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

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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,
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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.

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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.

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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



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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


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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!


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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

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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/


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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

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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!


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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!

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Black Women Mathematicians at NASA

Dear Gregory Staff,

Ms. Tracey King has located a feature in Smithsonian Magazine about the upcoming film, Hidden Figures, which tells the inspiring story of the Black female NASA mathematicians who helped astronauts get to space in the 1960s. Check it out below.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/forgotten-black-women-mathematicians-who-helped-win-wars-and-send-astronauts-space-180960393/?no-ist

The movie is based on Margot Lee Shetterly's book of the same title.

For a related archival perspective, you might want to check out Executive Order 8802 from NARA's "Our Documents" online project here: https://ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=72

Hidden Figures is set to premiere in January, right in time for MLK Day. Might be a good opportunity for a team-building excursion, hmm? :-)

Have a great week!

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Austin Revealed - Civil Rights Stories

Dear Gregory Staff,

Ms. Ingrid Grant found this very relevant documentary about civil rights in Austin's history. It's an interesting perspective on the history of one of our neighbor cities. What are some commonalities & differences you see with Houston's civil rights history?

http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/shows/list/austin-texas-civil-rights/

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Preserving the Estate of Madame CJ Walker

Happy Monday!

Here is an interesting piece of preservation news that brings attention to the importance of caring for properties and artifacts related to Black History.

http://heragenda.com/the-modern-effort-to-preserve-the-legacy-estate-of-americas-first-female-self-made-millionaire-madam-cj-walker/

Have a great week, Gregory School staff!

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Tamina, TX - A Historic Black Community

** Going forward, the Gregory School will post links related to Black History as well as staff-related updates on our blog.**

Mother Jones recently featured the town of Tamina, Texas (near the Woodlands), which is one of the oldest Black communities in our state. Read more here:

http://www.motherjones.com/media/2016/06/tamina-texas-photo-marti-corn

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