Hark!  There is great news to share.  The reputable and philanthropic law firm of Hunton & Williams will be “able to represent [me] in incorporating and obtaining federal and state tax exempt status for The General History Project.”

Two weeks ago, I met with their legal clinic in Southside Atlanta and applied to become one of their pro-bono** clients, to help me form a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  I just received a letter in the mail today that they accepted my case.  Please know that I am still currently NOT tax-deductible, but I’m heading in that direction very soon (will let you know).  This just went from “Laura Lee’s dream project” to a real-deal 501(c)(3) non-profit (in the works).

The contract does state, in no uncertain terms, that their representation ends once TGHP incorporates and receives tax exempt status.  This begs the question: who will represent me if I get an attractive offer of marriage whilst there?  I suppose that I will have to negotiate my own terms for how many cows (or other livestock derivative) I am worth if the brideprice seems reasonable.  Perhaps I should invest in an agent.           

Anyhow, I just wanted to share the update, and I look forward to providing you with my Federal Tax ID number in the near future.  J

 All the best – Laura Lee

**= Just to clarify, this has nothing to do with U2 Bono’s African mission.  We are separate entities, and I was just referring to the fact that Hunton’s agreed to do my work for free.  Thought I’d make that clear… 

Americans’ favorite question: “So, what do you do?”

My answer, as a young, tall, Southern blonde, is not what many expect: “I’m working on a project to preserve oral history in Kenya.”

The asker’s reactive expressions follow a predictable path: surprise, interest, concern that revealing interest will lead to a boring dissertation on historical preservation, distress that this information could lead to a funding request, and…in the end: a glossing over and search for an exit strategy.”  (Levels of expressive subtlety are generally determined by environment: coffee shop, dance club, dinner party, or otherwise.  Libraries are havens, consistently spawning genuine interest.)

Perhaps I’m being unfair.  There are many people who take great interest in this cause, who praise its significance, who realize that we learn about ourselves by learning about others.  Or they just like me enough to listen. 

I began questioning myself.  How can it be that something I’m so passionate about be met with apathy?  And then I realized something: the only way this strange world can work is if different people believe in different things and support different causes. (Please don’t misunderstand me: I think this project deserves your interest, and your support, but no hard feelings if it’s not the center of your world.) 

I realized that, to paraphrase historian Theodore Rosengarten, I am the center of my own attention, no one else’s.  To combat self-doubt, I’m currently buried in books and conversation and not looking up long enough to think about how much I don’t know or how much money I don’t have or how much more time I wish I had.  I hear this is common for people doing this sort of thing.      

Talk soon – Laura Lee

Ps- I love a challenge, so don’t be worried about me.  I’ll be back oozing positivity and idealism in my next blog, I promise. 

Perhaps I should have started with a more formal introduction: I’m Laura Lee Patterson Huttenbach (Laura Lee’s my first name, not just Laura).  I’m from Atlanta, and I studied at the University of Virginia.  Nice to meet you, and welcome to my blog.  This blog’s main purpose is to talk about developments of The General History Project; however, you’ll probably learn a little bit about me at the same time.  There have been requests that I refrain from excessive pun use, since this should be a formal account of my experience.  I will seriously consider these requests but make no promises.

I hope that you take some time to review the website and acquaint yourself with The General History Project.  I am not an academic.  I am not a journalist.  I am just trying to tell stories of people who have created history in their own way.  I am starting with The General, an 88 year-old Kenyan man who fought for freedom and independence in his country.  His story needs to be recorded, for it reveals Kenyan history through the eyes of one man who helped shape it.  In learning about his life, I’ve learned more about our world and our connectedness to one another.  I can only hope that The General can share his story with a broader audience and educate more people about what he’s learned in his eighty-eight years.                 

I hope that you will visit me often here.  In the next six weeks, you can expect updates as I prepare to go to Kenya and learn how to go about recording The General’s history in the most effective way.  In March and April, you can expect updates of the project and my life on a Kenyan tea farm, which is sure to be eventful and informative (if you need references attesting to how interesting or intelligent I am, I’d be happy to provide my mother’s contact information, pending her approval).

In all seriousness, this is an important project.  I am committed to the cause, and I would be honored if you joined me in this endeavor.  I am working with various professors and librarians to ensure that I am qualified to produce a comprehensive account of The General’s life – through digital recordings of our conversations, transcriptions, and finally: a biographical narrative.  In future blog postings, I will go into greater detail on suggested research methodologies. 

I hope that I’ve said enough here to whet your intellectual appetite and that you’ll return for future postings.   Thank you for visiting, and I’ll be in touch soon.

My best – Laura Lee       

 I kicked up dew spatters walking in the grass footsteps of thousands who came before.  The sun rose behind the Monument, surrounded by tangerine clouds.  Our condensed breath floated over the chanting din.  Steps slowed as we, the masses, flooded the narrow entry.  Five more hours until Inauguration.  I whispered to my friend, “So, this is what History looks like.”   

I was desperate for a profound experience.  I needed material for this, my first blog entry.  It had to be insightful, witty, inspiring.  Nothing was coming to me in Atlanta.  My friend called: “I have an extra spot in my car going to DC.  You should come.”

I packed my bags.  Where better to pursue material for my inaugural blog than a historical inauguration?

It is an amazing testament to the strength of our nation that two million of us can gather together to celebrate (or at least observe) a peaceful transition of Executive power.  The sense of camaraderie was heart-warming despite the wind chill.  I heard a man behind me shouting for his ten year-old son, separated from him in the crowds.  The desperate father climbed on top of a dumpster, crying out “Cameron!  Cameron!  Where are you?”  Within seconds, everyone around was shouting a collective “Cameron!  Cameron!”  Word spread, and four minutes later, the crowds produced Cameron and delivered him to his relieved dad, fifty feet and thousands of people away.  It was fertile ground for community growth and democratic principles. 

There was not a dry eye around me when President-Elect Obama took the oath of office (to be fair, perhaps the wind and dust accounted for some eye-watering).  Even in the two hour debacle that many endured attempting to leave, people remained calm and cooperative.  My commentary that “The lack of an exit strategy seems to be a recurring theme in our great nation” was embraced with hearty laughter and good spirits.  I am proud of America.  Despite political ideology, I hope that we can all agree that we have accomplished a great feat.                 

Stay Posted!