Tag: archives
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To My Nana, The First Archivist I Knew
For Frances Louise McLean Graham (October 12, 1946 – December 13, 2019) “My first introduction to this field began not in the classroom but in my Nana’s kitchen cutting collards and seasoning catfish. She carried lessons of Black history through food, gossip (her form of historical fact), and stories of her upbringing in rural North…
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The Life of Rachel H. Flowers (1900-1988)
Still piecing together this journal article. It is difficult to write without access to a library or archives, but I am pressing through with this piece. Rachel Flowers holds a special place in my journey as a historian because it all began with this research. Figure 1. Rachel Flowers in Class—1, 1916-1918, Messiah College Archives. Below—back…
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Reading Images in the Archives
Rachel Flowers, Messiah College Archives This was the first image I encountered of Rachel Flowers a decade ago (a WHOLE DECADE AGO). It was my first semester of college and I saw the above image in the college’s library. Messiah College recently celebrated its centennial anniversary and posters honoring the institution’s multicultural century hung across campus.…
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We Don’t Want No Problems: Tips for the Archives
Schomburg Center, summer 2017 (I am excited to visit the newly remodeled Schomburg Center next month) For those who are new to my blog, I am working toward my PhD in History with a focus on African American history. The department requires each of us to submit a first year paper, or our “rite of…
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“My Grandmothers Were Six Feet Tall”: Geraldine’s Family Memories
Geraldine Wilson, 1955 The more I discover about this family, the more I wondered if they were aware of one another’s accomplishments. I wondered if Geraldine knew of her grandfather’s service in the American Civil War. Did Rachel know of her grandfather’s educational activism? Did this fuel her own activism?As always in research, with many…
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A Tribute to Queen Mother Moore from Geraldine Wilson
Miss Moore came to be called Queen Mother during a trip to Africa years ago, when a tribe in Ghana awarded her the honorary title. In Africa, as she once put it, “I felt the lash on the backs of my people.” Her outrage over the suffering of blacks in America led to years of…
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From the Schomburg: Geraldine Wilson’s Resume
Undated photo, Geraldine Wilson Papers, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture I concluded my summer travels…YAY! Panama was beautiful (will post later about that), gentrified Harlem treated me well, and Pennsylvania was full of reunions and research. I am still processing my research notes from the Schomburg. This time I carefully searched and read through her…
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Sawyer and The AME’s Christian Recorder
This blog is a continuation of my previous post on Joseph Sawyer and his articles within The Christian Recorder. I will continue to share bulletins which referenced Sawyer’s work in Florida. This is my first time reading these pieces; therefore, I highlighted information that caught my attention. Also I am in Panama this week and will…
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An Unexpected Surprise: New Findings on Rev. J.J. Sawyer
Still searching for a living descendant. I spent the majority of my research this month on compiling primary sources about Reverend Joseph J. Sawyer. Sawyer is a recent addition to my research; therefore, I need to ensure there is a good amount of information for his biography. I wrongly assumed a lot about his life and he proved…
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Geraldine Wilson’s Statement of Purpose
When she applied to graduate school at New York University, Geraldine resided in Jackson, Mississippi where she worked with the state’s Head Start Program. As I researched Geraldine’s biography, I connected with her story, her resilience, and her passion for the education of African American children. It helps that her archival collection at the Schomburg…
Diary of a Historian 