The African American Mosaic
This exhibit marks the publication of The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study
of Black History and Culture. A noteworthy and singular publication, the Mosaic is the first Library-wide resource guide to
the institution's African- American collections. Covering the nearly 500 years of the black experience in the Western
hemisphere, the Mosaic surveys the full range size, and variety of the Library's collections, including books, periodicals, prints,
photographs, music, film, and recorded sound. Moreover, the African-American Mosaic represents the start of a new kind of
access to the Library's African-American collections, and, the Library trusts, the beginning of reinvigorated research and
programming drawing on these, now systematically identified, collections.
This exhibit is but a sampler of the kinds of materials and themes covered by the publication and the Library's collections. Many
of the exhibit items are featured in the Mosaic. Other exhibit materials, not specifically described in the publication, are also
included to illustrate that the Mosaic is an effective guide to the Library's rich collections, not an exhaustive inventory.
The exhibit covers only four areas --Colonization, Abolition, Migrations, and the WPA-- of the many covered by the Mosaic.
These topics were selected not only because they illustrate well the depth, breadth, and richness of the Library's black history
collections, but also because of the significant and interesting interplay among them. For example, the "back-to-Africa"
movement represented by the American Colonization Society is vigorously opposed by abolitionists, and the movement of
blacks to the North is documented by the writers and artists who participated in federal projects of the 1930s.
Also, to illustrate that the Mosaic opens avenues for further research, several items are included which, though important for
black history, cannot have their full stories told until further research is completed.
Finally, this presentation is a sampler of a much larger exhibit now in progress. In 1998, the Library will mount a major
exhibition and cultural program examining the impact of African- American history and tradition in the formation of American
national identity. The 1998 outreach program will be this institution's first extended reflection upon its pervasive black holdings,
and The African-American Mosaic will be a major resource guide in that program's development and realization.
Harlem soon became known as the “capital of black America” as the amount of blacks in this community was very substantial. Many of the inhabitants of this area were artists, entrepreneurs and black advocates with the urge to showcase their abilities and talents. The ...
Did you know that in 1960, Betye Saar collected pictures of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Tom, and Little Black Sambo including other African American figures in areas that are also invalid with folk culture and advertising? Since, Saar collected pictures from the folk cultures and advertising she also makes many collages including assemblages, changing these into social protest statements. When her great-aunt passed away, Saar started assembling and collecting memorabilia from her family and created her personal assemblages which she gathered from nostalgic mementos of her great aunt’s life.
To Z of African Americans. New York: Facts on File, 2011. N. pag. African-American History Online. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. .
Stewart’s essay “The Field and Function of Black Studies”, he implies that black history is dominated by continuing challenges by its critics and the weak attachment of many scholars to the black studies movement and to black studies units even when the research of such scholars examines the black experience (pg. 45). Statistics show that 70.2 percent indicated that the number of full-time faculty members who have appointments outside black studies and another academic units is stable, proving the fact that black studies has established a beachhead in higher education. This statistic demonstrates how things have been stable in terms of growing the teachings of black studies, which causes challenges. A challenge that can be seen from this issue, is the lack of financial support available to faculty and students. Small budgets are provided to Black Study departments at many universities, therefore, making it difficult to purchase materials and hire more educated, experienced staff
Throughout American history many African Americans have been overlooked in the field of science. Some powerful minds and great inventors haven’t been re-introduced to new generations. African Americans have contributed a great deal to the advancements of our country and one of the major fields they have made contributions to is in the field of science. Many successful African Americans have been overshadowed by their Caucasian counterparts. More of our children should be aware of these great historians. African Americans that have made major contributions in the field of science that should be discussed, studied and taught to our society to educate new generations of the vast majority of these great scientists.
" Time, November 1998. Harley, Sharon. The Timetables of African-American History. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1995.
According to Kittler, Sucher, and Nahikian-Nelms, African Americans is one of the largest cultural groups in the U.S, a measure was done in 2013 have shown that 12% of the U.S population was African American. This chapter focuses on the rich culture that was brought to America by numerous ethnic groups in Africa. Getting into the historical aspects of the voyage of Africans to American, Kittler et al. provide a brief description on the first encounter with Dutch Traders in Jamestown. Stating that more than most of the slaves were predominantly from West African and the acculturation process was occurring at the same time. They also talked about the trial and tribulations of the civil war, after the war, many former slaves emigrated to the north
In addition to the notably simplistic design, the collection itself provides access to a remarkable breadth and depth of both classic and contempora...
Gates, Henry Louis Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company
Though the library only served African American patrons, the position as a librarian normally went to a white person. She convinced the employer that she was qualified by showing him/her that she was a published poet. She also taught at her alma mater, the Virginia Theological Seminary and College for free, just because she loved teaching Clark. On the other hand, Edward was Lynchburg, Virginia’s first parcel postman. Not only was this an enormous achievement for the city of Lynchburg, but also because Edward was an African American.
Smith, J, & Phelps, S (1992). Notable Black American Women, (1st Ed). Detroit, MI: Gale
" The American Mosaic: The African American Experience. ABC-CLIO, 2014 -. Web. The Web.
In order to fully understand the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as the importance of their preservation and need for continuation, one...
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.
African American Review 32.2 (1998): 293-303. JSTOR.com - "The New York Times" Web. The Web. The Web. 11 April 2012.