REFLECTION 1
For right now I plan on reviewing more news articles and websites like floodandforgotten.com so I can prepare a timeline for when the flooding first started in Cahokia Heights. I want to show the story of the flooding problem in the city from the start to now. I want it to include the cause of the problem when it started what the government do or tried to do and how is the residents affected. I have already learned that the water system in Cahokia Heights has been bad since the 1800s from the floodandforgotten webisite. That was over 100 years ago and the problem is still not fixed.
This really surprised me because I thought problems like this would get fixed faster because it has people who lives there but it has been going on for a long time. People who live there now are still dealing with it also I found out the government has spent millions of dollars trying to fix the flooding but it is still not working right. According to one news paper article published in 2021 say it could take many more years and even more money before things get fixed.
I want my timeline to show when the flooding first started, when the government actions to fix the problem when money and what they said about fixing it. I also want to show how the residents complained asked for help and tried to get attention for their problems. My timeline will tell the history and the story of the people who are still living with the disaster.
REFLECTION 2
At the beginning of the semester I didn’t really know what I wanted my personal project to focus on. I just knew I wanted to bring more attention to the water crisis in Cahokia Heights and show what the community has been going through. During the semester Dr.Shea and I shifted my focus into building a timeline of how the problem started, how it’s continued, and how it’s still happening today.
I’ve been enjoying learning about the causes of the crisis and how long people have been dealing with it. It’s sad but eye-opening to see how little has been done because it mostly affects poor Black residents. That made me realize how unfair the situation is and why it’s important to share their story.
What I don’t enjoy as much is collecting data and reading through articles. Since this issue has been going on for decades, only the last 10–20 years are really documented online. Even though that part can be frustrating, it’s teaching me how to stay focused and dig deeper to understand the full story behind the problem.
REFLECTION 3
During my site visit I have been nervous but also open to new ideas. Being nervous makes me too scared ask for details I miss that are important. When I went on the site visit with the freshmen, the professor was giving us background information about the historical site we were walking by. Since we were moving i could barely hear her and I was too nervous , anxious and scared to ask her to repeat the important information so I didn’t get good notes down. Next meeting day one of my project members needed that information for their data, and I didn’t have enough to help them.
Even though I was anxious I still tried to stay open to the experience and listen when I could. I think I am doing well at engaging with my group and being willing to learn, but I know I can do better at focusing and not being scared to be more open and ask questions or some one to repeat something if I missed it. Next time Im going to ask questions if I miss something or double check with others so I don’t lose important knowledge.
REFLECTION 4
For my data collection I have read newspapers about the Cahokia water crisis. I learned that this problem has been going on for a long time, and it seems like nothing has truly fixed it yet. The state has been trying to raise money to help, but they keep getting declined for grants. They have already spent a lot of money and resources trying to fix the water system, but people say it will take millions more dollars and a lot of time before it can really be fixed.
When I was looking for more information, it was hard to find old records because this problem started decades ago. I did find an archive in the SIUE library that showed how the infrastructure looked from the 1600s to the 1900s. It showed that Cahokia was built on flat land near the Mississippi River, which might have caused some of the water problems later on.
This experience taught me that big problems like this don’t get solved overnight. It also showed me how important it is to keep good records and archives so people in the future can understand what happened. If I could do anything different I would start by visiting Cahokia Public library archives or talking to more people who have lived in Cahokia for a long time to learn even more.
REFLECTION 5
I haven’t had a real on-site work visit this semester, but I did get the chance to spend time in the SIUE Archives in the library, and that experience was really meaningful for me. It was interesting and even a little fun to read through old sources and look at pictures from centuries ago. Seeing those old photographs felt like stepping back in time, and it helped me understand how places like Cahokia have changed over the years. I also learned a lot about how to search for information, how to read different types of sources, and how to use what I found to support the data in my research. Before this, I didn’t really think much about where information came from, but working in the archives showed me how important it is to look closely, take your time, and make sure you understand the materials you’re using.
I also went to Cahokia with the freshmen, and that visit really stayed with me more than I expected. We went to the only grocery store still open in Cahokia, Illinois, because the others had closed down after the flooding. Seeing that in person made everything feel a lot more real. It wasn’t just something we talked about in class it was something I could actually see affecting the residents who live there. Watching people go in and out of the store knowing that this was the only choice made the situation feel more personal and more serious. It helped me understand how much something like flooding can disrupt everyday life.
This semester I haven’t worked with other people very much, so being on this visit with a group reminded me what it’s like to share an experience with others. Even though I mostly worked alone, this trip helped me connect what I was learning to something real and meaningful.