Celebrating the Third Anniversary of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library

On Saturday, November 6th at 10:30am, the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library will celebrate its third anniversary by screening a film: My Mother's Journey. The film focuses on the life and work of Elizabeth Hampton (1937-1999). In the film, Sam Hampton, the filmmaker, interviews family, friends, and activists who discuss Mrs. Hampton's civil rights activitism in Rochester, New York. In addition to Hampton, the film also discusses Frederick Douglass, a famed son of Maryland, who also used Rochester as a base for his activism, publishing the North Star in that city. Following the film, Hampton will engage the audience in a lively discussion regarding the impact of Mrs. Hampton's work, Frederick Douglass' activism in Rochester, or whatever topic the audience decides to discuss. Come and celebrate with us: http://www.bdmuseum.com/bdm-events.html

Pictured: Elizabeth Hampton

Unlocking the Treasures

On August 27, 2010, Lela Johnson Sewell-Williams, in the presence of Commissioner Powell and Commissioner Coates, gave a presentation explaining, in laymans terms, how she processed the Banneker-Douglass Museum Archives. At the beginning of the presentation, she talked about how she organized the files. Then, she displayed some of the treasures that one can find within the Banneker-Douglass Museum Archives. She highlighted a picture of Dr. Aris T. Allen, the famed Maryland lawmaker, at the unveiling of the portait of Harriet Tubman by Hughie Lee-Smith, for instance. In addition, she cast a spotlight on an article by Carroll Greene, Jr., the museum's first director, titled: A Black Pictorial History of Anne Arundel County. She capped off the event by suggesting several ways patrons can use the archives.

Pictured: Lela Johnson Sewell-Williams speaking at Unlocking the Treasures of the Banneker-Douglass Museum Archives.

Lela's Last Day

The staff of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library wishes to thank Mrs. Lela Johnson Sewell-Williams for all of her hard work this summer in processing the Banneker-Douglass Museum Archives. To tangibly thank her for her service to the library and the museum, the staff took her out to lunch at Stan and Joe's restaurant. We celebrated her service to the libray and the museum by giving her several gifts, a Banneker-Douglass Museum t-shirt as well as a copy Kaiso!: Writings by and about Katherine Dunham, Lela's favorite dancer. As you can see from the photograph, a good time was had by all!

Pictured clockwise: Amelia Harris, Dr. Joni Jones, Lela Johnson Sewell-Williams, and Lynn Waller

Happy Birthday Mrs. Garrison!

The staff of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library wishes a very happy birthday to Mrs. Garrison, the library's namesake! We hope you enjoy your special day! May you have many more!

Pictured from left to right: Mrs. Garrison and Lynn Waller, archivist of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library.

Introducing Lela J. Sewell-Williams

Before I formally introduce myself, let me begin by stating that I am very excited about blogging on the Sylvette Online! This is my inaugural blog and it could not be more appropriate for me to introduce myself utilizing this technology as we as keepers of the culture textual and otherwise continue to create opportunities to engage community in historical content by "What Every Means Necessary."

With that I say greetings, I am Lela J. Sewell -Williams. I am a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I completed my undergraduate matriculation at South Carolina State University, located in Organgeburg, South Carolina, receiving a Bachelors of Arts in American History with a minor in Black Studies. I furthered my studies at Duquesene University, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, completing my Masters of Arts degree in History with a concentration in Archives, Museums and Historical Editing. Driven by the goal of preserving the African Diasporic experience, I have had the privilege of working in various institutions whose mission is the preservation of culture and history. These institutions include South Carolina State University Historical Collection (serving as the University's first Archivist), Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Manuscripts Librarian), Moorland Spingarn Research Center at Howard University, Washington , DC (Assistant Curator) and currently as the Dance Archivist/Adjunct Professor within the Dance Major Program at Howard University.

I am very excited about serving as the Archive Assistant within the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. I fully recognize this opportunity as a privilege and blessing.

We Want You Back

A year ago today, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died, ironically, during Black Music Month. I, much like many people my age, grew up listening to Jackson's music. In fact, whenever he debuted a new music video, I went to my friend's house, and we watched it together. It was like going to a premier of a blockbuster movie.

