New UK Libraries resource: African American Newspapers collection

Front page image of The North Star

With support provided by the William T. Young Library Endowment, UK Libraries purchased access to Accessible Archives’ African American Newspapers.  This collection contains “a wealth of information about cultural life and history during the 1800s and is rich with first-hand reports of major events and issues of the day, including the Mexican War, Presidential and Congressional addresses, Congressional abstracts, business and commodity markets, the humanities, world travel and religion.”  Titles in the collection include the Christian Recorder, Frederick Douglass’ Paper, Provincial Freeman, and the National Era.  Thanks to our donors for making this purchase possible    

Lecture on "African Americans, Archives, and the Era of Reconstruction"

Dr. Pellom McDaniels III

Dr. Pellom McDaniels III, curator of African American Collections at Emory University’s Stuart A. Rose Library will present a mini-exhibition and talk at the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center on Friday, April 15, 2016, at 2 p.m. Dr. McDaniels’s topic is “What Must Be Remembered: African Americans, Archives, and the Era of Reconstruction.”

Dr. McDaniels is the author of The Prince of Jockeys: the Life of Isaac Burns Murphy, published by University Press of Kentucky in 2013.

The lecture and mini-exhibition are free and open to the public. For more information contact Matthew Strandmark, education archivist in the SCRC.

Editors of "Kentucky African American Encyclopedia" honored with 2016 Legacy Award

Drs. Smith, McDaniel, and Hardin received the 2016 Legacy Award
in Frankfort

Dr. Gerald Smith, Dr. Karen Cotton McDaniel and Dr. John A. Hardin, co-editors of the Kentucky African American Encyclopedia (University Press of Kentucky), were recipients of the 2016 Legacy Award at the 13^th annual Black History Month Celebration at the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort. This year’s event, hosted by the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus, focused on the theme “The Unfinished Business of Kentucky: ‘Symbolism and Reality.’”

Dr. Smith, professor of history and Martin Luther King Center Scholar-in Residence at the University of Kentucky, delivered the keynote address, “What is Kentucky Saying About Us (African Americans)?” to a standing room only crowd in the Capitol rotunda. Dr. Smith spoke just a few feet from the Jefferson Davis statue that was the symbolic focus of his presentation.

 “This is not just a celebration of African American history,” Senator Gerald Neal explained. “This is a celebration of American history. Black History Month presents us an opportunity to remember the important legacy of African Americans in Kentucky and the nation – much of which would have been lost over the years if not for this special time of remembrance. It is important that we know and honor many of the notable citizens who have contributed to our history as well as pay respect to the many, many others whom history has forgotten. I encourage all Kentuckians to join me as we observe Black History Month.”

SCRC hosts Black History Month exhibit

Jackie Robinson (left) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., (right) during a Civil Rights
march in Kentucky. Georgia Davis Powers (right) looks on.

The UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center exhibit for Black History Month is titled “The Civil Rights Movement in the Bluegrass, 1960-1967.” The exhibit explores the civil rights movement in Lexington and Frankfort from 1960 to 1967 through rare photographs, documents, and biographies from the collections of the SCRC. The photos and artifacts will remain on display until mid-March on the first floor of Margaret I. King Library.

SCRC workshop helps African American church staff develop archival skills

Workshop participants included, from left to right, Eva Brown
(Mt. Gilead Baptist Church), Yvonne Giles, and Phaon Patton
(First African Baptist Church), with Stacie Williams from SCRC.
Not pictured is Delphine Ridgeway (Main Street Baptist Church).

Special Collections Research Center archivists and librarians hosted four participants for an archival workshop for clerks and secretaries of African American churches in Lexington. 

The workshop idea began with historian Yvonne Giles of the First African Foundation. Giles contacted Ruth Bryan, SCRC director of Technical Services and University Archivist. Bryan organized the workshop in conjunction with Giles and Special Collections staff including: Jaime Marie Burton, director of Research Services and Education; Nancy DeMarcus, University Records manager; Sarah Dorpinghaus, digital archivist; Reinette Jones, Oral History Librarian and African American Studies Academic Liaison; Matthew Strandmark, education archivist; and Stacie Williams, Learning Lab manager. 

Topics included the basics of inventorying and storing physical records; digitization methods and standards; preservation and description of born-digital and digitized files; providing research access to and on-line sharing of records; and the historical value of African American church records.  The workshop concluded with a tour of working areas in Special Collections. 

"We were thrilled to meet and work with our records colleagues," said Bryan. "We plan to continue building this relationship."

Panel discussion explores LGBTQ* African American experiences

The panel discussion session “TI: We Are Here!” will explore the African American LGBTQ* experience on Saturday, September 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Central (downtown) branch of the Lexington Public Library. The panel is sponsored by the UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center, Bluegrass Black Pride, the UK Department of African American and Africana Studies, and JusFundKY.

Panelists will share life experiences and will discuss the LGBTQ* space within African American Studies. Participants are:

Dr. Chamara Jewel Kwakye, assistant professor in UK Gender and Women's Studies and UK African American and Africana Studies

Keenen S. McMillin, a 2015 UK graduate and a co-founder and first president of the student organization Shades of Pride

Charles E. Crutcher, nursing care technician with UK HealthCare. Initial member, organizer, and active supporter of Bluegrass Black Pride.

Carol Taylor-Shim, social justice educator with the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center at UK and former social worker in child welfare.

Thomas Tolliver, community advocate and an East End activist in Lexington, as well as a historian and former journalist. Initial member, organizer, and continued supporter of Bluegrass Black Pride.

Stacie Williams, archivist and Learning Lab manager for the UK Special Collections Research Center, and a former journalist. Also teaches in the UK School of Library and Information Science.