Student Researchers

Nate Lemen graduated from Butler with majors in English and political science with a minor in Spanish. He first got started with the Etheridge Knight, Jr. Project out of a curiosity to learn more about a well-regarded local poet he didn’t know a lot about. His favorite part of the project so far is getting to sort through the archives and physically get to touch and hold many of the same things Etheridge did. It’s a very surreal experience, in the best possible way. Nate is excited to unveil the exhibit in the spring, and he’s thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of this project. He is originally from just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

DaCoda Love graduated from Butler and majored in Sociology with a minor in Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration. She spends most of her time with her two favorite people, her mom, RoShawn Modisette, and her sister, Nyree Modisette (Class of ’19). She is extremely passionate about this project and the opportunity to work so closely with some of the most intimate artifacts and archival material of the life and work of Etheridge Knight. She has a love for creative writing and is endlessly inspired by the work of Black poets and creatives, even completing her own collection of poems titled “Anthology of Black Girlhood” inspired by Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” This project has given her a chance to use archival material to create connections and tell a story.

Chris Strong graduated with a Bachelors in English/Creative Writing. From Indianapolis, Chris has chosen the lens of Etheridge Knight the Community Poet and hopes to understand the place of the artist within their work, and how community shapes the artist as the artist shapes community. Through this project, Chris has understood and been reaffirmed by the complexity of this singular poetic figure, noting how Knight’s drive to reach people through the universality of feelings was both his foremost aesthetic goal and his way of grounding himself through his trauma. Beyond the project, Chris enjoys roller skating, textile arts, listening to music, freewriting, and watching films, television, and video essays.

Scholar Idjagboro graduated with a Bachelors in Dance Performance and International Relations. Scholar was born in Nigeria and came to the United States in 2007, eventually settling in Maryland. She is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. Since joining the Etheridge Knight Project, she has worked with community partners to develop programming that offers insight on Knight’s life and work and embodies his inclusive ethos. She learned how Etheridge Knight was able to overcome internal and external struggles and build a community around himself: his poems brought people together and made them stay together. Having the opportunity to talk to all the different people Etheridge Knight has influenced helps her understand how a single person can impact lives in a positive way and how a single voice can not only bring people together but also change people’s lives.

Love Lee is a senior at Butler University majoring in International Studies with a minor in Philosophy. Having started at Butler in Fall 2023, she then started as an Advocate for Community Engagement in the Butler Center for Citizenship and Community in November of 2023, working under Hanako. The interdisciplinary approach within her studies at Butler has led her to cross paths with and gain a love for poetry both inside and outside of the classroom. She is now a part of the Etheridge Knight Project working in support of Hanako on putting together a future for the project.