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"A Black body in a space presumed to be white is at best out of place and at worst a threat. This reality extends to less visible spaces, such as the historical archive." -Dr. Ashley Farmer, Archiving While Black
Introduction
"The American Negro must remake his past in order to make his future." -Arthur Schomburg, The Negro Digs Up His Past
This module uses a survey of historic materials from Kennesaw State University's Archives and Special Collections and the Bentley Rare Book Museum to explore the importance of archiving the African American experience. As you navigate the module, consider the following key questions:
Why is the Black experience important? Who speaks for Black people? Who records and preserves the Black experience? Whose voices are missing from Black history?
Background images: [Previous image]: African American Students at Southern Polytechnic State University, 1970s; [Current image]: Students at Lemon Street Elementary School in Marietta, GA, circa 1950. Images courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections, Kennesaw State University.
View the photos below excerpted from an 1881 copy of Uncle Remus: His Songs and Sayings and from the 1946 Walt Disney film Song of the South, which is based on the aforementioned book. At the time of their appearance, both pieces sought to depict the African American experience during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the Reconstruction era (1865-1877).
Black History?
The images above are based on the Uncle Remus stories written by Georgia native Joel Chandler Harris , a white male who lived during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century. Harris's tales are renditions of African American folktales that he overheard from enslaved people while working as a printing compositor at the Turnwold plantation in Eatonton, GA from 1862-1866.
What are your first impressions of these images? Which elements appear accurate or inaccurate and why? How might adapted tales like the Uncle Remus stories or movies like Song of the South potentially misinterpret Black history or perpetuate stereotypes about African Americans?
Image: Title page of Uncle Remus, His Songs and Sayings: The Folk-lore of the Old Plantation, Joel Chandler Harris, 1881. Courtesy of the Bentley Rare Book Museum.
". . . It is the social damage of slavery that the present generation must repair and offset." -Arthur Schomburg, The Negro Digs Up His Past
Archives are records of the past that inform our understanding of history. For centuries, archives have often been used as tools to oppress, silence, and misrepresent African American communities. Despite these obstacles, African Americans have judiciously collected and preserved evidence of Black life and achievement on their own. Let's take a closer look at the meaning of archives.
What are archives? What is an archive?
Archives are records created and received in the course of daily life and preserved because of their enduring value and evidence of activities. Archival records are primary sources, meaning they were created during the time of an event or later recounted by an eye witness.
The term "archive" may also refer to a physical space. An archive is a repository that preserves records of enduring value. For example, the University Archives and Special Collections at Kennesaw State University collects and preserves university records and special collections. University records document the history of Kennesaw State University and the former Southern Polytechnic State University. Special collections document the people, places, and organizations of the northwest GA region. The Bentley Rare Book Museum is a different yet related location on campus where cultural heritage is preserved. The Bentley Rare Book Museum primarily collects and preserves rare and historic books of the English-speaking world.
Archival records are important because they serve as evidence of the past. Archives are not, however, neutral. Historically marginalized communities often have complex relationships with archival materials and archival repositories. Many of these communities have been victims of systemic issues in archival practice, including a lack of representation in collections and insufficient or oppressive catalog descriptions. Diversity initiatives and Reparative Archival Description efforts are helping to correct some of these harmful actions.
Image: Speech written by Marion Thomas, 1971. Courtesy of the KSU Archives.
What can I find in the archives?
Archival materials range in age and format. Examples of archives include correspondence (e.g. letters, postcards, emails), diaries, scrapbooks, oral histories, social media posts, photographs, film, newspapers, magazines, government documents, handwritten notes, meeting minutes, yearbooks, etc.
Critical Thinking: Context
Archival research may seem new, but you probably know more than you think! Take a look at the photo below and use context clues to estimate its date of creation. Be especially observant of hairstyles, clothing, and architecture styles.
The above image was also featured in an issue of a local Black newspaper called the Cobb Community News.
This newspaper was published in 1975. If the creation date you guessed for this photograph is in the 1970s range, you are correct!
Understanding Archives
Generally, we understand archives in three main ways: content, structure, and context.
Content refers to the intellectual substance of a document (e.g. text, symbols, images, sound, numerals, etc.)
