ARCHIVES*RECORDS 2018

Why did Black Northwestern Alumni demand that NU Archives aggressively pursue the papers of its Black alumni, faculty, staff and current students? Why did Northwestern acquiesce and create a temporary position entitled the Archivist for the Black Experience to spearhead The NUBAA Archive? Why is the implementation and success of The NUBAA Archive important to track and document?

Northwestern Alumni, led by NARA trained archivist and SAA member Lauren Lowery, met with NU Archivist Kevin Leonard in Spring of 2012 to discuss the history of Black students at Northwestern and realized the information and artifacts compiled was disappointingly limited. Since its founding in 1851, Northwestern has had many prominent Black Alumni matriculate, however the majority of these outstanding graduates including former Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and Actor and Activist Harry Lennix do not have their papers housed at Northwestern. Is the Black History of a predominately white institution valuable? What happens to the public record and to future research when these stories and artifacts are not preserved and respected at the highest level?

This panel discussion includes the individuals outside of Northwestern who contributed to the encouragement and development of The NUBAA Archives. Professionals from Northwestern University Library, Shorefront Legacy Center and the Black Metropolis Research Consortium were all instrumental in encouraging and consulting with the cofounders of the archive Dr. Jeffrey Sterling and Lauren Lowery. The panel will explore the implications and future of this archive and how it might impact institutions and the archive profession globally.