Souther Memory Worker Survey
We surveyed memory workers across the South, May - August 2025
We collected 115 responses, and learned a lot about what our colleagues are doing, and how the Souther Memory Worker Collaborative can help.
Majority of respondents identified as LGBTQ & BILAA (Black, Indigenous, Latine, Asian/Asian-American)
Majority working within a southern-based social justice organization
Majority willing and eager to build a memory workers collaborative
Professional Identities
Respondents are artists, archivists, cultural organizers, oral historians, journalists, documentarians, librarians, and historians
Locations
We asked survey respondents where they are doing their work.
Demographics
To better understand who is doing memory work across the South, we asked respondents about how they identified along a series of different identities, and about their ages.
Archivial Practices
Of the 114 respondents who are actively involved in an organization, 81 respondents say their organization is already archiving their work.
The most commonly archived organizational material includes photographs, planning documents, meeting notes, videos, oral histories, and social media posts. Other commonly mentioned items preserved include zines and artwork.
Skilling Up
Respondents have a range of training and education, but fewer than a quarter of the total respondents feel they have the skills and resources necessary to archive effectively.
Some have been trained in formal advance degree programs in relevant fields such as Library/Information Science, Archival Studies, History, Museum Studies, and Folklore.
Some have been trained in community settings such as skill shares, workshops, and multi-day learning institutes (including the Southern Memory Workers Institute held at the Highlander Center).
While most respondents did not know where to find specific skills development training, more than half (74) said they, or someone in their organization, would be interested and able to attend given the right conditions.
Challenges and Threats
Climate and Environmental Threats
We asked respondents about climate-related challenges they’ve faced in the last 5 years.
Hurricanes and flooding topped the list of weather-related threats. Given our Southern focus, this makes sense and reminds us that our shared vulnerability.
Political Threats
In addition to being impacted by increasing climate disasters, most respondents stated that their political/organizing work is endangered in this political climate. This also includes the ability to safely archive their work.
However, numerous respondents stated that this (political) work has always been at threat and that moments like these require greater imagination, collective efforts, and healing to get through the challenges.
Organizations like independent-run community archives and historically Black colleges and universities have always relied on grassroots community support and are likely most prepared to weather these type of storms.