Structure refers to the form of the record (the materials used to make it, how it is organized, etc.)
Context refers to the circumstances surrounding the object's creation. We usually draw upon historical knowledge to determine context.
Document Analysis: Historic Newspapers
For the next few minutes, we are going to conduct archival research using historic newspapers. Let's take a look at an issue of the Independent Gazetteer; Or, the Chronicle of Freedom held by the Bentley Rare Book Museum. As you observe the newspaper, take note of its title, creation date, place of publication, layout, and the type of articles presented in this newspaper. Click the link below to view the newspaper.
Critical Thinking: Content, Structure, and Context
Let's pay special attention to this advertisement on page three of the newspaper (left) titled "Sixteen Dollars Reward . . . A Negro Lad named Primus."
Content: What does the advertisement say? What is the purpose of the advertisement? What kind of language is used? Please note that some words and spellings may be unfamiliar to you. Look up words you do not know and use linguistic context clues to read the advertisement to the best of your ability.
Structure: Comment on the layout of the advertisement. What draws your attention? How is this advertisement placed within the newspaper as a whole?
Context: This newspaper was printed in 1782. What major events were happening in American history during that time? Imagine what life might have been like for someone like Primus. Also, think about the creator of this advertisement and the target audience. Although this advertisement is a primary source, could it be biased? Whose voices are we hearing through this advertisement? Whose voices are we not hearing?
Image: Excerpt of Independent Gazetteer; Or, The Chronicle of Freedom, October 8, 1782. Courtesy of the Bentley Rare Book Museum.
Ready for another one? Take a look at this advertisement appearing in the Independent Gazetteer on December 10, 1782.
Critical Thinking: Content and Context
Content: What do you learn about Isaac Hazleton and his relationship with his master from this advertisement? What questions remain regarding his ethnic or racial identity?
Context: Consider this article and the previous one. Think again about the voices we are hearing and those we are not. What are the differences between records created ABOUT a group of people and records created BY a group of people?
Image: Excerpt of Independent Gazetteer; Or, The Chronicle of Freedom, December 10, 1782. Courtesy of the Bentley Rare Book Museum.
We can also use historic newspapers as a window into our local community in years past. Click the link below to access an issue of The Sentinel from April 1968. Read the article on page three entitled "Students React to Dr. King's Death" and answer the questions below.
Critical Thinking: Context
Were you surprised after reading these responses? What can you infer about the views and perspectives of students at Kennesaw Junior College (KSU) during the late 1960s? Do you think any Black voices were present in this survey? How might the responses differ if the article were written today?
Now, click the link below to access a different issue of The Sentinel from March 15, 1971. Read the article on page two entitled "KJC and the Black Community."
Critical Thinking: Content and Context
Content: What are the main factors Moses Wright believes are contributing to low Black enrollment at Kennesaw Junior College? What does he suggest to rectify this problem?
Context: Wright mentions that many Black people are interested in their history due to a "sudden out-break of Black Consciousness." Consider the historical moment in which Wright is living in. How might the social and political climate of the United States during the early 1970s shed light on Wright's statements?
Image: Excerpt of The Sentinel, April 1968. Image Courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections, Kennesaw State University.
Finally, let's take a look at an issue of The Black Panther: Black Community News Service from August 1970. Click the link below to view a digitized version of the newspaper issue.
Critical Thinking: Content and Context
Content: Describe the content of the newspaper, including the headlines, articles, images/illustrations, etc. What do you find most interesting and/or surprising? Is this content still relevant today? Explain.
Structure: Describe the layout of the newspaper. Is it easy to follow? What colors are used? What are the elements that draw your eye the most?
Context: Think about life in America in 1970. What social and political movements were happening? How do these movements compare to and differ from the #BlackLivesMatter movement of the twenty-first century?
Context: Who are the creators of this newspaper and who is their target audience? Whose voice are we hearing in this newspaper and whose voices are we not hearing? Why is this significant?
Image: Cover of The Black Panther: Black Community News Service, August 21, 1970. Image courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections, Kennesaw State University.
