Motivated by a love of history and a desire to convey overlooked or unknown historical facts, Jamilah Hyman ’24 spent her winter break during junior year researching slavery in Pennsylvania through an Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE).
Having received a scholarship from the Scott Wolfe ’79 ACRE Endowed Fund to pursue investigative inquiry, Hyman discovered that before the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865, the owners of the original 4,000-acre Charming Forge property in Womelsdorf, Pa., depended on slave labor to produce pig iron.
“A lot of people don’t realize there were slaves in northern states,” said Hyman, from Trenton, New Jersey. “But just like in the South, people were forced to work without pay at places like Charming Forge.”
Hyman’s project included touring the property and researching Charming Forge ledgers and documents from the mid-1700s at the Berks History Center.
A communications major with a minor in Africana Studies, Hyman is passionate about uncovering history and relating her findings to others. She presented the results of her ACRE project at the 24th Berks County Undergraduate Research and Creativity Conference at Kutztown University and at Albright’s International Remembrance Day that honors those enslaved in the Atlantic slave trade. Her research, titled “Mapping Slavery onto Berks County’s Landscape,” was published in the Berks History Center’s “Historical Review of Berks County.”
“I am honored to support undergraduate research that will help better prepare students for future success, both personally and professionally,” said ACRE fund establisher Scott Wolfe ’79, network senior vice president of finance/chief financial officer, St. Luke’s University Health Network. “This is yet another example of how Albright focuses on providing a well- rounded educational experience for its students.”
An active Albright student, Hyman co-founded and was vice president of the 1st Generation Club and started a chapter of the NAACP, of which she served as president. She also was secretary of Albright’s Men of Color student group and was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society.
In addition to the Scott Wolfe’79 ACRE Endowed Fund, Hyman received the Elva Rittenhouse ’40 Advancing Lives Scholarship. Advancing Lives Scholarships help sophomores, juniors and seniors pay for the increasing cost of tuition that their first-year financial aid package does not include. Advancing Lives Scholarships were initiated in 2019 after a matching leadership gift made by Jeff ’83 and Cindy Joyce helped establish 20 scholarship endowment funds with gifts from other generous donors. Fifteen more scholarships were established independently.
“The support I’ve received has been tremendously helpful. I really appreciate that people are willing to invest in my future,” expressed Hyman.
