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Posted by: Kate Stewart
October was American Archives Month, and last Thursday was Ask an Archivist Day. In honor of that event (although a little late), we decided to compile a list of Frequently Asked Questions that we often get– not necessarily reference questions, but those from our own friends and family or when we introduce ourselves as employees …
Posted in: AFC Events, AFC History, Archival Practice, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Kate Stewart
On September 25th, the American Folklife Center and the Library of Congress’s Hispanic Division brought together eight scholars and activists for a day-long symposium titled Organizing Across the Boundaries: Strategies and Coalitions in the Struggle for Civil Rights and Social Justice. It was the last event for this fiscal year in our public programs series, …
Posted in: AFC Events, African Americans, Black Panther Party, Chicano/a, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Hispanic American History, Religion, SNCC
Posted by: Kate Stewart
The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom opened at the Library of Congress on September 10th. This exhibit draws from collections across the library to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the act. It covers America’s long history of discrimination and segregation, the grassroots movement for civil rights, and the efforts of …
Posted in: African Americans, Alan Lomax, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Exhibits, Oral History, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Kate Stewart
We are happy to announce today that 50 new video oral histories are now available on the Civil Rights History Project website. Here are a just a few highlights from this extraordinary group of interviewees: Luis Zapata describes his childhood in Orange County, California, and how he came to join the labor movement as a …
Posted in: Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Oral History
Posted by: Kate Stewart
This summer, 125 teachers from around the country came to Washington to participate in five Library of Congress Summer Teachers Institutes to learn more about using the library’s primary sources in the classroom. At each week-long institute, staff from the American Folklife Center and the Veterans History Project participate in an open house, where curators …
Posted in: Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Teaching
Posted by: Kate Stewart
The following is a Q & A with one of our long-term researchers, Jeannette Estruth. KS: Hi Jeannette! Tell us a little about your background and why you came to the Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center. JE: Hi Kate, thanks so much for inviting me to take part in the American Folklife …
Posted in: AFC Reading Room Visitors, African American History, African Americans, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Freedom Struggle, Oral History
Posted by: Kate Stewart
Ever since the Civil Rights History Project Act was passed in 2009, archivists at the American Folklife Center have kept their eyes and ears open for items related to the Southern Freedom Movement as they process collections. Todd Harvey, curator of the Alan Lomax Collection (AFC 2004/004), recently noticed a folder of twenty-one photographs in …
Posted in: African Americans, Alan Lomax, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Folk Music, SNCC
Posted by: Kate Stewart
Although folksingers Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, and Frank Hamilton registered copyright on “We Shall Overcome” in 1960, the song has a long and fascinating history with contributions from many activist-singers. We can trace it back to two separate songs from over a hundred years ago, the lyrics from “I’ll Overcome Some Day” written by the …
Posted in: African American History, Civil Rights, Civil Rights History Project, Folk Music, Oral History, Pete Seeger