23rd National African American Read In

Early Childhood Education Majors Participated in African American Read-In in Farrell.

Twenty-one Westminster College early childhood education/special education majors participated in the 23rd National African American Read-In Feb. 15 at Farrell Elementary School.

The students are enrolled in a literacy methods class taught by Dr. Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, Westminster professor of education.

The read-in is sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English to help students value diverse children's authors. Klassen Endrizzi selected books by African American authors that the Westminster pre-service teachers shared with students in grades one-four. Each classroom received a copy of the book that was read, donated through funding from Westminster's Drinko Center for Experiential Learning.

"I think activities such as Read Alouds are beneficial for students to learn how to think outside of their own personal experiences and promote respect for all people," said senior Christine Moudry.

"I imagined myself feeling very out-of-place, but the minute I stepped into Mrs. Long's fourth-grade classroom my preconceived notions were put to rest," said junior Samantha Garrity. "The fact is that children are children, no matter their race, class, or gender."

"I think teachers should make lessons more culturally relevant to their students as well as students from different ethnic backgrounds," said junior Marah Alouise.

Twenty-one Westminster College early childhood education/special education majors participated in the 23rd National African American Read-In Feb. 15 at Farrell Elementary School

"In order to connect with children, I have to know where they are coming from and be able to see life through their eyes," said junior Hannah Garvey-Staiger.

In addition to current Westminster students, several Westminster alumni participated. Farrell Elementary Title I teachers Nicole Stabile Lombardi and Valerie Morrison worked with Klassen Endrizzi to organize the ongoing collaboration and Japraunika Wright is elementary principal.

"As I reconsider Ralph Waldo Emerson's idea that ‘the secret of education lies in respecting the student,' I keep realizing how some of our pre-service teachers have never worked with children in urban schools," Klassen Endrizzi said. "Considering the increase in English language learners and ethnically diverse students, even in western Pennsylvania, our students need opportunities focused on respecting the unique cultural perspectives of these powerful literacy learners."

Klassen Endrizzi, who has been with Westminster since 1993, earned undergraduate and master's degrees from Fresno Pacific College and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. She is the author of Becoming Teammates: Teachers and Families as Literacy Partners.

Contact Klassen Endrizzi at (724) 946-7189 or email

About Westminster College ... Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster, a top-tier liberal arts college, ranks third in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 6th among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 376 Colleges" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.

Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 42 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.

Monday, March 19, 2012 Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020 +sookie tex

Dr. Clara Small nominated to the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture

SALISBURY, MD---Dr. Clara Small, professor of history at Salisbury University, has been nominated to a four-year term on the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture.

Her service begins Sunday, July 1.

“I am honored to have been selected to serve on the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture for doing what I consider to be a labor of love,” she said. “To preserve the past by researching and teaching history to present and future generations is my passion, and I hope to inspire some of my students to become historians to do the same.”

Also a member of the Maryland Governor’s Commission to Study the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland, Small is well known in the community for her talks on African-American and women’s history, averaging about 90 each year at schools, churches, prisons, halfway houses and civic meetings. Last year, she earned the African-American Tourism Council of Maryland’s prestigious Harriet Ross Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award. She also was honored by the Maryland General Assembly during the 11th annual Harriet Ross Tubman Day of Remembrance in 2011.

Small is the author of an article, “Abolitionists, Free Blacks and Runaway Slaves: Surviving Slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore” in the book A History of African-Americans on Maryland’s and Delaware’s Eastern Shore, and two books: A Reality Check: Brief Biographies of African-Americans on Delmarva and, with the Rev. David Briddell, Men of Color, to Arms! Manumitted Slaves and Free Blacks From the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland Who Served in the Civil War.

Dr. Clara Small

In addition to her scholarly work, she has held a leadership role in a number of local organizations, including Pemberton Hall Manor, SU’s Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, and the Thomas E. Polk Sr. chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers. Through a grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, she helped promote and sponsor the annual Buffalo Soldiers Summer Youth Workshop to educate area children. At SU, Small has been a noteworthy professor both in and out of the classroom. She has served as an advisor to the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first African-American sorority on campus. She was the long-time advisor for SU’s Union of African-American Students and was a catalyst for establishing a student chapter of the NAACP.

She also organized the Maryland Gamma chapter of the Pi Gamma Mu honor society in the social sciences at SU, serving as its co-advisor since 1982. Nationally, she was named its chancellor of the northeastern region in 1991 and has been re-elected to the post every three years until 2011, when she became national second vice president. In 2005, the international organization honored her with its Faithful Service Award.

Beyond her service to the campus, Small has provided food and comfort to those in need. She coordinated efforts in the Salisbury community to send more than 140 boxes of relief supplies to victims of Hurricane Floyd in her native North Carolina, going beyond local collection to drive three vanloads of food, blankets, clothing and other needed items to the stricken area. She was the first person at SU to organize relief efforts for victims in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. At the local level, she continues to coordinate the collection of non-perishable goods for the Maryland Food Bank in Salisbury and other agencies.

Small is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the University System of Maryland’s highest faculty honor, the Board of Regents Award for Excellence, and the Community Foundation’s Frank H. Morris Humanitarian Award. She also has earned the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council’s Tee O’Conner Award for outstanding contributions to African-American heritage issues, as well as the Wicomico County Commission for Women’s Community Service Award and the SU Alumni Association’s Faculty Appreciation Award.

Currently, she is working with the National and Maryland park services to help establish the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park near the site of Tubman’s birthplace in Dorchester County, MD.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu. Salisbury University · 1101 Camden Ave. · Salisbury, MD 21801 · 410-543-6000 +sookie tex

African-American women make up a disproportionate number of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States

African-American women make up a disproportionate number of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Researchers from North Carolina State University are trying to change that, leading a National Science Foundation project aimed at developing HIV/AIDS prevention materials that resonate with African-American female college students.

