by Collette McDonough, member of the SOA Advocacy and Outreach Committee.
To acknowledge Black History Month, the Society of Ohio Archivists would like to shine a spotlight on the archives located at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC). The museum opened to the public in 1988 and is the home to about 10,000 artifacts and artwork that tell the story of African Americans. The museum also contains “350 manuscript collections, and thousands of photographs.” The museum has a wide variety of materials in their collections including the “final draft of Roots, a buffalo hide coat worn by a Buffalo Soldier, Gregory Hines’s tap shoes, and artifacts representing the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s.” The NAAMCC archives hold hundreds of photographs and many collections that relate to the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. In addition, they are the caretakers of collections on enslavement and manumission plus the papers of Charles Young. The archives is located next to the museum in a former Carnegie Library building. The library was built with matching grants in 1907 for Wilberforce University and now houses the offices, archive, and museum storage for NAAMMCC.
Photograph of the Carnegie Library, courtesy of National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC).
The museum has a dynamic collection and eye-opening exhibits. If you are interested in art, World War Two or Women’s history, NAAMCC has something for you. Currently the museum has an exhibit called Rhythm of Revolution-The Transformative Power of Black Art 1619 to the Present. “The exhibit maps the visual flow of artistic, cultural, social, and political change in America from 1619 to the present day. Using three-dimensional objects from the NAAMCC collections, Rhythm of Revolution explores how Black artists, religious leaders, and activists worked within their spheres of influence to transform Ohio and our nation.”
The museum features other exhibits that will catch your fancy such as The Queens of the Heartland which focuses on the stories of 30 African American Ohioans that made an impact in the fight for women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights Movement. The exhibit will be on view this year. NAAMCC also hosts an exhibit titled African Americans Fighting for Double Victory. The exhibit tells the stories of World War II veterans both on the homefront and abroad. “Discover the art of Charles Alston, commissioned by the Office of War Information to promote the war effort among African Americans, explore stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Red Ball Express…” The exhibit takes a local view on WWII and details the work of the Triple Nickels, a group of Wilberforce-area veterans and their roles in the greater civil rights movement.
Interview with Mackenzie Snare, Museum Archivist at NAAMCC
SOA: What do you like most about working at NAAMCC / the Ohio History Connection?
MS: What I like best about working at NAAMCC is the sense of family between our small team. As I am sure you have noticed, the political climate makes me a bit worried about the future of museums in general. I am trying to make an impact with my work and team members for as long as we can, and we have been doing a great job so far!
SOA: What is your favorite collection and why?
Young family portrait, courtesy of National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC).
MS: Right now, I would say my favorite collection is the Coleman Collection (NAM MSS 22). We generally get the most research requests from this collection, so I am usually referencing Coleman often. The Coleman family are descendants of Charles Young actually, and Jill and Claudia Coleman donated a now thirty-two box collection pertaining to Young’s life and career. Young is a pretty popular subject due to him being only the third Black graduate of West Point and the first Black Colonel in the US Army. Also, because he was recently posthumously promoted to Brigadier General, I think more people are learning about the life of Young. It helps that his house is just around the corner as a National Park Service site!
For those of you that are not familiar with the “Coleman Collection of Charles Young Material spans the entirety of Charles Young’s Military career and some of his early life, as well as the lives of his wife, his mother, and his two children. The collection also covers in detail Col. Young’s time as an attaché in Liberia.”
SOA: What is the most interesting reference question that you have received?
John Dyer, 1910, courtesy of National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC).
MS: One of the more interesting research requests I have had was for just a picture. A man was hoping to learn a bit more about one of his maternal relatives, a member of the Army band in the 1920s. Thanks to the digitization project with the National Parks Service, I was able to look through hundreds of files to find the army roster book. The man’s relative appeared in two pictures! The researcher then shared the photographs with his family and said he had never seen a picture of the man; he resembled an uncle be had . The researcher said, “I had goosebumps seeing his face: to me he looks just like my great grandmother Josephine Dyer Cruz, his eldest child.”
SOA: If you could have dinner with someone that has been featured in an exhibit recently, who would that be and why?
MS: As for the dinner with a person featured on exhibit, I might say Ms. Charlotte Maxeke. She was a student at Wilberforce University in the late 1800s, having traveled from South Africa. I have had the pleasure of multiple research requests spanning two jobs related to Ms. Maxeke. Her alma mater still has school grades for her courses during her attendance! She was the first South African student to enroll at Wilberforce University as well, which I think is pretty interesting.
Frank Roberts with dog, courtesy of National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC).
SOA: What is your favorite image from the NAAMCC archive?
MS: My favorite archive image would probably be any picture with a dog! I wish we had more, but it is always a nice surprise when I see a little dog in the middle of the picture.
February is Black History month, and the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center has a variety of programs on offer. Sadly, one of them will have already taken place on Zoom by the time this blog post hits the internet. The event “I’m the Family Historian – Now What?” was held on Zoom the first week of February where people had the opportunity to learn from Cecelia McFadden, Family Legacy Coach and Black Genealogy Expert.
On February 20, 2025, you will want to check out the Zoom event “There’s an App for That: using Technology in Family Research”. Please register by noon on the 20th. Participants will learn when and how to use technology in their family history research. They will include tips on how to keep family memories safe. This session will be presented by Cecelia McFadden.
If you have any research questions for Mackenzie Snare you can reach her by email [email protected].
