Archivists & Archives of Color Newsletter Newsletter of the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable Vol.17 No. 2 Fall/Winter 2003 Greetings from the Co-chair Council Liaison, Danna Bell-Russel introduced Nancy By Rebecca Hankins Beaumont, SAA’s new Executive Director. Danna and Nancy encouraged continued communication between the roundtable SAA’s meeting in Los Angeles represented a couple of firsts and the Executive office. Danna reported on the 2002 for me; the first time in California and the first time having to Diversity Resolution Update. Council has approved the run a meeting alone as co-chair. Both turned out to be much Committee on Diversity, which will begin work in Spring more pleasant experiences than I originally imagined in spite 2003. She noted that all chairs of the committees that deal of truly missing the support of my co-chair, former colleague, with Diversity issues would serve as ex-officio members of and friend, Wayne Coleman. We missed you Wayne! It has the committee. Danna reported on the Membership been a pleasure serving with you as co-chair and you have Development fund being renamed in honor of Bernice Brack patiently listened to my suggestions, complaints and questions. who passed away last year. Danna reported that for the 2004 Sincere thanks for making this first year an enjoyable annual meeting in Boston, there are 6 program slots that have experience. Rose Roberto ran unopposed and was selected as been reserved for topics of special interest to SAA. AAC has the new co-chair of the Roundtable for 2003-2004. been guaranteed one program session. The October deadline Congratulations Rose! does not apply; however, the sessions must be submitted by December 6, 2003. Danna reported on the Council Awards The AACR meeting took place on Thursday, August 21, 2003 Committee and expressed concern that the Harold T. Pinkett at the Los Angeles, CA annual meeting of SAA. There were award is the only award which individuals of color have been 38 people in attendance and the meeting started at 5:15 p.m. nominated for regularly. She expressed the desire to create a Jennifer Walele, University of Arizona graduate student and committee to find potential nominees for other SAA award Princeton University archival intern graciously offered to take categories and stressed the importance of getting involved. minutes. Guidelines for being a voting member of AACR were reiterated and consisted of being a member of SAA and The Roundtable endorsed two sessions for the 2004 AACR. Karen Jefferson noted that she and Rose Roberto conference. One endorsed session deals with reproductive were creating two directories, one directory of Archivists of rights and the other session relates to diversity within the Color already on the website, but in need of updating and a profession. Further details of the 2003 meeting can be found membership list of the Roundtable for anyone who supports in the minutes’ section of this newsletter. I’m throwing out an the purposes of the Roundtable. For those listed, it was idea for next year’s meeting presentation and would like your strongly encouraged that you check to ensure that your feedback. I would like to invite Scott Cline, Academy of information is current with AAC. Karen noted that future Certified Archivists membership liaison and vice president of issues of the AAC newsletter will be available online. Rose ACA to our meeting to discuss the value of archival Roberto developed a new on-line membership form at certification to members. Let me know if you have any other http://www.archivists.org/saagroups/aac/Members.htm. Cathy questions or concerns at [email protected]. See you next Lynn Mundale encouraged Roundtable members to submit year and happy holidays to all. articles for the newsletter. In late November 2003, Petrina Jackson agreed to take over as Greetings from the Co-chair AAC newsletter editor. The Roundtable as a whole wishes to By Rose Roberto thank Cathy and co-editor JoEllen El Bashir for their excellent leadership, initiative, and creativity as editors of the AACR Welcome to the first online only issue of the AAOC Newsletter. Petrina is an assistant archivist at Cornell Newsletter! University’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. For submissions to Petrina e-mail her at [email protected]. We have two identities in this organization: First and foremost as archivists; secondly, (if not people of color ourselves) as This year’s recipient of the Harold T. Pinkett award is those who care for the collections of American minority Michelle Baildon, August 2003 MLIS graduate from Simmons groups and who safeguard the memory of their struggle for College in Boston, Massachusetts. A total of $262 was basic rights guaranteed by the US constitution. I find it quite collected from the meeting to add to the Pinkett Award. The ironic then, that