African-Americans represent approximately 14 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for an estimated 44 percent of new HIV infections in 2009. The estimated rate of new HIV infections among African-American women was 15 times that of white women and over three times that of Latina women.

“We want to know how we can improve the language and communication strategies used in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts targeting African-American female college students,” says Dr. Fay Cobb Payton, an associate professor of information systems at NC State and primary investigator (PI) of the project. “Our goal is to help craft messages that will be resonant with these young women,” says Dr. James Kiwanuka-Tondo, an associate professor of communication at NC State and fellow co-PI of the effort.

The National Science Foundation awarded a two-year grant supporting the project, which is being conducted at NC State and Pennsylvania State University.

“Our previous research found a lack of ‘cultural competency’ in online prevention materials,” Kiwanuka-Tondo says. “Meaning the materials were not culturally relevant to the African-American population in general, and women in particular.”

Drs. James Kiwanuka-Tondo and Fay Cobb Payton.

The researchers have already begun conducting focus groups in an effort to define guidelines for prevention content and messaging that is culturally relevant to African-American female students. “These guidelines will help us develop online content targeting this specific audience,” Payton says. The researchers plan to test the newly developed content and messaging with the focus groups at the beginning of the fall semester. “This is an iterative process,” Payton says, “and we will incorporate feedback from the focus groups to fine tune these communication tools.”

Meanwhile, co-PI Dr. Lynette Kvasny of Penn State will be leading a similar effort on her campus – which should help the research team identify any regional differences among African-American female students.

The NC State research team also includes Kathy Gore of NC State’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, as well as graduate and undergraduate students – several of whom are volunteering their time and effort to work on this important issue.

-shipman-

For Immediate Release: Matt Shipman | News Services | 919.515.6386 Dr. Fay Cobb Payton | 919.513.2744 Dr. James Kiwanuka-Tondo | 919.513.1477

Searching for African Ancestors: Extraordinary Discoveries

For African Americans Seeking to Reclaim Family History, UB Workshop Offers Hope. Two extraordinary women will share their remarkable discoveries of their forebears

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Because so many of their ancestors were slaves, African Americans have often had a difficult time tracking down documentation of their early roots through public and genealogical records and, as a result, early family histories may be unavailable to them.

However, those who have succeeded in this endeavor have sometimes succeeded spectacularly.

Two of those searchers will be at the University at Buffalo for a free public workshop entitled "Searching for African Ancestors: Extraordinary Discoveries" on March 23 in 1004 Clemens Hall, on UB's North Campus, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Lunch will be served.

On that day, Rhonda Brace of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Regina Mason of San Francisco, California, will meet for the first time and share their unique stories of genealogical research and academic collaboration.

Brace discovered that her ancestor, Jeffrey Brace, had published a memoir of slavery in 1810. She worked with Kari Winter, PhD, UB professor of American Studies, the editor of "The Blind African Slave; or Memoirs of Boyereau Brinch, Nicknamed Jeffery Brace," to gather information about the Brace family's history in New England from the Civil War to the present.

United States slave trade, 1830

After years of searching for her family roots, Regina Mason discovered an ancestor named William Grimes, who like Jeffery Brace, had published a memoir of his experiences as a slave (his in 1825).

Mason formed a partnership with William L. Andrews, PhD, E. Maynard Adams Professor of English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and devoted years of research to the production of a new edition of Grimes' book, "Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave

In addition to the discussions by Brace, Mason and Winter, three respondents will offer comments on the presentations: Barbara Nevergold, co-founder of the Uncrowned Queens Institute; Christopher Lee, PhD, associate professor of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario, and Candice Reynolds-Lee of Ontario, a descendent of Jeffery Brace.

Sponsors are the UB Humanities Institute, UB Institute on Research and Education on Women and Gender, the UB Canadian-American Studies Committee and the government of Canada.

Those interested in attending should R.S.V.P. via email to Chenelle D. Massey at cdmassey@buffalo.edu.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Contact: Patricia Donovan pdonovan@buffalo.edu 716-645-4602 +sookie tex

Frankye Adams-Johnson Black Panther Party Collection

Jackson, MS—The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University announces the opening of its newest archival acquisition, the Frankye Adams-Johnson Black Panther Party Collection. The official unveiling will take place on Friday, March 23, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Ayer Hall on the Jackson State campus and will feature a reception and exhibit about the collection.


Adams-Johnson is a noted poet, fiction writer, and playwright. Various literary journals have published her poetry, including A Love Supreme, Poetry in Performance 20, City College, Poem for Daddy Sugahboy, Poetry in Performance 19, City College, and Maw-Maw. At the First Annual National Black Writers Conference of New York in 1986, she received the John Oliver Killens Fiction Award for excerpts from her memoir, Daughter of the Whirlwinds.

Adams-Johnson is a past Chairwoman of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, one of the Margaret Walker Center’s partners in Ayer Hall at Jackson State University. The unveiling will be in conjunction with the Veterans’ annual conference and the grand opening of the COFO Civil Rights Education Center.

Both an archive and museum, the Margaret Walker Center is dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and dissemination of the African-American experience. Founded by Margaret Walker in 1968, the Center seeks to honor her artistic and academic legacy by expanding and promoting its manuscript holdings and oral history collections, interpreting African-American history and culture through its museum and exhibits, coordinating public programs on campus and throughout the community, preserving historic structures central to the African-American experience, and advocating Black Studies at Jackson State University.

