Arizona State University is on a mission to preserve the voice of Black Arizonans, one anecdote at a time. The university's Community-Driven Archives Initiative is building a rapidly expanding repository that aims to resonate with the rhythm and richness of local Black history. ABC15 News reported that the ASU team is collecting stories to foster better representation of Black communities in Arizona's historical narrative.
Though Black Arizonans have been instrumental to the state's development since territorial times, their contributions have been largely muted in the historical transcripts of the state. But ASU's Black Collections, spearheaded since 2021 with ASU’s LIFT Initiative grant, is raring to change this silence into a symphony of storied presence. The program aims to bridge the past with the present, and Jessica Salow, assistant archivist of Black Collections at ASU Library, stressed the import of this work in a statement obtained by ASU News, saying, "We’ve been here before territorial times, during territorial times and after territorial times."
With less than 2% of archival collections in Arizona representing Black and African American communities, ASU's effort is not just a matter of archiving; it's about reconstructing an inclusive historical landscape. Salow, through her tireless community engagement, is seen as a catalyst in this transformative archival process. Salow told ASU News, "We absolutely need engagement from the community for this collection to be of substance, of understanding, and tell the stories that need to be told."
Local high schools and ASU staffers have already been targeted with workshops where Salow and her team educate on the significance of preserving history. She shared that following these sessions, many step forward with treasured documents and memories in tow, ready to contribute to the collective history. According to ASU News, collections like the J. Eugene Grigsby Jr. Papers, tracking an esteemed ASU professor and artist, and the Lincoln Ragsdale Sr. collection, which honors a pioneering civil rights leader and Tuskegee Airman, already punctuate the archive's offerings.
Even after Black History Month’s momentum wanes, ASU is steadfast in the project's continuity. The purpose is twofold: reinvigorating the legacies of influential figures like Mark Ellis Sunkett, an ethnomusicologist and ASU professor, and building an archival haven where community members, regardless of their socioeconomic status or recognition, can see their experiences preserved.
