Fondren Library is celebrating Black History Month at Rice University with a catalog of engaging exhibits and events, including “Archiving Black Intellectual Histories at Rice,” an effort organized by Fondren’s Woodson Research Center to document and preserve the intellectual histories of Black faculty members who came through the university.
Throughout February, the library is collaborating closely with faculty and university departments to gather historical findings and documents to contribute to the Rice Archives.
“We are thrilled to enhance our university’s legacy during Black History Month with an initiative that honors the contributions of Black intellectuals at Rice University,” said Portia Hopkins, university historian. “This effort celebrates their invaluable contributions to the university and their respective academic fields.”
“These additions to the Rice Archives will help current and future researchers see the contributions of Black faculty at Rice,” said Amanda Focke, head of special collections at Fondren Library. “These faculty will now, if they didn’t before, appear in searches of both the physical and digital archives.”
The Fondren will kick off the month with a documentary screening of “Black Lives Matter in Latin America” at 2 p.m. Feb. 1 at the African American History Research Center. The library will also feature a monthlong Black History Month book display and will host a symposium titled “Exploring Houston’s Historical Black Press: Advancing Research, Preserving Legacy,” which will highlight Black newspapers, their place in genealogical research and a nuanced understanding of their relevance throughout history.
To learn more about events at Fondren Library, visit library.rice.edu.