Myia Elum

Myia Elum is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park. Myia is completing her bachelor of arts as an individ-ual studies major with areas of interest in music, Black rhetoric, African American studies, and communication. Myia’s SRI placement is in The 1856 Project Track. This placement intersects with her senior capstone project that focuses on African Americans' past, present, and future liberation. She hopes participation in the SRI will lay the foundation for a critical analysis of American history which will reveal the untold stories of Black life in America. Myia's future goals include educating people about the injustices of society, especially in Black America, through music as an artist and an activist for Black liberation. Myia intends to explore a career in music with a heavy focus on lyricism and song production in the hip-hop, rhythm, and blues genres. She will be mentored by Lae’l Hughes-Watkins (Universities Libraries), Douglas McElrath (University Libraries), Dr. Bar-net Pavao-Zuckerman (Anthropology) and Dr. Christopher Bonner (History).