Amistad is committed to collecting, preserving, and providing open access to original materials that reference the social and cultural importance of America's ethnic and racial history, the African Diaspora, human relations, and civil rights.
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Wednesday, July 10, Amistad faced a formidable foe: an incoming natural disaster by the name of ‘Barry’ that had the wind, rain, and rising tide of the Mississippi on its side. As I watched my neighborhood flood from my porch that day, I called the Amistad staff and we quickly put our Disaster Preparedness Plan in motion.
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Chris, Brenda, Philip, Lisa, and Jasmaine (I’m sure you know these names…) quickly protected our collections, notified researchers and a tour group about our closing, and worked to post & tweet updates on social media. Our webmaster Cheryl Mann of New Venture, who experienced 2017’s devastating #HurricaneMaria in Puerto Rico, quickly posted a notice on our website. Over the three-day closure (thanks Tulane!) we checked the Center to make sure the collections were safe. Also important, we checked in with each other and offered our homes as a shelter in case anyone was in harm’s way. Thankfully #Barry arrived with little fanfare and left most of New Orleans intact.
Amistad is safe-and-sound thanks to an incredible staff whose motto is always “not on my watch!” On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, we appreciate the countless well wishes that came to us in calls, emails, tweets, and posts. Your concern goes a long way during times like this. #WeAppreciateYou
On Monday, July 15, we resumed our regular hours of operation. As always, we look forward to clear skies, calmer days, and to seeing you soon.
All the best,
Kara Tucina Olidge, PhD
Executive Director
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Dr. Griffith Gifts Through Family Foundation
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Retired oncologist, former U.S. representative and honorary New Orleanian Parker Griffith wants more people to know about his heroes and sheroes on the walls and in the stacks at Amistad Research Center. So he gives.
“When you go through that archive there, you’re looking at people who were not afraid. And it took tremendous intellectual and physical courage to do what they were doing. They were at risk of losing not only their lives - not only their jobs or their livelihood - but also they physically were courageous. I admire ’em, and I love to read about ’em,” Griffith says from his Huntsville, Ala., office. “It’s a part of America’s history. And, in particular, Southern history. We don’t really get enough of it.”
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Treasurer Ready to Take Organization to Another Level
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Byron Stewart was an eight-year-old when he saw the building that changed his life.
“We were in Alexandria. It was a very eye-catching building. It wasn’t traditional in design,” Stewart, now 62, remembers. “When I asked my mother about it, she said ‘Architects do that.’ ” Thus, Stewart’s course was inevitably set.
Today he is a successful professional, who designs innovative residential, commercial and institutional sites for his firm Modus Inc. In 2017 Stewart joined Amistad Research Center’s board of directors. He also serves as treasurer to the board.
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Students of New Orleans Find “A Place to Start” in Newly-Preserved Film
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Amistad has received a new preservation transfer of the 1972 film “A Place to Start,” thanks to a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation, which will make the film available digitally for the first time.
The film, part of the Community Relations Council of Greater New Orleans Records, documents a 1971 gathering of students from across the New Orleans public high school system, who were brought together by the council to discuss the “social, cultural, racial and administration problems” they faced.
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Students were divided into small, racially diverse groups to share their ideas, before convening for a conversation with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Gene Geisert.
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Fine Arts Collection Leaps in Value
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The original Henry O. Tanners, Jacob Lawrences, Bruce Nugents, Elizabeth Catletts and other masters housed in Amistad Research Center’s fine arts collection have quadrupled in value, with a new appraisal of $24 million.
The six-month-long appraisal process was the first valuation of the collection in 15 years, according to Executive Director Kara Tucina Olidge, Ph.D. Kohlert Art Appraisal, a local firm specializing in African-American art, assessed 863 art pieces last year. Owner Sherry Kohlert describes Amistad Research Center’s fine arts holdings as an “incredible, outstanding collection.”
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“[I would like the general public to know] how good it is. How ... it spans from the 19th century, 20th century, early 21st century. The scope of it is amazing,” Kohlert says passionately. “The artists who they represent are amazing. They’re all the major artists, and they have some incredible artists that their talents are going to be up-and-coming and will see the future.”
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The Federation of Southern Cooperatives and the Arts
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The Amistad Research Center recently surveyed the records of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC) thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Staff have found that the FSC supported not only agriculture and farmers, but the arts, as well.
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Diversity In Comics Still A Goal
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A significant American art form, previously shunned to the margins of society, is again captivating the national public’s eyes.
The comic book – a revolution popularized by such Jewish-American authors and artists as Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby - captivated the minds and shelves of both children and adults in their heyday, but were later delegated to a corner-space of our minds. Much as the pulp fiction and paperback romance fads, the comic book had its time in our culture, but later became a niche interest catering to the demographic most loyal to it. In this case, children and speculative fiction fans. Then came the 1990s, a decade where television programs like “Batman: The Animated Series” and “X-Men” dominated children’s programming.
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Slowly, comics began to recapture the public’s attention.
Read more
about why Amistad has elected to cultivate a collection of comic and graphic novel materials.
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Amistad’s Collections Depend on Your Support
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Amistad’s mission to collect, preserve, and provide access to historical documents is made possible by generous donations from individuals, families, and organizations.
Do you have materials to donate? Please visit our collection development policy available
here
to learn more about how you may donate or contact us at 504.862.3222 or
info@amistadresearchcenter.org
.
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Amistad Welcomes NOLA Youth Works and Summer Interns
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This summer, the Amistad Research Center welcomes four interns who will gain hands-on experience and learn more about the archival and library profession. For three years, Amistad has hosted interns from the NOLA Youth Works, and this year we welcome Raven Johnson. The New Orleans City Hall program introduces local high school students to an array of careers while providing a unique experience over summer break. Read the profiles of all of our
Summer 2019 interns here...
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Amistad is pleased to welcome
Lisa C. Moore
to its staff as Reference Archivist. A New Orleans native, Moore received her MLIS from the Catholic University of America in 2019. She is also a graduate of Louisiana State University (B.S., Business Administration), Georgia State University (B.A., Print Journalism) and the University of Texas at Austin (MA, Anthropology/African Diaspora Studies). Prior to arriving at the Amistad Research Center, Moore was board president of Fire & Ink, a national advocacy organization for LGBTQ writers of African descent. In addition to her work as an archivist, Moore is editor/publisher of RedBone Press.
Executive Director
Kara T. Olidge
recently spoke at the EdCom annual luncheon during the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo in New Orleans in May. Her talk focused on community engagement, community agency, and ways that communities and organizations/institutions work together to create new possibilities and spaces for change and growth.
Dr. Olidge and Deputy Director
Christopher Harter
also chaired panels at the Museum Innovation Forum, which was held at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on May 18th. The forum brought together international museum professionals to discuss the relevance of museums to pressing social and environmental issues. Amistad Research Center was a co-sponsor of the forum.
Manuscripts Curator
Jasmaine Talley
received the 2018 Marie Wendell Continuing Education Scholarship to attend the 2019 annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists, July 31-August 6. As a first time attendee, it will be great opportunity for professional development, networking, and learning about new trends in the profession.
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Find. Follow. LIke. Let's Be
Friends
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