8. November 1 – November 8

As this week has largely focused on writing, I have very few specific updates about my research. The most exciting news is that I’ve officially booked my hotel and flight for Atlanta – I’ll be flying in early Monday morning to save on hotel fare (in order to put some of the funding towards copying costs). I’ll start setting up official appointments at the archives in the coming weeks so I can get my full itinerary finalized. I’m also really excited about visiting First Congregational Church – not only am I looking forward to hearing more from their history society, but I think it’ll be really powerful to actually stand where many of these conversations happened (and in a building constructed as a direct result of the 1906 riot and the work of Rev. Proctor!). I also realized that the site of Georgia Swift King’s longtime home is quite close to my hotel – although it seems like there are no longer any residential buildings still standing, I’ll still want to go by and walk the route that she might have taken to visit AU on her many professional and social calls. Allison Dorsey’s To Build Our Lives Together (2004) in particular has made me realize that I need a better sense of how Atlanta as a whole was experienced by its residents – and I think that the chance to get a feel for the city in person can only help.

As for the chapter, the more I write the more I realize how limited the scope of this particular excerpt needs to be. Although I’m really excited about the broader narrative argument developing out of the idea of a “Second Atlanta Compromise,” it’s a complex idea with a lot of overlapping narratives and I have to force myself to take it one bit at a time. I’m feeling pretty happy with my outline for the chapter – and my first attempts at sketching it out in writing- but I’m still organizing my secondary source and primary source findings to make sure all my big claims are based on evidence. It’s going to be a hard week, but I’m confident that the November 14 deadline is attainable – and the more that I talk about my topic with my friends, the less nervous I am for the upcoming presentation as well.