For more information, visit the Center’s website at www.jsums.edu/margaretwalker or contact the Center’s staff at 601-979-2055 or mwa@jsums.edu. Contact: Dr. Robert Luckett, Director Margaret Walker Center Jackson State University 601-979-2055 robert.luckett@jsums.edu For Immediate Release March 5, 2012.

Minority students face harsher discipline, less access to rigorous school curricula, & are more often taught by lower-paid, less experienced teachers

U.S. Department of Education Releases New Data Highlighting Educational Inequities Around Teacher Experience, Discipline and High School Rigor, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali present at Howard University

WASHINGTON (March 6, 2012) – Today, at the iconic Founder's Library of Howard University, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali presented new data from a national survey of more than 72,000 schools serving 85% of the nation’s students. The report is the first of its kind, representing findings from school districts nationwide.

Minority students across America face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curricula, and are more often taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers, according to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

The event at Howard University was attended by civil rights and education reform groups. The self-reported data, Part II of the 2009-10 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), covers a range of issues including college and career readiness, discipline, school finance, and student retention.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the CRDC findings are a wake-up call to educators at every level and issued a broad challenge to work together to address educational inequities.

"The power of the data is not only in the numbers themselves, but in the impact it can have when married with the courage and the will to change. The undeniable truth is that the everyday educational experience for many students of color violates the principle of equity at the heart of the American promise. It is our collective duty to change that,” Duncan said.

For more information and details of the report visit www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/new-data-us-department-education-highlights-educational-inequities-around-teache About Howard University: Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 12 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholar, a Marshall Scholar, 19 Fulbright Scholars and 10 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African- American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at www.howard.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Rachel Mann Communications Specialist 202.238.2631 rachel.mann@howard.edu WEB: www.howard.edu/newsroom/

Trinity University has acquired the papers of San Antonio civil rights activists the Rev. Claude William Black Jr.

SAN ANTONIO - Trinity University has acquired the papers of San Antonio civil rights activists the Rev. Claude William Black Jr. and his wife, ZerNona Stewart Black.

The collection includes a breadth of topics, including local and national civil rights and social and civic issues from the mid-1800s to 2009, when Black died. After preliminary work to process and prepare the materials for access, the collection will be housed in the Coates Library, Special Collections and Archives.

The collection was donated to Trinity by the Black's grandson, Taj Matthews, executive director of the Claude & ZerNona Black Developmental Leadership Foundation.

"The late Rev. Claude and ZerNona Black have left an immeasurable legacy of service to our nation. As Christian leaders, civil rights leaders, political leaders, and humanitarians, they worked for over 60 years to improve the lives of others," Matthews said. "I am extremely excited about the partnership with Trinity University to bring their life work to a broader audience."

The collection was acquired through the efforts of numerous individuals, including Trinity President Dennis A. Ahlburg; Trinity University Librarian Diane Graves; Amy Roberson, special collections and archives librarian at Trinity; and Carey H. Latimore IV, associate professor and co-chair of history and co-director of the African American Studies program at Trinity.

"Trinity's acquisition of this collection is a sign of our commitment not only to scholars and students but the wider community to which we belong," Ahlburg said, adding, "Reverend Black, I am told, held our institution in high regard. He was particularly fond of our Urban Studies program. Throughout his life he was a strong advocate of the value of teaching, scholarship, and engagement with the community. These are values to which our institution is committed. We expect that this collection will help us further develop connections between Trinity and our extended community."

Latimore also is an associate minister at Mount Zion First Baptist Church, where Black served as pastor for 49 years. Latimore will be the first researcher to examine the collection. "I knew ZerNona and I knew Claude Black, and I served on the pulpit with Reverend Black," Latimore said. "So I know him not only as a civil rights activist, but also as a Baptist preacher and an amazing human being." As a historian, Latimore said he is excited to review a collection that will offer a window into the life and legacy of two African American leaders in San Antonio, and he added, "This collection will make a valuable contribution to our understanding of race relations in San Antonio and beyond."

The collection also contains handwritten notes and recorded audio sound cassettes that document Black's many sermons, memorial services, and explorations of religious doctrine. Scrapbooks include photographs, pamphlets, political ephemera, and newspaper clippings of Black's campaigns and election as a San Antonio city councilman in 1973, his appointment in 1974 as the city's first African American mayor pro tem, and his participation in city events. Notebooks, photographs and memorabilia reveal the history of the African American community in San Antonio and surrounding areas. The civic activism of both Reverend Black and ZerNona in areas such as elder care and the well-being of the community is present throughout the collection.

Text provided by Donna Morales Guerra, project archivist assigned to the Claude and ZerNona Black Papers at Coates Library, Special Collections and Archives. She previously was the city archivist for the San Antonio Municipal Archives & Records and the senior curatorial assistant at the Archive of World Music, Loeb Music Library, Harvard University.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: The Office of University Communications pr@trinity.edu (210) 999-8406

Dr. Arlette Miller Smith accepts the Black Heritage Pioneer Award

On Saturday, February 25, Dr. Arlette Miller Smith, Associate Professor in the English Department, accepted the Black Heritage Pioneer Award. This year, the award was given to four women, all of whom have shown leadership and commitment in support of the theme: “Year of the Black Woman/Celebrating the Black Woman.” The award is sponsored by the City of Rochester’s Black Heritage Committee.

According to the committee, they were looking to recognize African American women who have made great strides in “lifting up the idea, identity, and voices of black women.”

The award criteria included: individuals and/or organizations that have deliberately demonstrated their appreciation of/for, and/or their support and commitment to the empowerment and development of African-American woman/girls in one or more of the following areas:

• Educational attainment;

• Professional development (including but not limited to improved political awareness; business and career development; and personal development skills);

• Faith formation & spiritual development;

• Parenting and family development skills;

• Improved health and wellness outcomes (includes athletic development and sports involvement);

• Artistic expression and appreciation (all forms and mediums, including but not limited to the performing arts, visual arts and literary arts).