Lately, after reading Rodney Reynolds' column on the famed entertainer, I have been listening to Jackson's music. He was a brilliant singer, even at twelve years of age. His brilliance rises to unheard of hights when he hits that incredibly high note at the end of Who's Lovin' You. He was truly a great singer, a great dancer, and a great enterntainer. With the countless tributes to Jackson that are occurring around the world, I believe people are saying: We want you back.

Surveying the Hill

A portion of Dr. Walter B. Hill, Jr.'s voluminous library was donated to the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. Dr. Walter B. Hill, Jr. was a commissioner of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture; the Senior Archivist in Afro-American History at the National Archivies and Record Administration in College Park, Maryland; a member of the Executive Council of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; the Chief Historian for the African American Civil War Memorial; and the director of the Modern Archives Institute. He authored: Federal Records Relating to Civil Rights in the Post World War II Era and edited: The Book of Names.

The Walter Hill Collection consists of approximately 500 books and serials. The collection is eclectic and diasporic, containing information concerning people of African descent who live in Africa, the Carribean, Britain, and Latin America. The bulk of the collection, however, focuses on African American history and culuture.

Some of the items in the collection have high historic value for the library: The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Book of Names, which includes Robert Jones, an African American who fought in the Civil War whose historic papers the library owns, Federal Records Relating to Civil Rights in the Post-World War II Era, a book signed by Dr. Hill, David Levering Lewis' Pulitzer Prize winning work: W.E.B. Dubois, 1868-1919: Biography of a Race, Shades of Freedom, which was signed by A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., From Slavery to Freedom, signed by the legendary John Hope Franklin, and Dreams of My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, President Barack Obama's first book.

Remembering the Poet of Remembrance

After I was exposed to poetry in high school, I became a fan of the art form. Like most people, I enjoyed the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. Consequently, I read the work of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude McKay. In addition, I also read the poetry of the Black Arts Movement. As my interest in the art form grew, not only did I read poetry, I also listened to poets recite it.

While browsing in the stacks of the New Carrollton Public Library in Prince George's County, Maryland, I stumbled upon a tape series titled: Language of Life: A Festival of Poets. As a result, I checked the tape series out of the library and began to listen to the poets on those tapes. One of the poets I listened to was Lucille Clifton. I enjoyed hearing her read her poetry, especially Fury, a powerful poem about her mother's reaction to her father's refusal to allow her mother to publish a book of poetry, and At the Cemetery, Walnut Grove Plantation, South Carolina, 1989, a poem concerning the need to remember our ancestors who wre buried in unmarked graves. I also liked her interview with famed journalist, Bill Moyers, where she explained her poetry. After hearing her recite her poetry and expound upon it, I was repeatedly compelled to hear her section of the tape. I thoroughly enjoyed her orality. From that moment on, I was hooked on her art. Clifton was simply a wonderful poet who will be missed.

Photo by Rachel Eliza Griffiths

A Child is Born!

On Monday, March 8, 2010 at 4:21pm, my wife and I welcomed our third child into the world. Julian Luke Waller arrived weighting 6 pounds even with a height of 19 1/2 inches and all of his fingers and toes. After the delivery, I had the nurse put his footprints on my "doctor clothes," as she did her work in the delivery room. As an archivist, you know I am going to place these clothes in an archivally safe box for the viewing pleasure of future generations.

Robert Jones: An American Patriot

The Manuscript Collection of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library at the Banneker-Douglass Museum contains letters, rare documents, and ephemera which elucidates Maryland's African American history and culture. For Black History Month, we are featuring a rare document concerning Robert Jones, an African American Civil War veteran.

Heeding the call of Frederick Douglass, Robert Jones enlisted in the United States Colored Troops on November 5th, 1863 in Somerset County, Maryland. After Jones helped save the Union, Maryland paid his owner, Robert Patterson, $100 for allowing him to fight in the war. Maryland freed Jones when the State changed its constitution in 1864, leading the effort to extend freedom to all Americans.

Do you desire to learn more about Robert Jones and many other African Americans like him? Then make it a point to stop by the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library and the Banneker-Douglass Museum.