More Collections to Know
Historic newspapers are just one example of archival materials that reveal aspects of the Black experience (both voices and silences). Below, you'll find a listing of several collections housed in the University Archives and Special Collections that amplify the African American experience and document Black excellence (this is not an exhaustive list):
University Records
Atlanta Student Movement Project, 2016
Center for African and African Diaspora Studies Records, 2009-2015
Rosa Bobia Faculty Papers, 1984 – 2010
Black Faculty and Staff Records, 1988 - 1997
KSU Oral History Project (Cobb NAACP/Civil Rights Series; Cobb County Oral History Series), 1973 - present
Georgia National Conference of Blacks in Higher Education, 1988 – 1994
NAACP Student Chapter at Kennesaw State University, 1999 – 2000
Minority Affairs Advisory Board Records, 1990-1996
Image: Members of Delta Sigma Theta at Kennesaw State University, circa 2002. Image courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections, Kennesaw State University.
Special Collections
NAACP Cobb County Branch Records, 1947 - 2017
Lemon Street Photographs and Calendar, 1951-2004
Harry (Hap) Leo Hudson Sr. Manuscript, 2003
Marion Thomas Collection, 1880s-1970s
Deane Bonner Papers, 1950-2021
Sardis Baptist Church Ledgers (digitized), circa 1908-1920
Historic Black Acworth Digital Collection, 1890 - 2020
Hattie G. Wilson Papers, 1979 - 1988
Image: Members of the Cobb NAACP Freedom Fund Committee, 1982. Courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections, Kennesaw State University.
". . . History has become less a matter of argument and more a matter of record." -Arthur Schomburg, The Negro Digs Up His Past
The Importance of Archives
"People are known by the records they keep. If it isn't in the records it will be said it didn't happen. That is what history is: a keeping of records." -Alice Walker
As Alice Walker so eloquently stated in the quote above, record-keeping is a critical part of how we understand history. For centuries, oppressors have used the production, destruction, and omission of records to control or erase the identity of communities they are oppressing. This has been especially prevalent in the Black community. We can help mitigate these violations to human rights by critically engaging with history, contributing our own stories to the documentary record, and/or joining the archival field.
Image: Cover of In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens by Alice Walker, 1983. Courtesy of the Bentley Rare Book Museum.
The Importance of Communities
Communities that have been historically omitted from mainstream archival repositories often create their own preservation spaces. One example is the Flat Rock Archives, which was founded to preserve and share the African American experience in the Lithonia, GA. Learn more about the Flat Rock Archives below.
Communities and institutions may develop partnerships to advance preservation initiatives. The video below is promoting the "Documenting Ferguson" project initiated by Washington University in St. Louis in 2014. All content featured in this video and collected through this project came from members of the Ferguson community who attended or participated in protests following the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer. This project demonstrates how professional archivists can collaborate with community members to document history in a way that is accurate, authentic, and respectful of historically marginalized communities.
Groups like the Atlanta Black Archives Alliance (est. 2017 in Atlanta) and Blackivists (est. 2018 in Chicago) are volunteer groups of professional archivists who work collaboratively with communities to advance Black cultural preservation. These groups serve as liaisons between communities and collecting institutions, and they also serve as resources for community archives, local historians, and private collectors.
An Archival Career
Do you enjoy history? Research? Scholarship? Writing? Reading? Information management? Digital humanities? Activism? Teaching? Community outreach?
If you enjoy many things on this list, you may want to consider a career in the archival field. The work of an archivist is diverse, but in a nutshell, archivists identify, collect, and preserve records of enduring value and make them available to the public. We organize and protect historical materials, facilitate research appointments, curate exhibitions, teach classes, host community programs, and so much more.
Image: JoyEllen Williams tying an unbound archival scrapbook with cotton tying tape, 2016. Courtesy of the University Archives and Special Collections, Kennesaw State University.
Stay in touch!
If you are interested in furthering your knowledge and/or experience with primary sources, consider making a research appointment with the University Archives and Special Collections or the Bentley Rare Book Museum. We also offer internships for course credit.
Want to chat further about opportunities with archives and rare books? Email JoyEllen Williams at jfree110@kennesaw.edu.
Image: "Words of the Civil Rights Movement" rare book open house, January 2020. Courtesy of the Bentley Rare Book Museum.