--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My work as a whole is about excavating…" description: "\"My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard, but that can also add to the c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg" --- # My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light… ![“My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard, but that can also add to the conversation about what's going on now.” quote by Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg) > “My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard, but that can also add to the conversation about what's going on now.” [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker seeks to uncover and amplify overlooked historical narratives, showing how they inform present discussions. **In simple terms:** Highlight hidden histories to enrich current dialogue. Key Takeaway Past voices shape today’s debates. Themes history culture social justice memory identity Mood reflective inspired thoughtful Type informational advocacy When to use this quote - museum exhibitions - academic panels - community workshops - media documentaries - policy debates Key Concepts archival research public discourse cultural heritage Practical Applications - educational curricula - public programming Questions to Reflect On - How does revisiting history change our view of current issues? - What stories remain untold? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Excavating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excavating-301894/) [Excavating Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excavating-shining-372915/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-need-372914/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Shining light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining-light/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Excavating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-excavating-372913/) ## Related quotes > [For some, excavating the past isn’t an adventure, it’s more akin to tearing a Band-Aid off an open wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/for-some-excavating-the-past-isn-t-an-adventure-it-s-more-akin-to/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [As an undergraduate, I had an opportunity to go on a number of archeological digs. So I had experience excavating, digging up remains of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/as-an-undergraduate-i-had-an-opportunity-to-go-on-a-number-of/) [Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/) > [The enlarging of the soul requires not only some remodeling, but some excavating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/the-enlarging-of-the-soul-requires-not-only-some-remodeling-but-some/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [I'm not at all interested in simply reporting what's here right now, or cranking out an entertainment device that's going to touch the widest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-m-not-at-all-interested-in-simply-reporting-what-s-here-right-now/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [“Our old methods of excavating for problems leaves us with more problems. Everything rides on changing the positions we hold, the questions we ask,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-kristen-lee/our-old-methods-of-excavating-for-problems-leaves-us-with-more/) [Dr. Kristen Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-kristen-lee/) > [It's a great honor to make history but to make more history, I need to be healthy and injury-free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kei-nishikori/it-s-a-great-honor-to-make-history-but-to-make-more-history-i-need-to/) [Kei Nishikori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kei-nishikori/) > [Students who are interested in learning about the environment should not be dissuaded from doing so, but only if they have proved their proficiency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-nethercutt/students-who-are-interested-in-learning-about-the-environment-should/) [George Nethercutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-nethercutt/) > [“Doreen Fernandez' foreword to "Rizal Without the Overcoat": His essays remind us that history need not and should not be relegated to schoolbooks and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambeth-ocampo/doreen-fernandez-foreword-to-rizal-without-the-overcoat-his-essays/) [Ambeth Ocampo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambeth-ocampo/) > [I don't believe we can run from our history. We need to embrace it and learn from it and be a better state and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kemp/i-don-t-believe-we-can-run-from-our-history-we-need-to-embrace-it-and/) [Brian Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kemp/) > [We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/we-should-emphasize-not-negro-history-but-the-negro-in-history-what-2/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [I think that we need history as much as we need bread or water or love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/i-think-that-we-need-history-as-much-as-we-need-bread-or-water-or-love/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson-2/we-should-emphasize-not-negro-history-but-the-negro-in-history-what/) [Carter G Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson-2/) > [It is undeniable that others and the larger world, so beleaguered at this moment in history, need everything that we have to give. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-ray/it-is-undeniable-that-others-and-the-larger-world-so-beleaguered-at/) [Reginald Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-ray/) > [If the past cannot teach the present and the father cannot teach the son, then history need not have bothered to go on, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-hoban/if-the-past-cannot-teach-the-present-and-the-father-cannot-teach-the/) [Russell Hoban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-hoban/) > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) ## More by Rhiannon Giddens > [I love the U.K. folk scene. In the States, nobody knows what to do with me. There's still a very narrow definition of Americana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/i-love-the-u-k-folk-scene-in-the-states-nobody-knows-what-to-do-with/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [For me the bare feet are grounding. I'm connected to the Earth in a way that I cannot be any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/for-me-the-bare-feet-are-grounding-i-m-connected-to-the-earth-in-a/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [We have been fed so many false narratives, many of them racialized to deliberately feed a racist agenda. It's important to address and dig…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/we-have-been-fed-so-many-false-narratives-many-of-them-racialized-to/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [I had this dream like years ago. I had this dream - I wanted to be in an all-black string band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/i-had-this-dream-like-years-ago-i-had-this-dream-i-wanted-to-be-in-an/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [I'm not an urban black person. I'm a country black person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/i-m-not-an-urban-black-person-i-m-a-country-black-person/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [To sit in my concert and be uncomfortable is brave. Because you could always leave, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/to-sit-in-my-concert-and-be-uncomfortable-is-brave-because-you-could/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [I'm really interested in history and when I looked into the settlers who came to my home state, North Carolina, I found that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/i-m-really-interested-in-history-and-when-i-looked-into-the-settlers/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [That was the special thing about the Carolina Chocolate Drops. We didn't want to do music full-time. We weren't looking to get rich, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/that-was-the-special-thing-about-the-carolina-chocolate-drops-we-didn/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [There is a black folk music audience. They're just very small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/there-is-a-black-folk-music-audience-they-re-just-very-small/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [When I got into college, I got into operatic vocalists, like Leontyne Price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-got-into-college-i-got-into-operatic-vocalists-like-leontyne/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [People seem ready for a more in-depth idea of folk music, culture and history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/people-seem-ready-for-a-more-in-depth-idea-of-folk-music-culture-and/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [Know thy history. Let it horrify you; let it inspire you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/know-thy-history-let-it-horrify-you-let-it-inspire-you/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [Othering people is something that humans have done for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/othering-people-is-something-that-humans-have-done-for-ever/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [When I first heard the minstrel banjo - I played a gourd first - I almost lost my mind. I was like, Oh, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/when-i-first-heard-the-minstrel-banjo-i-played-a-gourd-first-i-almost/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) > [History is my biggest teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/history-is-my-biggest-teacher/) [Rhiannon Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) [Explore all 99 Rhiannon Giddens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/) ## More Conversation quotes > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [“Having to talk to people was the one thing, but soliciting conversation was something else. If I acted squirmy or didn't make eye contact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/having-to-talk-to-people-was-the-one-thing-but-soliciting/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [In recent years my understanding of God had evolved into increasingly remote abstractions. I'd come to think of God in terms like Divine Reality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/in-recent-years-my-understanding-of-god-had-evolved-into-increasingly/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [The best shows succeed because they tap into a national conversation,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/the-best-shows-succeed-because-they-tap-into-a-national-conversation/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [“And better still to be alone with one’s books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-better-still-to-be-alone-with-one-s-books-they-tell-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) > [Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new-to-try-something-to-change/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) [Browse all 5,224 Conversation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be seen and heard, but that can also add to the conversation about what's going on now.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rhiannon Giddens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-and-shining-a-light-on-pieces/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conversation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-and-shining-a-light-on-pieces/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1d/rhiannon-giddens-6220_conversation_my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-a_12940.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My work as a whole is about excavating and shining a light on pieces of history that not only need to be…” — Rhiannon Giddens", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rhiannon Giddens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-giddens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My work as a whole is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-and-shining-a-light-on-pieces/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-giddens/my-work-as-a-whole-is-about-excavating-and-shining-a-light-on-pieces/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```