Self, Service, and Social Activism: Community Archaeology at Timbuctoo, New Jersey.

At the core of archaeology, we want to change the world for the better. Our theories, our systematic methodologies, and stories we tell, seek to inform the present about the past with the hope of creating a brighter future. Whether in a site report, presented through "Shoe Box" archaeology, or protesting state legislatures/condemnation of anti-racist education; every archaeologist desires to enlighten our world. We have an awareness of self, that with our craft comes the responsibility to serve. For many of us, that call to service brings us to collaborate with communities. Not with archaeologists as gatekeepers of the past, but as equal partners with communities that historically have been neglected, underserved, and/or misrepresented by our craft. This article focuses on the community-based program of Timbuctoo, a Black community in New Jersey. This is a story about archaeologists redefining ourselves in order to better serve marginalized communities through archaeology as social activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]