SD
Sabrina D.
  • Social Work
  • Class of 2016
  • Willimantic, CT

Eastern Student Sabrina Davis of Willimantic Gives Oral Presentation at CREATE Conference

2016 May 5

More than 250 talented students at Eastern Connecticut State University presented research and creative work at the university's second annual CREATE conference this past April. CREATE stands for Celebrating Research Excellence and Artistic Talent at Eastern, and is the university's premier, academic year-end showcase. At the culminating event, students of all majors presented professional posters, live music, dance performances, artwork, photography, documentaries and panel discussions.

Sabrina Davis '16 of Willimantic, who majors in Social Work, gave an oral presentation at the event. Her presentation was titled "The Zola Story: Sex Work from the Font Line."

"Most people know about PostSecret, an 'ongoing art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard,'" said Davis. "This project is imagined as a way for unconventional narratives and stories, often taboo, to be shared. PostSecret has received mainstream success, whereas the Zola story has garnered concern. The common ground for both: the freedom to express unconventional, often silenced, narratives of people at the margins. The Zola story: a vivid, unfiltered account of stripping, sex work, violence and human trafficking on a trip to Florida. The medium: Twitter. The supposedly true story shared by author Aziah King (referred to as Zola) on Twitter in October 2015 in 148 tweets, has become a viral sensation. The story chronicles King's three-day trip down to Florida, originally intended for stripping but soon become a trip of sex work (prostitution and pimping) filled with violence, kidnap, murder and human trafficking. Responses to King's story have been in two forms: praise and unabridged entertainment, and horror. For those who praise King's crafty storytelling, the story has been consumed as entertainment and has been heralded as a contemporary narrative full of plot twists, suspense and intrigue. In contrast, sources such as The Huffington Post, have questioned if the story is empowering, disturbing or both for sex workers and in particular for those involved, without consent, in King's story. The Zola story is both entertainment and a horrifying tale of the dangers of sex work in the United States; however, it is a form of liberation. In a realm where narratives of sex work have predominantly been controlled by those uninvolved in sex work and those in positions of power, sharing narratives of sex work can be a source of empowerment. This presentation analyzes the implications of sharing narratives of sex work in the United States. I argue sex work narration may serve as a tool for liberation and freedom from oppression."

Remarking on the variety of presentations, Professor Dickson Cunningham, conference co-chair, said, "CREATE encapsulates the essence of the liberal arts in one afternoon. It is an intellectual smorgasbord."

Speaking to the value of CREATE, Eastern President Elsa Nunez said, "It takes a very strong and dedicated student to produce this quality of work, and it's important for other students to see this output." Praising the faculty, she added, "It takes a committed and skillful mentor to guide students to the work that is on display. Mentorship is such an integral part of undergraduate research."

During the one-day conference, the Student Center crawled with artistic and scholarly activity. Students in professional attire addressed their peers, faculty and family. In the cafe, ensembles performed; in the theatre, student-produced documentaries were shown; in the Betty R. Tipton Room, aisles of posters depicting scientific research were displayed; across the hall, a gallery-worth of paintings lined the walls; and on the ground floor, panel discussions and oral presentations about the humanities took place.