Motivation and Eating An Elephant

 There's an old wise joke that goes: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

 After expressing frustration about deciding how to create measurable goals for my processing work, identifying what daily success looks like, and dealing with a bit of legacy library mismanagement (if they'd known better, they'd done better), my mentor encouraged me to find a photo from the archives to identify with. She encouraged me to let it be my motivator. I was to locate a photo that represents perseverance, opportunity, and education.

I didn't have to look far. My first week at Payne I stumbled upon the photo below in a box of unorganized photos and miscellaneous oversized objects in the Singleton Collection (which is proving to be my favorite!) It is what I've found to be one of the greatest conversation pieces of the archive. Everyone I've shown it to has been wowed, Black, White, young, old. People remark at the mens' dress ("You don't see men dressed so well anymore!"), facial hair ("Look at those chops and sideburns!", "Everyone looks like Frederick Douglas!"), the age of the photo ("1868! Really?!!?"), and delight in pointing out which of the seated bishops they recognize. I made sure the photo was in the first batch of materials to be digitized at Princeton. I have prominently placed in the archive so it is the one of the first things visitors see when they approach the side desk and begin poking around.

Photograph Thirteenth General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Washington, D.C. May 4-21st 1868

What I love about the photo is often overlooked and goes unnoticed until I point it out. Do you see at the top frame of the photo, in the half moon window? Do you see the women? Dressed in black and white in what resemble habits with their mischievous and knowing grins? These women who "photo bombed" this all male documentation of history (securing a photographer and staging a shot are clearly evidence of a commitment to historical preservation!) are my real motivation. What were their roles at the conference? What did the church and its organization mean to them? What opportunities were they seeking after through their participation and presence? What was their motivation? Did they know how radical peeping out the window to ensure their likeness be captured was?

From the General Conference Proceedings, 1868 (in part) and Partial Proceedings of the General Conference Proceedings of 1868 found in appendix of the History of the African Methodist Episcopal Church 1856-1922 by Charles Spencer Smith (Philadelphia, Pa.:1922) Bishops Daniel A. Payne, William P. Quinn, Alexander W. Wayman, and Jabez P. Campbell presided. New chapters on the Book of Discipline and Book of Concern were introduced, a resolution admitting the Southern delegates to full membership, a report on the Freedman National Banks were some of the official business handled at this meeting. Of course there is no mention of the women.

 Now I have a list of workable goals by the week, month and day on my home fridge to remind me each morning of that I only have to put a bite of elephant on my fork each day and palpable motivation the for these tasks.