Category: Black History Month

Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa is a rich collection of more than 27,000 objects and 190,000 pages of documents and images. The liberation of Southern Africa and the dismantling of the Apartheid regime was a major political development in the 20th century. This collection focuses on the complex and varied liberation struggles in the region, . . .Continue reading BHM #28 – Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa

What are we to make of the vast surveillance apparatus directed at African Americans by the US government?? Materials in FBI Surveillance of James Forman and SNCC and Federal surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 (see blog post BHM #22) reveal the lengths the Federal Government went to control and undermine those in the civil rights . . .Continue reading BHM #27 – FBI Surveillance of James Forman and SNCC

Of the 26 databases we’ve looked at so far during Black History Month, this is far and away my favorite. The types of resources included are marvelously varied: podcasts, artwork, recipes, lectures, government documents, brochures, poetry, short stories, photographs, maps, playbills, essays, editor-selected external web sites, books, historical newspapers and magazines, documentary films, speeches, and . . .Continue reading BHM #25 – African Diaspora, 1860-Present

Papers of Amiri Baraka, Poet Laureate of the Black Power Movement Series 15 in this 18-series collection consists of the publications The African World, Black Nation, Black NewArk, Unity and Struggle, Main Trend, and IFCO News. The African World was originally published by SOBU/YOBU (Student Organization for Black Unity/Youth Organization for Black Unity), and the . . .Continue reading BHM #24 – Papers of Amiri Baraka, Poet Laureate of the Black Power Movement

An archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to the 21st century. The core US and UK popular and trade magazines covering film, music, broadcasting, theatre and video gaming are included, together with film fan . . .Continue reading BHM #23 – Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive‎ (1880 – 2020)

Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 Throughout the twentieth century Black Americans of all political persuasions were subject to federal scrutiny, harassment, and prosecution. The Federal Bureau of Investigation enlisted black “confidential special informants” to infiltrate a variety of organizations. Hundreds of documents in this collection were originated by such operatives. The reports provide a . . .Continue reading BHM #22 – Federal surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984

Another robust collection within ProQuest’s History Vault providing primary source materials from digitized archival collections is Slavery and the Law.  This database features petitions on race, slavery, and free blacks that were submitted to state legislatures and county courthouses between 1775 and 1867. These petitions were collected by Loren Schweninger over a four-year period from . . .Continue reading BHM #21 – Slavery and the Law

This collection is part of ProQuest’s History Vault providing primary source materials from digitized archival collections. The Plantation Records in this module documents the far-reaching impact of plantations on both the American South and the nation. As business owners, the commodities produced by plantation owners—rice, cotton, sugar, tobacco, hemp, and others— accounted for more than half of . . .Continue reading BHM #20 – Southern Life and African American History