Sheila Walker
Welcome to the publication, “Representations.” This is a project designed to bring the perspectives of a wider variety of groups to the forefront of the anthropology classroom. In recognition of often-overlooked Women’s History, we are covering the accomplishments of female anthropologists. Learn more about our project; read on for the amazing accomplishments of Sheila Walker.
Throughout much of history, it has taken strong and unyielding black voices to challenge the status quo by making room for the telling of their story. The African slave trade is, among many other events pertaining to those of African descent, is largely ignored and hidden from the public eye. It takes those like Sheila Walker, who used the mediums of writing, teaching, and filmmaking to create space for this story to be told. Born in 1944, Walker has spent her entire professional career collecting and preparing field research on the African diaspora in an attempt to impact the widest audience possible. She still releases books and documentaries today and is currently working as a professor of anthropology at the College of Liberal Arts in Austin, Texas.
Perhaps her first major dive into activism was her conception and editing of the newsletter Notes from the Natives as a graduate student. The newsletter was created for use by the Caucus of Black Anthropologists, an organization dedicated to “discuss the issues and problems concerning the lack of minorities and their contributions in anthropology and the social sciences” (Harrison, 17). Walker worked on this newsletter for quite some time, completing her schooling and eventually earning her doctorate in 1975. After this, she began writing another newsletter for the Association of Black Anthropologists and publishing her own articles, such as Ebony in 1977 The Black Collegian in 1981. Sheila quickly became known within the black anthropological community for her eloquence and indispensable writing skills which helped guide the ABA towards much greater horizons. (Harrison, 122).
As time went on, Dr. Walker diverged more into leadership positions including director of Afrodiasporia Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the creation and distribution of educational materials regarding the African diaspora. Over time, Walker would head multiple documentaries mainly describing the many relevant ways transatlantic slave trade impacted the spread of African culture across the globe, such as Scattered Africa: Faces and Voices of the African Diaspora (2008) and Slave Routes: A Global Vision (2010). The latter was a project done in tandem with the UNESCO foundation; one of her many accomplishments within her career in filmmaking. In Dr. Walker’s own words, “By understanding this silent chapter of world history, we can better grasp the genealogy binding the slave trade to other crimes against humanity, and new forms of enslavement.” (Slave Routes, 2010). Her contributions to the introduction of the present reality of the African diaspora to the common people are undeniable, as well as the spirit and initiative she brought to the black community around her.
Bibliography
Harrison, Ira E. The Association of Black Anthropologists: A Brief History. 1st ed., vol. 3, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, 1987, ABA’s History and Purpose, aba.americananthro.org///wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ABA-A-Brief-History-IraHarrison.pdf.
Walker, Sheila, and The Slave Route Project. Slave Routes: A Global Vision/Africans out of Africa (2010). YouTube, UNESCO, 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXn6lGS-GZE&t=1s.
“Sheila Walker.” African Film Festival Inc, New York State Council on the Arts, africanfilmny.org/directors/sheila-walker/.
Image courtesy of The Bay State Banner.