Dr. Arlette Miller Smith

Other winners included: Keischa Higdon, Founder and Executive Director, Sisters Together Achieving Results; Dr. Cynthia McGill, Author, Former Assistant Provost, Rochester Institute of Technology and Pastor, New Life Fellowship; and Melanie Silas, Assistant Professor, Monroe Community College, Author, Playwright, and Pastor. Marketing & Communications Kate Torok, Senior Communication Specialist Email: ktorok@sjfc.edu Phone: (585) 899-3801 Anne Geer, Director of Marketing & Communications Email: ageer@sjfc.edu Phone: (585) 385-8070

Howard Dodson Jr. movement to preserve African-American history, named director Moorland-Spingarn Research Center & Howard University Library System

Howard Dodson Jr. Named Director of Moorland-Spingarn and Howard University Libraries
Scholar Noted for Raising the Profile of Harlem’s Schomburg Center

WASHINGTON – Howard Dodson Jr., a national leader in the movement to preserve African-American history, has been named the new director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and director of the Howard University Library System. Dodson retired last year from his position as director of Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture after 27 years of service.

"Dodson brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise as the new leader of Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and University Libraries," said Howard University President Sidney Ribeau. "He will be instrumental as we execute our research agenda and preserve our cultural treasures."

The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center (MSRC) is recognized as one of the world's largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of the world. As one of Howard University's major research facilities, the MSRC collects, preserves, and makes available for research a wide range of resources chronicling the Black experience.

“We have too few centers that are documenting the global Black experience. Moorland has been one of the most important ones for nearly 100 years,” Dodson said.

Its collections include more than 175,000 bound volumes and tens of thousands of journals, periodicals, and newspapers; more than 17,000 feet of manuscript and archival collections; nearly 1000 audio tapes; hundreds of artifacts; 100,000 prints, photographs, maps, and other graphic items. The collections are used by scholars, museums, students, and other researchers from Howard University and throughout the world. Information provided by the MSRC is regularly used in exhibitions, video productions, news programming, and a wide range of publications.

Howard Dodson Jr.

Dodson’s immediate priorities at Howard University include increasing Moorland’s hours: providing twenty-four hour service in Founders Library, and enhancing the interior environments of both. He also plans to expand access to collections and make the libraries more active partners in student learning and university research. Finally, he plans to revitalize and upgrade the University’s library system, the newest member of the Washington Research Library Consortium. Dodson is credited with extending the reach and reputation of the Schomburg Center through major exhibitions and acquisitions. Today, the Center is recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world. Dodson became chief of the Schomburg in 1984. Under his direction, the Center’s holdings doubled to 10 million. Acquisitions included the collections of Malcolm X, Lorraine Hansberry and Maya Angelou.

Publishing projects Dodson spearheaded have included numerous microform editions of collections of original documents, a six-volume encyclopedia of African American history and culture, and a 30-volume collection of writings by African-American women.

Under Dodson’s stewardship, the Schomburg Center has been an innovator in using the Internet to increase access to library materials. He enhanced the quality of the Schomburg Center’s exhibitions, public programs, and special events. Attendance tripled to 120,000 people per year.

Dodson was born in Chester, Penn., in 1939. He graduated from West Chester State College in 1961 with a degree in social studies and secondary education and in 1964 received a master’s degree in history and political science from Villanova University. Dodson joined the Peace Corps in 1964, serving for two years in Ecuador and later as a national Peace Corps staff member. He then entered a doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley where he focused on the comparative history of slavery in the Western Hemisphere.

Through the years, Dodson has lectured widely on various topics nationally and internationally. His books include Becoming American: The Africa-American Journey; In Motion: the African-American Migration Experience; Jubilee: the Emergence of African-American Culture; and The Black New Yorkers: The Schomburg Illustrated Chronology.

In recognition of his contribution to the development of the Schomburg Center, Dodson has been awarded honorary doctorates by Villanova University (2007), the City University of New York (2004), West Chester State University (2004), Adelphi University (2004) and Widener University (1987). In 2010, Dodson was designated a New York City “Living Landmark” by the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

ABOUT HOWARD: Howard University is a private research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 24 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at: www.howard.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Rachel Mann Communications Specialist 202.238.2631 rachel.mann@howard.edu WEB: www.howard.edu/newsroom/

The Smithsonian broke ground for its 19th museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture VIDEO

The Smithsonian broke ground for its 19th museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 10 a.m. in an invitation-only ceremony on the National Mall. President Barack Obama spoke at the ceremony. Other honored guests included First Lady Michelle Obama, former First Lady Laura Bush, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Gov. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). The ceremony took place on the museum’s five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W.

“I think about my daughters and I think about your children, the millions of visitors who will stand where we stand long after we’re gone,” said President Obama. “And I want them to appreciate this museum not just as a record of tragedy, but as a celebration of life. When future generations hear these songs of pain and progress and struggle and sacrifice, I hope they will not think of them as somehow separate from the larger American story. I want them to see it as central—an important part of our shared story.”

“With this groundbreaking we move closer toward creating a museum to make manifest the dreams of many generations,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the museum. “The structure about to rise on the National Mall will be a signature building, and the museum it houses will give us a way to ensure that America understands the African American experience as a history that has shaped us all.”

The National Museum of African American History and Culture was created in 2003 by an Act of Congress, establishing it as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The museum will be the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to showcasing African American life, art, history and culture.

