Every Wednesday for the last few months, I took the Metro North from 125th street in Harlem to Tarrytown. It was always the best day of my week. From the train I was able to see the bunches of gold and red leaves as they progressively got brighter and bolder through the changing seasons. When I think of my time at the Rockefeller Archive Center, the first image that pops into my head is that of the morning autumn light streaming through the yellow leaves of an oak tree. The second image is that of the intern’s office, an oasis of quiet and calm—a deep contrast to the bustling city only 45 minutes away.
This fall, the Rockefeller Archive Center acted as a place that allowed me to grow and learn as a historian whilst being able to root myself in the deep recesses of history. Over the past few weeks, I engaged in compiling and organizing exhibit materials of the Ford Foundation, updated the backend of the storytelling platform, [RE:source] (https://resource.rockarch.org/), and dived into the vaults to put together a photo essay of the Asia Society’s exhibition file. These experiences supplemented my educational journey of becoming a historian—by seeing how archives functioned and preserved materials, I expanded my scope of how I could continue practicing historical study.
Though the Rockefeller Archive Center primarily focuses on philanthropic efforts and histories, this experience taught me so much about how archival work is at the intersection of every major field. When organizing RAC exhibit materials, I had the chance to view the Ford Foundation materials. The Ford Foundation had engaged in philanthropic efforts around the world, and thus produced reports on many different sectors of a country. For instance, I’d learn about arts in India, women in Ghana, and technology in Latin America. It speaks about both how far-reaching philanthropic work can go, as well as the archives being a vast treasure trove of our past. There were so many points to take up learning and I felt like a specialist of any field could leave with a boatload of new information.
The most valuable lesson I learned, however, was how vibrant and diverse in life experiences the staff was. Through engaging with members of different teams, I learned about the varying processes in maintaining an archive. I learned how audio-visual materials are preserved, as well as how archivists work to make language more inclusive and accessible.
Overall, this was an amazing internship experience for me, especially as I intend to pursue scholarly study as a historian. It taught me the ways in which this study is applicable to all different kinds of fields, as well as how every field intersects with one another. Most importantly, I learned through connecting with different members of the RAC how people of diverse and interesting backgrounds can come together to maintain an incredibly important site.