Blog Update Notice

Dear Gregory Staff,

We will be working with Digital Strategies in early 2020 to migrate our blog from Blogspot (Google) to the HPL Intranet. When this happens, our new internal site and blog will be located at https://houstonlibrary.libguides.com/gregoryschool.
As a reference for how this might look, you can click over to HMRC’s page (https://houstonlibrary.libguides.com/hmrc/) and Scenic Woods’ page (https://houstonlibrary.libguides.com/scenicwoods).  If you have any questions or suggestions, please share them during our weekly staff meetings. 

Thank you,
VW

Photo / Video Taping Requests

** This is a Gregory policy update for staff use. **

Customers are allowed to take photos and video during their program inside the meeting space. There should not be any HPL paraphernalia in any photos or video. If a customer wishes to take photos or video inside the library itself, please direct all requests to hpl.communications@houstontx.gov and have them provide the following information:

·         Name

·         Date and time wish to take photo/video

·         Purpose of photo / video session

·         Where in the library to take photo / video

Paul Robeson's Freedom Newspaper Digitized by NYU

Recently, NYU Libraries made the Freedom newspaper available to the public online. Freedom was established by the talented Paul Robeson and Louis Burnham in 1951. To learn more, click here: http://dlib.nyu.edu/freedom/

Happy New Year,

VW

The Librarian at the Nexus of the Harlem Renaissance

Many many thanks to Ingrid for always finding such cool links for our blog. Check out this piece on Regina Anderson, a librarian who was crucial to the Harlem Renaissance: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/harlem-renaissance-librarian-regina-anderson

You can also find a book about her accomplishments here: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/35qfd6cg9780252038501.html

VW

Freedmen's Town as Houston's Wakanda

The Houston Chronicle recently published a piece on the significance of Freedmen's Town as a beacon of Black cultural and economic ingenuity. Check it out: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Houston-s-Freedmen-s-Town-affirms-the-culture-12725812.php

VW

NMAAHC Hosts a Black Archives Twitter Discussion

Hello -

In honor of Black History Month, the National Museum of African American History & Culture is hosting a conversation on Twitter in partnership with Documenting the Now.

To follow along or participate, use the hashtag #ArchivesBlackHistory.

 You might also want to check out NMAAHC's Community Curation Program.



Have a good week,
VW

Pioneering Black Librarians Share Their Stories

Here is some inspiration as we head into Black History Month this week.
http://www.kolumnmagazine.com/2018/01/25/pioneering-african-american-librarians-share-stories-american-libraries/


VW

Happy Birthday, Sam Cooke!

On this day in history (January 22, 1931), Sam Cooke was born. He was known as the King of Soul, and "A Change is Gonna Come" became one of his biggest hits in 1964. Here is a piece on the story behind the song and its significance to the Civil Rights Movement.

Sam Cooke and the Song That 'Almost Scared Him' (via NPR)


VW

Happy Juneteenth!

Today is Juneteenth, the commemoration of Emancipation for Black Americans in Texas. 

For a history of the holiday, read this piece from Smithsonian Magazine: "Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day"

Click here for a video summarizing the history of Juneteenth.

VW

Desegregating Southern Libraries

Thanks to Ms. Ingrid Grant for finding this article on segregation in Southern libraries. This is a topic we don't hear about often, but it's important in the history of our field of work.

Read the article here: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/06/01/desegregating-libraries-american-south/

Have a happy summer! Wishing you plenty of good BBQ & lots of time to read in the sun.

VW

Commemorating Black Americans in WWI

A century ago, in April 1917, the United States entered World War I after the United Kingdom intercepted the Zimmermann Telegram. This period in United States history was an essential turning point for Black Americans. Learn more about Black Americans in World War I through the links below.

Historical Essay Sponsored by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Online Exhibit Curated by the Library of Congress

World War I Items in the Collection of the National Museum of African American History & Culture



VW

Mollie Taylor Stevenson

It's Women's History Month and rodeo season here in Houston, so it's a great time to commemorate Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Sr. and her daughter, Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Jr. Both ladies were the first living Black Americans to be inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2001.