when I moved to the UK, that the Brits saw Pinkett account now has $27,198, and a suggestion was made me as a mainstream American. Amazingly, in various social that we should consider the establishment of an endowment in situations after I open my mouth and the west coast American the future. accent is heard, (not work situations since librarians and archivists here are aware of the harm the Bush administration Archivists and Archives of Color Newsletter - 1 is inflicting upon their American counterparts) I am asked to We need to explore issues that may overlap with other groups, explain America, or even stranger, to explain the current to continue to be creative and innovative in this Roundtable, presidential administration’s policies. I don’t understand the and to explore different ways we can approach issues of policies myself, and often I end up sputtering, “I don’t agree people of color and their collections. with Iraq, the US should have signed the Kyoto Treaty, and should have joined the international criminal court system.” After I say this, the dirty looks are replaced by ironic smiles. Archivists & Archives of Color Roundtable Minutes Submitted by Jennifer Walele, University of Arizona Graduate Racism isn’t as institutionalized in the UK as it is in the Student and Princeton University Archival Intern United States—in fact, interracial families are quite common. Instead the power structure is based on class and culture. Here, Archivists & Archives of Color Roundtable Minutes due to my MLIS, I’m in the educated class, and my culture is Society of American Archivists Annual Meeting American. It does not seem to matter that in the US I was 16th Annual AAC Roundtable Business Meeting considered a member of a minority group. Here I’m just August 21, 2003 another foreign national and, as such, representing a sample of Los Angeles, CA my home country. I. Rebecca Hankins called the meeting to order and This shift in my identity has caused me to do a lot of thinking welcomed everyone. She thanked Wayne Coleman, about traditional approaches to doing things in general. In who could not attend, for his service as the 2002, in his keynote address to the Society of American roundtable Co-Chair. Archivists in Birmingham, Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, one of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement said that it II. Committee and Project Reports was important for archivists to also be activists. Last year my fellow roundtable chair Rebecca asked, “What are we doing to A. Guidelines for Voting: Rebecca Hankins opened improve our roundtable and bring diversity to SAA as a the floor to a discussion about the guidelines to whole?” This year I ask, “What are we doing individually to vote on the co-chair and other items of interest to build bridges to other groups within the archival profession the Roundtable. Her understanding was that you and groups parallel to the profession?” Educators, community had to be a member of SAA and AACR. This organizers, artists, doctors and legal professionals, too, are seemed to be the consensus. If there are any affected by the erosion of democracy brought about by the objections then it could be opened for discussion current presidential administration, and, unlike archivists and later. librarians, they tend to have a consistently higher profile with B. Directory: Karen Jefferson reported that she and the media. Although SAA as an organization has issued Rose Roberto are compiling two directories: various statements about issues affecting our profession and 1. The directory of Archivists of Color (on the the ability of our profession to do its duty, I think that we as website, needs to be updated) individuals should ask ourselves, “How can we do more to 2. A membership list of the Roundtable. work with others?” In doing so, we begin a dialog, helping Anyone who supports the purposes of the others to understand our needs and possibly beginning Roundtable may be on the membership list. collaborations that will be mutually beneficial. Membership in SAA nor working as an archivist is required. There are a number of A simple start for AAC members might be to co-propose SAA librarians and historians on the mailing list conference sessions with other roundtables and sections. In that previously served as a membership list. the past, sessions have been proposed dealing with the Karen highly recommended for those at the archival material of black women physicians or black women meeting to check to ensure that their scientists. Sessions like these can be endorsed by the AAC as information is current with AAC. Those well as the Women Archivists Roundtable and Science listed in the Archivists of Color Directory Technology and Health Care Roundtable. Last year's sessions will automatically be on the membership had many good examples of diversity with a wide appeal.