Design and Construction

The construction of the museum will begin in summer 2012 and is expected to take three years. FreelonAdjayeBond/SmithGroup was selected as the museum’s architectural and engineering firm in April 2009, and Clark/Smoot/Russell was selected as the construction firm in July 2011. The museum is expected to cost about $500 million, with half of the funds being raised by the museum and half of the funds provided by Congress.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Freelon Adjaye Bond / SmithGroup

When it opens, the 380,000-square-foot museum will have a three-tiered bronze “Corona,” or crown. Other design elements have been chosen to mirror the faith, hope and resiliency of the African American spirit. The museum also will be designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification. Sustainable elements in the museum will include solar hot water panels on the roof and a geothermal groundwater system.

Collections

The museum currently has about 25,000 objects in its collection, which cover the major periods in African American history, beginning with the origins in Africa and continuing through slavery, Reconstruction, the civil rights era, the Harlem Renaissance and into the 21st century. Some highlights of the collection are the Harriet Tubman collection, including her hymnal, lace shawl (given to her by Queen Victoria) and family photographs from her funeral; a Jim Crow railroad car (c. 1922); the Black Fashion Museum collection; a Tuskegee Airmen Boeing-Stearman PT-13D trainer plane and Congressional Gold Medal; and works of art by Charles Alston, John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence and Lorna Simpson.

Inaugural Exhibitions

The museum’s inaugural exhibitions will focus on the broad themes of history, culture and community. These exhibitions (all titles are working titles) will include:

Slavery and Freedom will focus on the crucial role slavery played in the making of America and its impact on generations of enslaved Africans and their descendants. It will consider the paradox of a nation founded on the principles of life, liberty, justice and equality at a time when one-fifth of the population was enslaved.

Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation will explore the years following Reconstruction, the restrictive laws and practices that created a segregated society, and the violence and intimidation that kept the races separate. It also will explore the great migration of African Americans from the South, cultural movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and the modern civil rights movement.

Beyond 1968 will explore the social and political history of an era beginning with the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and ending in 2009. It also will examine how the quest for racial equality helped shape the development of popular culture, education, entertainment, politics and social policy.

Power of Place will show the broad diversity of African American life and regional cultures in communities that took root in different areas of the country. Visitors will recognize pieces of their own history and regional cultures in the exhibition and make connections to gain insight into the variety of places that exist across America.

Making a Way Out of No Way will examine how African Americans acted to change and build their lives in the midst of racial oppression. It will showcase the stories of individuals whose lives exemplified this struggle as well as the organizations and institutions that provided strength and support for the black community.

Military History will look at the service and sacrifice of black soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and sailors, as well as the roles that African American women and families played back home.

Sports: Leveling the Playing Field will showcase the inspiring ideas, efforts and skills that African Americans have put into this vital part of American life. It also will explore how sports helped people respond to injustice and form communities.

Musical Crossroads will tell the story of African American music from the arrival of the first Africans to the present day.

Additional exhibitions will focus on cultural expressions, entertainment, visual arts and youth.

The exhibitions are being designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates in collaboration with the museum’s curators and historians. RAA has designed exhibitions for numerous museums, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and the Newseum.

Currently, the museum has its own gallery at the National Museum of American History. The museum’s current exhibition “Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty,” opened to the public Jan. 27 and will be on view until Oct 14. This exhibition, presented in partnership with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello, features artifacts from the Smithsonian’s collections and from excavations at Jefferson’s Virginia plantation. It provides a rare and detailed look at the lives of six slave families living at Monticello.

# # # SI-71-2012

GENERAL SMITHSONIAN CONTACT Linda St.Thomas, Chief Spokesperson, Smithsonian Institution (202) 633-5188 stthomasl@si.edu

Histories of African Americans in the town of Muskogee

STILLWATER -February is Black History Month, and the OSU Library’s Oklahoma Oral History Research Program has helped that history be recognized through a project on Muskogee’s African American community.

In 2009 the OOHRP partnered with the Muskogee Public Library to record the histories of African Americans in the town of Muskogee. Muskogee was once the third largest city in Oklahoma and was home to a thriving African American community.

The OOHRP’s goal for the project was to discover the effect integration in the 1960s had on the population. Current members of Muskogee’s African American community were interviewed about their perceptions of Muskogee before integration as well as their perceptions of the town today.

Tanya Finchum, an OORHP librarian, said, “Jan Bryant, the director of the Muskogee Public Library, was very interested in gathering oral histories with members of the African American community that her library served. The OOHRP was also eager to increase the diversity in our collection, not to mention that this was part of the little-documented cultural history of Oklahoma.”

In his interview, Lansing Lee, an OSU alumnus, said, “When I was a grade schooler, I can remember (we didn’t have a car at the time) walking to town with my mother and seeing the little water fountains that said, ‘white’ and ‘colored.’ Going to a laundry mat and seeing a sign that says, ‘Whites Only Beyond This Point.’ Not being able to go into some stores at all or being very careful to be in one section of the store only. You know, it’s a lot different now. Some say there’s more freedom now. There’s more freedom to interact with other people. More freedom to get around and go buy whatever you want from whoever you want.”

There are currently 11 interviews in the Muskogee African American Heritage project. The entire collection can be viewed online through the Library’s website at www.library.okstate.edu/oralhistory/soohp/muskogee-list.htm.

Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system of interdisciplinary programs that prepares students for success. OSU is America’s Brightest Orange. Through leadership and service, OSU is preparing students for a bright future and building a brighter world for all. As Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research, and outreach. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 240,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.

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TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Oklahoma State University | Stillwater, OK 74078 | 405.744.5000, February 22, 2012. Story by Emily Nielsen, OSU Library Communications Intern, For Immediate Release.

The Black Men's Initiative Forum this year's theme of "Building Capacity: Are You Equipped?"