Read more about the legacy of the Stevenson family and their historic Houston ranch here: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/native-texan/article/Historic-ranch-lies-in-Houston-s-shadow-4638390.php


VW

Marley Dias Will Soon Be An Author

It seems that there is an abundance of negativity in the news lately. To lighten things up just a bit for Black History Month, I'd like to call our attention to Miss Marley Dias, the young founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks. Recently, it was announced that she will be writing a book of her own. Read the story here: http://nymag.com/thecut/2017/02/1000blackgirlbooks-marley-dias-is-writing-her-own-book.html

You can also check out Marley on the hilarious and informative podcast, Another Round. She did an episode with them last year. How many of us were this articulate and driven at 11 years old?

https://soundcloud.com/anotherroundwithhebenandtracy/episode-55-1000blackgirlbooks

Be on the lookout for big things from Marley during the next few years! Let's keep doing what we can to inspire young book lovers like her.

VW

Daliyah Marie Arana at the LOC

How much cuteness can fit into one library news story? Well, it doesn't get much more adorable than Miss Daliyah Marie Arana, who was the first "Librarian for the Day" at the Library of Congress last week. Daliyah is a four-year-old super reader who won the honor after reading 1,000+ books. It's so inspiring to see Daliyah hanging out with Dr. Carla Hayden.

Read more about Daliyah's visit to the Library of Congress here: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2017/01/17/newsmaker-daliyah-marie-arana/

Thanks to our community liaison for sharing this story with us!

VW

NYE & Emancipation Proclamation

Happy New Year!!

As we bring in 2017, the Gregory School would like to take a moment to remember the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. It is a tradition in the African American community to attend "Watch Night" services on New Year's Eve. Many people assume that this is simply an end-of-year church service, but Watch Night actually is directly connected to the Emancipation Proclamation. Read about the history of Watch Night here (http://www.npr.org/2012/12/29/167905308/watch-nights-honor-emancipation-proclamations-anniversary) and here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rev-joan-r-harrell/watch-night-service-in-the-black-church-in-america-150-years-_b_2389965.html).

For more information on the Emancipation Proclamation, click below.
National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation
Library of Congress: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/almintr.html

We hope you had a wonderful winter vacation. Here's to a productive, peaceful, and prosperous 2017!


VW

Remembering Dorie Miller, a Pearl Harbor Hero

As many people commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, we call attention to Mr. Doris "Dorie" Miller. Miller was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the attack. Born in Waco, Miller is an important figure in Texas history. Read about current efforts to grant him a posthumous Medal of Honor in the news article linked below.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2016/12/07/dorie-millers-fans-keep-fighting-honor-black-sailors-pearl-harbor-heroism

VW

New Texas African American History Memorial in Austin

Hello!

The holiday season is quickly approaching. A highlight for local history in 2016 is the recent unveiling of the Texas African American History Memorial in Austin. Mayor Sylvester Turner was in attendance. The monument depicts Juneteenth, an important holiday for Black Texans. Read more below.

https://www.texastribune.org/2016/11/19/texas-african-american-history-memorial/


VW

Commemorating Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in major-league baseball, passed away on this day (October 24) in 1972.  This post from the National Museum of American History's blog highlights a special comic book that featured Robinson in 1950.

http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2013/06/jackie-robinson-comic-book-hero-42.html

VW

New "Historically Black" Project Uses Archival Objects to Teach Black History

In light of the recent opening of the NMAAHC, the Washington Post has commenced a project called Historically Black, which consists of a Tumblr and a podcast that showcase various manuscripts, photographs, and objects related to Black history. Check it out below.

Tumblr: http://historicallyblack.tumblr.com/
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1155053105

Historically Black is a unique partnership between the Washington Post, American Public Media (APM), and a number of Black writers, performers, and tastemakers. So far, it sets a great example of intersections between archival work and popular culture.

Click the following link to read about one man's discovery of his family history through an ancestor's bill of sale. This story was recently featured on Historically Black. -->  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/10/03/a-hunt-for-his-slave-ancestors-original-bill-of-sale-unearthed-a-surprising-history/

Have a good week!


VW

A Legislative History of the NMAAHC

Happy October!

The nation has been buzzing all year about the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. The museum opened on Saturday, September 24, 2016 with a grand celebration. While many people know that the museum was in construction for several years prior to its opening, most don't know that attempts to establish such an institution began more than a century ago. Until November 9, two important documents related to the establishment of NMAAHC will be on display in the museum's East Rotunda Gallery.

Details here: prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2016/09/01/on-exhibit-an-act-to-establish-the-nmaahc/

For more perspective on the building and curating process for NMAAHC, see this 2013 article from Smithsonian Magazine. It recounts how a historic train car was placed in NMAAHC before construction was completed: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/installing-an-artifact-in-a-museum-that-hasnt-even-been-built-yet-180947712/?no-ist

Happy reading!

VW