A Note from the Editor
By: Jessie Johnson, The University of North Alabama
Welcome to the first volume of The Willingham! This new publication has come out of the revitalization of the History Graduate Student Association (HGSA) at the University of North Alabama (UNA). HGSA was active from 2011 until 2015. During these four years, HGSA published five volumes of The North Alabama Historical Review, which was a historical journal, and held one conference in partnership with the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. After this initial effort was disbanded, there was a lack of community within the history graduate program, which led to the revival of HGSA in the Fall of 2023. When we reorganized, HGSA felt that we could address graduate publications in a new way. After several weeks of workshopping with ourselves and our advisors, The Willingham was born.
The Willingham is a fully online publication that houses work done by graduate students from UNA but also graduate students worldwide. Our website not only houses this publication but also the archive, which has all five volumes of The North Alabama and our blog posts. As we progress, we hope to expand our website to include open-access resources for researchers and teachers.
This first volume encapsulates the human experience, with articles addressing current issues and reevaluating other past events in human history. Through the work we have chosen to showcase, we have authors from four universities across the globe. This illustrates the most recent addition to the human experience: worldwide connection. As you read, we hope you are able to connect yourself to multiple aspects of human experience.
As I conclude, I would like to extend my thanks. Thank you to our advisor, Dr. Brian Dempsey, for their constant guidance and enthusiasm. Thank you to the UNA History Department and to Dr. Ansley Quiros for providing us with support. Thank you to all who submitted to our first volume; without you we would not be able to do this. Thank you to the members of UNA’s HGSA; your constant work to meet our spring deadline has not been overlooked. Finally, thank you to my fellow editorial committee: Avery Calvert, Garrett Keenum, and Alana Rogers; you all saw my tiny vision and expanded it into something more impressive, and without you all, I would still be at the drawing board.