MADISON - The Black Men's Initiative Forum on Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25 will help develop strong leadership through programs embracing this year's theme of "Building Capacity: Are You Equipped?"

The event, is made possible through a partnership with the Wisconsin Association of Black Men (WABM) and the UW-Madison Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate, begins with a session Friday, Feb. 24 in the Phillips Lounge of Ogg Hall, 835 W. Dayton St., from 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Nationally known scholar on black male achievement, Shaun Harper, associate professor and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, will provide the keynote message for the program.

"With the challenges that we face in our communities regarding male youth of color, I am glad that we have created this space for individuals from across our community to share, learn, and grow with one another," says Damon A. Williams, UW-Madison vice provost and chief diversity officer. "There has never been a more imperative time to plant and nurture the seeds of leadership in our community and we are glad to partner with members of the student and Madison community in this way."

Leadership for the event is provided by Williams' office, WABM and representatives of the 100 Black Men of Madison. This year's forum will continue into a second day of seminars on developing personal leadership, accountability, character, and personal integrity on Saturday, Feb. 25 in the AT&T Lounge of the Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St. from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Shaun R. Harper

"This year WABM decided to develop additional training that addresses the leadership needs and goals defined in past forums," says Shawn Harris of the Wisconsin Association of Black Men's leadership team. "Our long-term intent is to provide intergenerational mentorship for developing strong black male leaders among college men, expand our reach to learn from our experienced mentors while reaching back for younger men to follow." Although this event is targeted toward the concerns and challenges of African American males, the event is open to anyone in the community, regardless of background. Registration is available here: - Friday and Saturday sessions: http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/reg/catalog_course_detail.asp?course_key=37198 -Friday only: http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/reg/catalog_course_detail.asp?course_key=37653

-Saturday only: http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/reg/catalog_course_detail.asp?course_key=37655

### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/17/12 CONTACT: Valeria Davis, (608) 890-3079, vadavis2@wisc.edu BLACK MEN'S INITIATIVE FORUM SET FOR FEB. 24-25

BRAIN STORM!, trivia game based entirely on African American trivia, is coming to Marshall University

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – BRAIN STORM!, a team trivia game show based entirely on African American trivia, is coming to Marshall University’s Huntington campus on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

The production, presented to Marshall by Simplified Entertainment of New York, begins at 7 p.m. in room BE5 of the Memorial Student Center. It is sponsored by Marshall’s Center for African American Students’ Programs and helps promote February as African American History Month.

During the trivia game show, the entire audience plays at the same time. A 10-foot video screen displays the questions for all to see. A flashy stage display with an energetic host keeps the action going while the audience uses remote control handsets.

Participants “brainstorm” it out for the best answer. Categories include politics, medicine, drama, television, music, sports and others. Students and community groups are encouraged to form their own teams of four to eight participants.

Church groups, friendship groups, clubs, fraternities, sororities, class groups, student organizations and residence halls are examples of possible participants. It is free to play, and the winning teams receive cash prizes.

For more information, persons visit the Center for African American Students’ Programs in room 1W25 of the Memorial Student Center or call Director Maurice Cooley at 304-696-5430.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, February 17, 2012 Contact: Maurice Cooley, Director, Center for African American Students' Programs, 304-696-5430 For further information, contact: Office of University Communications Marshall University 213 Old Main | Huntington, WV 25755-1090 Fax: (304) 696-3197

Marshall University discovery of a lost manuscript by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dr. Daryl Michael Scott, a Howard University historian, will be on Marshall University’s Huntington campus next week to discuss his discovery of a lost manuscript by Dr. Carter G. Woodson.

The event will take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in room BE5 of the Memorial Student Center. It is free and open to the public. A reception, sponsored by the MU Information Technology Library Associates, will follow.

Scott, who is also vice president of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (founded by Woodson in 1915), will discuss how he discovered the manuscript in a storage container about five years ago and authenticated it.

Scott’s visit is being sponsored by the Marshall’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Division of Multicultural Affairs, Center for African American Students’ Programs, and African and African American Studies program, as well as the MU Information Technology Library Associates and the Cabell County Schools. While in Huntington, Scott also will make a presentation to social studies teachers and students at Huntington High School.

Woodson was a graduate of Douglass High School in Huntington and later served as the school’s principal, as well as dean of what is now West Virginia State University. He was the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University and the only offspring of former slaves to receive a doctorate in history from any university. Widely known as the “father of African American history,” Woodson came up with the idea for Negro History Week in 1926, which is now Black History Month. In addition to founding the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, he started the influential “Journal of Negro History” in 1916.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012 Contact: Burnis Morris School of Journalism and Mass Communications, 304-696-4635 +sookie tex

Redefined 2012: African-American Male Summit

Redefined 2012: African-American Male Summit

When: February 25, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Add to Calendar
Where: Walb Student Union
Tagged: ODMA Black History Month 2012
Filed Under: Home , Black Collegian Caucus , All Events at IPFW , Diversity & Multicultural Affairs , PR , Sociology , Athletics

If you are looking for an opportunity to develop educationally, plan to attend......................

Redefined 2012: African-American Male Summit in the Walb Student Union, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.. Admission is free for IPFW students. High School Students, $5, Non-IPFW Students, $25.

For more information, please contact the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) (260)481-6604. 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 4680 1-866-597-0010 +sookie tex

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Black Studies Program will sponsor poet, professor and lecturer Sonia Sanchez

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Black Studies Program will sponsor poet, professor and lecturer Sonia Sanchez as its keynote speaker on Friday, Feb. 17 at 6:45 p.m. at the UMKC School of Education, Room 115, 615 E. 51st St., Kansas City, Mo.

The UMKC Division of Diversity, Access, and Equity, the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences Bernadine Haskell Fund, and the UMKC English Department: Language & Literature are co-sponsoring the event.

