“An Evening with Earl Graves”
SBA Activities
The week of Nov. 1st was all about expanding the History Makers within the AUC. This week, I met with the Atlanta Ujima Collective, a mutual aid program that serves the students and residents of the Atlanta University Center. Operated by Atlanta University Center students from Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University, the collective takes some of their initiative inspiration from the legacy of organizations such as the Black Panther Party. This is perhaps best exemplified by The Atlanta Ujima Collective’s Free Food Program, is directly inspired by the Black Panther’s Free Breakfast Program.
A shot of the Atlanta Ujima Collective’s Free Food Program.
A flyer for the Atlanta Ujima Collective’s food program.
I spent time with the organization and discussed the merits of the archive as a source of first person accounts of social justice organization. For example, CivicMaker Angela Davis said during hr HistoryMaker’s interview, “What excites me about this younger generation is that they're working with tools that we did not have. They're working with conceptual tools that we had to struggle to figure out…They know in their ways of imagining the world how to put things together that we really had to struggle to understand. And so in a sense they literally are standing on our shoulders…They're going to accomplish so much more. And that's a good thing. That's the way it should be.”
Some of the other work that the A.U.C is involved with includes a winter resources drive to provide relief to those with inclement living conditions. The also have begun a community garden to address food insecurity and have collaborated with the Atlanta University Clothing Drive to provide adequate layers for the unhoused community in the area.
An image of me talking about the History Makers’ Digital Archive for Dr. Patterson History of Africa to 1865 class.
Additionally, I had the opportunity to present for Dr. Patterson’s History of Africa to 1865 class. Although there are no HistoryMaker oral histories from the pre-emancipatory era, I relayed the Digital Archive’s rich source of supporting evidence in their coming assignments. For example, a segment of that class’ curriculum is focused on prominent abolitionist groups and figures. A quick keyword search of “abolition” will produce over 40 results. Some of these results include ArtMaker Artis Lane, who speaks about her familial ties to Mary Ann Shadd. Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an African American abolitionist who toured North American and Europe making the case for emancipation. I believe through the digital archive, many of Dr. Patterson’s students can better inform themselves and their academic work. You can learn more about the connection between Artis Lane and the extended Shadd Family in this My Clips Playlist. I would also like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Dr. Patterson and her class for their hospitality and warm reception!
I also spent a portion of my week strengthening the connection between the Digital Archive and Spelman professor Dr. Gloria Wade-Gayles. Together, we are planning to expand the mission of the History Maker’s Digital Archive through on campus presentations, and the Digital Archive Black History Month Contest.
Finally, I completed a flyer for the Digital Archive for my campus. I have already begun to circulate it on social media, and have intentions to contact a local or institutional print shop. This will allow me to post flyers for the archive on all three campus. Additionally, the scannable barcode will allow smartphone users to access the archive directly from their hand held device. It is very likely that I will update the poster to include more information about the benefits of using the archive for AUC students in particular!
An Evening with Earl Graves
This weeks History Maker highlighted interview was immigrant turned multimillionaire Earl Graves. As a media and business mogul, Graves is best known for creating Black Enterprise Magazine. This publication detailed pertinent information to black professionals and proved economic literacy to throngs of Black Americans. However, Graves’ journalistic and publishing no how exists in part due to his background in politics. In a separate interview with History Makers, Graves describes how the experience impacted his decision. “I didn't know much about newsletters, [but the] magazine was a good idea also. Now, I did know something about advertising because in the political campaigns you used advertising agents. I also knew that they usually didn't get paid.” Nevertheless, the first issue of Black Enterprise hit the shelves in August of 1970. Although the magazine wouldn’t make a profit until its 10th issue, Graves believed in the magazines impact. “Our very first issue of the magazine we had a staff at that time of about maybe fifteen people… and we got it out, and to say it was an "instant success" would be a little bit of exaggeration, but it was clearly something people responded to very quickly because there was nothing else like it out there, and I was talking about business.” In many ways, the existence and success of Black Enterprise magazine filled a whole in both business media and in Black American life. Graves went on to publish a book entitled "How to Succeed in Business Without Being White.” In it, Graves depicts the many dilemmas that come with being Black in business. The impact of Earl Graves on the promotion and guiding of contemporary black business professionals expansive and long lasting. If you would like to learn more about Earl Graves and his life, please feel free to peruse this My Clips Playlist!
