ABSTRACT
Our fourth chapter, written by Jessica Lu, examines the work of developing, practicing, and sustaining fundamental principles for Black digital humanities (DH) teachers. Whether at the undergraduate or graduate levels, developing pedagogical ethics and practices in Black DH is essential to the overall development of the field and its future. This chapter poses a guiding question: what is Black DH pedagogy? Drawing upon AADHum’s efforts to introduce Black DH research and curricula to undergraduate students at the University of Maryland, we explore how Black feminist thought necessitates fundamental principles and practices for Black DH pedagogy, including: centering and affirming Black people as learners and teachers in the classroom; practicing care for students as whole persons; animating legacies of interdisciplinary power, resistance, and innovation in Black culture and community across the diaspora; and, moving beyond tools- or skills-focused instruction to engage theory-grounded critique of the impacts of emergent methods and technologies on the lives of Black people and their communities. When research, programming, and pedagogy align with radical intentionality, we can imagine a Black DH classroom that exists even in institutions lacking strong support for robust Black DH communities.
