Spelman?” Proud and eager, about half of the individuals room raised their hands. Johnson believes this visually represented the power of Spelman College as well as the legacy of Dr. King.
"The King internship has definitely raised my consciousness historically, professionally and spiritually," says Johnson.
On Martin Luther King Day, January 16, 2012, thousands of never-before-seen documents will be accessible online at www.thekingcenter.org/archive/. In addition to Dr. King's documents, the Project also includes originals from other key figures and groups involved in the Civil Rights movement.
AT&T donated advisory support as well as technology solutions and services, including AT&T Synaptic Storage as a ServiceSM, powered by EMC Atmos® cloud-enabled storage.
Read the August Inside Spelman story featuring other Spelman women working with the King Center Imaging Project.
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