National Visionary Leadership Project Interviews and Conference Collection AFC 2004/007 A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2013 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af013003 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2004695153 Prepared by Megan Halsband, Rachel Jorgensen and Kate Stewart Collection Summary Title: National Visionary Leadership Project Interviews and Conference Collection Span Dates: 1997-2009 Call No.: AFC 2004/007 Creator: National Visionary Leadership Project Extent: 33 boxes Extent: transcripts: 15 v. : col. ill. ; 22 cm. Extent: 288 transcripts, unbound Extent: manuscripts, 4 folders Extent: 1026 videocassettes (Betacam, DVCAM, Mini-DV) : sound, color, various sizes Extent: 7 videocassettes (VHS) : sound, color. Extent: 12 video discs (CD-ROM) : sound, color. Extent: artifact : 1 medal Extent: 868 photographs prints : color ; 4 x 6. Extent: 3351 photographs : digital, jpeg files, color. Language: Collection material in English Location: Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: The National Visionary Leadership Project Interviews and Conference Collection consists primarily of master recordings of interviews by the National Visionary Leadership Project with significant figures in 20th century African American history. In addition, the collection includes transcripts (both printed and electronic) of a portion of the interviews, edited versions of the interviews and print and digital photographs. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Cosby, Camille O. (Camille Olivia), 1944- interviewer. Poussaint, Renee, interviewer. Organizations American Folklife Center, sponsor. Archive of Folk Culture (Library of Congress) National Visionary Leadership Project, collector. Summit on the State of Black America (2003 : Library of Congress) Subjects African American actors--Interviews. African American artists--Interviews. African American athletes--Interviews. African American authors--Interviews. African American businesspeople--Interviews. African American civil rights workers--Interviews. African American clergy--Interviews. African American college teachers--Interviews. African American dancers--Interviews. African American educators--Interviews. African American journalists--Interviews. African American lawyers--Interviews. African American leadership. African American legislators--Interviews. African American musicians--Interviews. African American physicians--Interviews. National Visionary Leadership Project Interviews and Conference Collection 2 African American scientists--Interviews. African American veterans--Interviews. African American women--Interviews. African Americans--Biography. African Americans--Education. African Americans--Employment. African Americans--History--20th century. African Americans--Politics and government. African Americans--Religion. African Americans--Social life and customs. Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century. Titles Title on container: National Visionary Leadership Project Summit on the state of black America, 2003. Visionary interview excerpts. Form/Genre Digital photographs--Color--2000-2010. Filmed interviews. Interviews. Oral histories. Transcripts. Videocassettes. Administrative Information Provenance The National Visionary Leadership Project collection was donated in seven accruals between 2004 and 2010. Accruals Further accruals are expected to this collection. Processing History The records of National Visionary Leadership Project were arranged and described 2007-2012. Bibliograpahy Edited versions of some interviews produced by NVLP can be accessed at their website: http://www.visionaryproject.org Edited versions of 47 interviews were published in: Cosby, Camille O. and Renee Poussaint. A Wealth of Wisdom: Legendary African American Elders Speak. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. Copyright Status Duplication of the recorded materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions. Access and Restrictions The collection is open for research use. Access restrictions apply. Please contact the Folklife Reading Room before requesting materials: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact Consult reference staff in the Folklife Reading Room about reference copies of material and additional reference tools that may be available onsite only. The original moving image videos are stored at the Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. Digitized copies may be viewed in the Folklife Reading Room. Duplication of the collection materials is governed by copyright and other restrictions. Permission of the rights holder may need to be obtained. Please refer to the AFC web site for information on ordering copies of unpublished recordings (http://www.loc.gov/folklife/recordering.html) and photographic materials (http://www.loc.gov/folklife/photo_ordering.html). National Visionary Leadership Project Interviews and Conference Collection 3 Digital and Physical Copies Digital and physical materials were received as part of the records of the National Visionary Leadership Project. Transcripts donated as MS Word files have print copies. Both digital and print photographs were received as original materials; some may be copies. All digital photographs were printed on black and white paper and are filed with the original print color photographs. All moving images formats except for VHS were digitized. The original moving image videos are stored at the Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. Digitized copies may be viewed in the Folklife Reading Room. Preferred Citation National Visionary Leadership Project Interviews and Conference collection. (AFC 2004/2007), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Administrative History In 2001 Camille Cosby and Renee Pouissant founded the National Visionary Leadership Project (NVLP) to document the work and lives of African Americans in the United States as a way to preserve and disseminate their knowledge and insights. The NVLP was headquartered in Washington, D.C., and conducted educational programs and outreach, oral history projects and intergenerational events. This collection is comprised of full-length interviews made for the NVLP of prominent or influential African Americans. The interviews were conducted by Camille O. Cosby, Renee Poussaint or a Visionary Heritage Fellow. Some interviews are disseminated via online streaming at the NVLP website: http:// www.visionaryproject.org. The NVLP created the Visionary Heritage Fellowship Program to promote education in African American history and the participation of college students in the preservation of this history. It was a competitive one-year fellowship, open to all students in the United States. Each fellow attended a conference the summer before the start of their academic fellow year where they learned interview techniques and basic video production, among other topics. In order to apply for the program, the fellowship candidate had to chose a person who they believed was a visionary. This visionary had to be at least 70 years old and have made a “significant contribution in their field and in the African American community.” These fellowship interviews were then deposited with NVLP, where they became a permanent part of the Visionary collection. Additional information on the NVLP, or the Visionary Heritage Fellowship Program, can be found at http://www.visionaryproject.org. The NVLP also promoted grass-roots production of African American oral history through its Legacy Guide. This publication encourages the creation of oral histories with the intent that they be donated to libraries and museums. These interviews are not included in this collection. NVLP has hosted the Summit on the State of Black America four times at the Library of Congress. The Summits engaged an audience of college and high school students in problem-solving discussions with a panel comprised of nationally- known visionary elders and college students, participants in NVLP’s Visionary Heritage Fellows Program. Together they developed solutions to contemporary issues in the African American community. NVLP has also hosted other panel discussions called “A Legacy of Change,” and sponsored the Wisdom Awards Ceremonies to honor visionaries. Scope and Content Note The NVLP collection at the Library of Congress consists of 996 master video recordings of 301 interviews, 288 transcripts, 3351 digital photographs and 863 print photographs. In addition, the collection includes a small amount of promotional materials, items from the 2003 and 2007 Summit on the State of Black America event, and a medal. Of the interviews that have been transcribed, 15 have bound copies. These interviews vary widely in length and subject. Most transcripts contain biographical information for the interviewees. All the interviewees are considered elders who have lived the majority of their lives in the 20th century. Persons interviewed include educators, scientists, authors, community activists, doctors, entertainers, artists and politicians. They represent