JD Franklin
- Title
- JD Franklin (Abstract)
- Interviewer
- Lizzy Ray
- Date
- October 31, 2023
- Location of the Interview
-
DuPont Library
Sewanee, TN - Length
- 39 minutes, 44 seconds
- Abstract
- JD Franklin was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 2004, and is currently a sophomore at Sewanee: The University of the South, in Tennessee. The interview starts with the discussion of JD’s childhood and where and how she grew up. Throughout her childhood, JD moved schools many times, living with her grandmother or mom. She discussed how social media has influenced her life, but that she is currently taking a mental health break from social media, including TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Although she does not currently have social media, she recalls during the prime of BLM in 2020 that on Instagram everyone in her school was posting black screens with the hashtag “#blackouttuesday.” While JD does not recall much more about social media during this time, she does remember moving to a predominantly black high school in Birmingham. And while at this school she was able to feel more confident in her own skin and learn about other people in her community. Through feeling confident in her skin, she was able to learn more about Black Lives Matter and Black Power in general. The Black Lives Matter movement hasn’t necessarily changed how JD talks to people of other races, but after the movement she has grown in her power and ability to ignore and shut down people with racist and wrong political beliefs. And while she, as an individual, did not expierence marches and individual protest, she did see her community embrace the change and continue talking about all that was going on around them.
Part of JD Franklin