Undergraduate Researchers Present at Black History Month Event

English undergraduate students Yasamin Osqueezadeh and Ella Stott, as well as history undergraduate Morgan Evans, joined English Professor Christine Cooper-Rompato to present their ongoing research, “Utah in the Black Motorist’s Safety Guides,” at a Black History Month event. Black Motorist’s Safety Guides were born out of the automobile becoming more widespread and the need for the Black population to have safe places to stay, eat, and shop while traveling. The event was organized by the Sema Hadithi African American Heritage and Culture Foundation and was held at Millcreek Common in Salt Lake City on February 7, 2026.

“These public-facing conferences allow us to interact and learn about connections with the local community,” Yasamin notes.

This undergraduate research group has previously presented at Sema Hadithi’s annual conferences and led an archival research workshop following their presentation at a Sunrise High School history course.

“Getting to work on this research presentation — and one about such an important and understudied topic — during multiple years of my undergraduate career has been very powerful to me,” Ella reflects. “This work is about preserving, educating, and connecting with members of the community.”

As an extension of their presentations, the group created traveling museum exhibits for Sema Hadithi, which are set to premier this year and will move around the state to bring the research to different audiences.

Morgan shares, “I’ve found a deep appreciation for the Black community’s history through learning from those who experienced it firsthand. I’m honored to be part of sharing such a significant part of Utah’s history.”