For Immediate Release: July 30, 2024
Media Contact: Communications and Engagement Specialist Jeanene Harris at jeanene.harris@alexandriava.gov or 703.851.4333.
Increasing Access to African American Collections:
Alexandria Black History Museum Receives Prestigious IMLS Grant for Collections and Library Digitization Project
Alexandria, Va. — The Alexandria Black History Museum (ABHM), part of Historic Alexandria, is thrilled to announce its second prestigious Museum Grant for African American History and Culture from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This $99,772 grant will support an exciting project, running from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, that will further enable visitors to explore the Museum’s valuable collections beyond the confines of the museum walls.
The museum's first grant, awarded in 2021, enabled the cataloguing, digitizing, and public sharing of four significant archival collections. These collections spotlight documents, photographs, and artifacts from notable figures like Alexandrian activists Ferdinand T. Day and Annie B. Rose, Washingtonian opera singer Ben Holt, and public relations trailblazer Moss H. Kendrix. This project culminated in the new exhibition, Moss H. Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image, which opened in June 2024 and provides a powerful exploration of Kendrix's transformative impact on public perceptions of African Americans through strategic public relations.
Building on this success, the new grant will digitize the museum’s entire object collection, making it available online. This includes materials from William “Bill” Euille, Alexandria's first African American mayor, 1980s photographs of the Parker-Gray neighborhood, images from local African American church services, rare issues of The Home News newspaper from 1902-1903, artifacts from African American businesses in Alexandria, and memorabilia from Earl Lloyd, the first African American to play in the NBA. Additionally, a celebrated fund-raising cookbook, A Kind Heart and a Light Hand, and other significant items will be digitized to showcase Alexandria’s rich and diverse history.
An additional component of the grant is to make accessible online catalog records of approximately 4,000 volumes from the non-circulating Watson Reading Room library. This will include updating existing records and creating 1,000 new ones, all accessible online.
This initiative is part of ABHM’s ongoing commitment to making history accessible. Previous digitizing efforts led to the launch of Historic Alexandria Collections Online (HACO) in 2020, featuring items from the Funn Collection, the Parker-Gray Photographic Collection, and the Black Lives Remembered Collection, which documents activism in Alexandria post-George Floyd’s death.
The digital content created by this project will support the invaluable work and ongoing mission of Historic Alexandria and the Alexandria Black History Museum to tell stories of the underrepresented and marginalized, highlighting their central role in the American narrative, both locally and nationally.
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About Alexandria Black History Museum: The Alexandria Black History Museum is dedicated to enriching the lives of Alexandrians by preserving and promoting the history and achievements of African Americans in the region. Through its exhibitions, programs, and outreach initiatives, the museum fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of the African American experience. For updates and to learn more visit: https://www.alexandriava.gov/BlackHistory
Alexandria at 275: Connecting to our past to define a brighter future.
Since its 1749 founding, the historic city of Alexandria has played a major role in our nation’s story and reflected its progress toward inclusivity. Join us at events from April through September as we mark Alexandria’s 275th anniversary and embark on the next chapter in our city’s vibrant history at alexandriava.gov/ALX275.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on facebook and twitter.