Sanchez will be interviewed on stage by KC Currents radio host, Susan Wilson, Ph.D., followed by a reading from her works. The program will conclude with a book signing. Additionally, on Wednesday, Feb. 16, Sanchez will visit the UMKC African American Literature 1 class and later meet with area poets and creative writers.

"Sonia Sanchez emerged as one of the leading poetic innovators and political visionaries of the Black Arts and Black Consciousness Movement of the 1960s and 1970s," said Clovis E. Semmes, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Black Studies Program. "She has remained an exemplary and fresh creative force to the present."

An activist, scholar and author of more than 16 books, Sanchez is a national and international lecturer on Black culture and literature, women's liberation, peace and racial justice. In December 2011, she was named the first poet laureate of the City of Philadelphia and has lectured at more than 500 universities and colleges in the U.S. As an advocate for the introduction of Black Studies courses in California, she was the first to create and teach a course based on Black Women and literature in the U.S.

Sonia Sanchez

Sanchez was named the first Presidential Fellow at Temple University where she began working in 1977 and held the Laura Carnell Chair in English. In addition, she is the Poetry Society of America's 2001 Robert Frost Medalist and received the Langston Hughes Poetry Award for 1999. About the UMKC Black Studies Program The Black Studies Program is an academic unit that holistically examines the experience, contributions and condition of African-descent peoples in the formation and evolution of American society and culture.

The focus extends to an examination of the active role of Africa and the African Diaspora in global society and human culture. Through both a social scientific and a humanistic orientation, the Black Studies Program provides a unique and rich approach to accessing and comprehending the human experience.

About the University of Missouri-Kansas City

The University of Missouri-Kansas City, one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb 9, 2012 #013. Contact: Wandra Brooks Green 816-235-1601

Gospel Extravaganza, films among TTU’s free Black History Month events

February will be busy for Tennessee Tech University’s Office of Minority Affairs as it hosts various Black History Month celebrations.

Events will include a spoken word artist, film screenings, a banquet honoring Cookeville residents who have contributed to and improved life in town, and the annual Gospel Extravaganza.

“We’ve always got a lot going on this month,” said Robert Owens, TTU’s director of minority affairs. “I want to give some history but to make it interesting and entertaining.”

All events are free and open to the public. Each of the films will all begin at noon in the Black Cultural Center on the second floor of the Roaden University Center.

- “Wade in the Water, Children,” a documentary that tells the story of children growing up after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans’ violent Central City neighborhood, will be shown on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

- “Heaven’s Fall,” a film based on the true story of two women who accused nine young black men of rape in the segregated South, will be screened on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

- A soul food dinner featuring spoken word artist Black Ice will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in the RUC multipurpose room. Black Ice has starred in five consecutive seasons of HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam,” and was a leading cast member of the Tony-award winning “Def Poetry on Broadway.”

- “Banished: How Whites Drove Blacks out of Town in America,” which looks at three cities that forced African-Americans to leave through violence in post-reconstruction America, will be shown on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

- Gospel Extravaganza begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, at Trinity Baptist Church. Several groups from the church and the TTU United Voices of Praise will sing.

- A forum, “Racism in America: Does it still Exist,” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the TTU Black Cultural Center on the second floor of the RUC. Panelists include TTU education professor Lisa Zagumny; TTU history professor and chair of the diversity council Wali Kharif; TTU students Camille Woods and Andrew Scott; Ryan Dalton, a Cookeville resident who served as a missionary in South Africa; and Robert Redhawk Eldridge, a Native American.

- “Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre of 1968” will be screened on Wednesday, Feb. 22. The film tells the true story of a shooting rampage at South Carolina State University that is often called “the Kent State of the South.”

- IMPACT, Innovative Men Progressing the African-American Community Together, will hold a banquet to honor Marc Burnett, TTU vice president for student affairs; Johnnie Wheeler, a former member of the Putnam County Board of Commissioners; and Morris Irby, one of the earliest TTU African-American alumni. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the RUC multipurpose room. To reserve a seat, email cjohnson@tntech.edu"> cjohnson@tntech.edu

- “The Help,” the award-winning film about white women and their black maids, will be screened on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Tennessee Tech University Contact: Posted by Lori Shull - Thursday, February 09 2012 lshull@tntech.edu

Halifax Community College (HCC) "Saluting Our Local African-American Heroes" celebration

Seven to be honored at HCC African-American Heroes event, Feb. 16

WELDON, N.C. – For the fifth year, Halifax Community College (HCC) will hold its "Saluting Our Local African-American Heroes" celebration. Special honors will be bestowed on six community leaders and one HCC student during the Feb. 16 ceremony to be held at The Centre. The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Allen Purser will be the guest speaker. The event is sponsored by The Daily Herald.

This year’s honorees include:
• George Branch (volunteer firefighter and founder of a local medical transportation company)
• Gary Grant (educator, author and community activist)
• Lester Greenwood Jr. (first African-American fire chief in Northampton County)
• Donte Johnson (HCC student)
• Rev. Dr. Charles McCollum (retired educator, current minister and community activist)
• Beatrice Strayhorn (retired educator and community volunteer)
• Ruby Vincent Ward (retired educator and community volunteer)

Heroes are chosen based on their commitment and contributions to the community, unselfish devotion to others, initiative, innovation and leadership, and willingness to share time and wisdom through community service. HCC student heroes are chosen based on their commitment and contributions to the HCC community, initiative, innovation and leadership, and demonstration of academic promise.

