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.
Think of the last time you saw a painting that featured African Americans in it. Were they the main focus? Did the painting have only African Americans or did it include white Americans too? Now think about the artist, were they an African American? The average person who knows little to nothing about art most likely does not know any African American artists or does not know many artworks that involve only black people in a non-historical context. Kerry James Marshall’s exhibition Mastry is exactly that. It is made up of multiple artworks which only show black people in both historical and non-historical contexts. This exhibition helps to counter this issue of the lack of artworks where only black people are portrayed how white people would
To Z of African Americans. New York: Facts on File, 2011. N. pag. African-American History Online. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. .
Smith, J, & Phelps, S (1992). Notable Black American Women, (1st Ed). Detroit, MI: Gale
McMickle, M. A. (2002). An encyclopedia of African American Christian heritage. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press.
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...
...he African-American century: how Black Americans have shaped our country. New York: Free Press, 2000. 320-322.
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...
Moynihan, Daniel P. "The Moynihan Report (1965)." The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. Humanities Washington, 2007. Web. 19 Feb. 2012.
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.
(3) Why your research is important and how it contributes to the field of African and African American Studies/Literature.
For in an extraordinary career spanning three crucial decades, the man and the history became one, so much so that it is impossible to deal with the history of black people without touching, at some point, the personal history of Carter Woodson, who taught the teachers, transformed the vision of the masses and became, almost despite himself, an institution, a cause and a month. One could go further and say that the scientific study of black history began with Woodson, who almost single-handedly created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and the prestigious Journal of Negro History. Not content with these achievements, he ventured into the field of mass education, creating the annual black history celebrations.
In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that “the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas” (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African American history. Of course we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold which will take more than a month to learn about.
According to the book, Introduction to Black Studies, by Maulana Karenga, various core principles make of the basis of African-American Studies. Some of the core principles consist of 1)history, 2)religion, 3)sociology, 4)politics, and 5)economics. The core principles serve as the thematic "glue" which holds the core subjects together. The principles assist with the expression of the African-American Studies discipline (Karenga, 27).
Johnson, Charles, Patricia Smith, and WGBH Series Research Team. Africans in America. New York: Harcourt, Inc. 1998.