Halifax Community College’s Mission: Halifax Community College strives to meet the diverse needs of our community by providing high-quality, accessible and affordable education and services for a rapidly changing and globally competitive marketplace. Primary Media Contact: Melanie Temple, Director of Public Relations and Marketing, templem@halifaxcc.edu, 252-538-4319

St. Cloud State's observance of Black History Month

St. Cloud State's observance of Black History Month includes films, food, entertainment, presentations, discussions, poetry and more.

February is the month students and employees honor nearly 500 years of contributions to American life by people of African ancestry.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, an estimated 645,000 African slaves were brought to the American colonies and later the United States. Descendants of those slaves -- and others -- helped build, defend, govern, feed, educate, entertain and inspire a nation.

Feb. 7

Singer, performer, filmmaker and photographer Byron Motley presents "The Negro Baseball Leagues: An American Legacy," an educational and entertaining look at the segregated baseball leagues and the roles they played in the early days of the civil rights movement. Included is a 10-minute preview of a documentary film Motley is producing on the subject. Be there: 12:30 p.m. in Atwood Theater.


"Pride and Perseverance: The Story of the Negro Leagues" is a 50-minute film narrated by Hall of Famer and native Minnesotan Dave Winfield. The film, which includes rarely seen footage from the 1920s through 1950s, is a Major League Baseball production. Be there: 4:30 p.m. in Atwood Theater.

Feb. 11

Ebony Night is a celebration of Black America. This year's theme is "Illuminating our Path, Revealing Our Essence." Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for non-students. Be there: 6-9 p.m. Atwood Ballroom.

Daniel Bergin. documentarian and adjunct faculty member, screens his 2004 film "North Star: Minnesota's Black Pioneers" Feb. 15 in Stewart Hall.

Feb. 13 "Brown Sugar: A Night of Poetry" will feature spoken-word performances, music and conversation, by and about African Americans. Be there: 6 p.m. in The Quarry, Atwood Memorial Center. Feb. 13-17 Look for the "Black Love: A Week of Facts" kiosk in Atwood Memorial Center. Questions, facts and prizes about everything Black.

February 15

Daniel Bergin, award-winning film documentarian and adjunct faculty member, will screen "North Star: Minnesota’s Black Pioneers." The film discusses Minnesota’s African American citizens and their histories. Bergin will facilitate a discussion following the screening. Be there: 2 p.m. in Room 120, Stewart Hall.

Feb. 16

The film "Memphis Dreams: Searching for the Promised Land" reveals the tragic story of the African-American experience, documenting the brutal reality of slavery, the milestones in the struggle for fundamental rights, and the 1968 killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis. Be there: 5 p.m. in Atwood Theater.

Feb. 18

Liberian Night will feature food, entertainment and fun. Be there: 6 p.m. in Atwood Ballroom.

Feb. 22

A student panel titled "Fulfilling the Dream" will discuss the ongoing struggle for racial, religious and cultural equality. Be there: 6 p.m., South Voyageurs, Atwood Memorial Center.

Programming is sponsored by these St. Cloud State entities: Council for African American Students, Liberian Student Association, Multicultural Student Services, Media Out of the Box, Cultural Diversity Committee and the Student Finance Committee. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.

Contact: University Communications St. Cloud State University (320) 308-2284 jcwood@stcloudstate.edu

Cornell University Library’s extensive new collection of African-American photographs

Completing the African-American Picture In Time for Black History Month, Library Acquires Thousands of Historical Photographs

ITHACA, N.Y. (Jan. 31, 2012) – Cornell University Library’s extensive new collection of African-American photographs contains impressive images of iconic leaders of the civil rights movement and world-changing events — but the less momentous moments in black history make up an equally important part of the collection.

Among the nearly 2,000 items, recently donated by Beth and Stephan Loewentheil, are images of African Americans going about their regular lives in the 19th and 20th centuries.

“Certainly, African Americans were fighting for justice in this country, but at the same time, they were celebrating births and graduations and marriages, mourning deaths, holding family reunions, buying new homes and cars and clothes — the stuff of everyday life,” said Katherine Reagan, curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts. "Those things can be easily overshadowed, but this collection provides a window into the lives of men and women who are so frequently underrepresented in the historical record.”

Images in the collection depict the African-American experience from slavery in the agricultural antebellum South to celebrities of modern media-frenzied America.

“I'm thrilled about the collection for the possibilities it offers for research in African and African American Studies, especially as portraits like those in the new collection are hard to find today in both private and public collections,” said Cheryl Finley, associate professor of art at Cornell. “Images such as these reveal volumes about the social, material, cultural and political lives of the people pictured as well as those who may have lived similar lives or had similar experiences.”

Two children standing on a crescent moon with a starry backdrop.

Among the collection’s most memorable images are striking photographs of Martin Luther King Jr. in a jail cell, rare tintypes of freed slaves and personal family photo albums. The photographs also encompass a wide diversity of formats: daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, carte-de-visite photographs, albumen prints, Polaroids and more. In honor of Black History Month, the Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections will display a sample of the collection in the gallery space between Olin and Kroch libraries on Cornell’s main campus in Ithaca, N.Y. The exhibition will open Wednesday, Feb. 1, and it is free and open to the public. The collection will soon be open to researchers from all over the world and, Reagan added, “it has a tremendously high research value. It’s a trove of material that will help scholars who are looking for a more comprehensive view of a period that saw enormous changes for people of color in the United States.”

The African-American photographs are the newest component of the Beth and Stephan JD '75 Loewentheil Family Photographic Collection, a magnificent set of 16,000 historic images that make up a candid cross-section of the early American experience.

Many of those photographs are also currently on display on level 2B of the Carl A. Kroch Library as part of the major exhibition, “Dawn’s Early Light: The First 50 Years of American Photography.”

FOR RELEASE: Contact: Gwen Glazer. Phone: (607) 254-8390. E-mail: gglazer[at]cornell.edu