Payne Theological Seminary 2015 Commencement: Processing with the Faculty

Selfie with Dean Michael J. Brown, new Interim President

Momma I made it! 

A Great Shot taken by my Colleague, Dr. Betty Holley

I was humbled and excited by the invitation of the Dean and members of the faculty to process for the first time at the 2015 Commencement Ceremony. It was my first time donning the lemon yellow hood for Library Science as I chose not to attend my MLS graduation exercises. After a hurried purchase from Herf Jones Express, I was happy to add the unique coloring of the MLS regalia (it would have been in poor fashion to don the MDiv hood at the same time) to the processional and advocate for the role of the library in theological education.

The commencement address was delivered by Cornell Williams Brooks, Esquire, President and CEO  of the NAACP. His message to the seniors was superb. I especially enjoyed his interpretation of the conversation between Esther and Mordecai in Esther 4:16 and his call for the senior class to go forward in their ministries with Esther's gumption, "And if I perish, I perish".

Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters were awarded to Cornell William Brooks, Esquire, Dr. Gayraud Wilmore, Distinguished African American Theologian and Scholar, and Mrs. Vivienne Anderson, retired Episcopal Supervisor and widow to the former beloved Chairman of the Board at Payne Seminary, Bishop Vinton R. Anderson.

In addition to being delighted by the joy and thankfulness expressed by the seniors as I overheard their prayers and shouts just over my shoulder, the 18 members of the graduating class also nearly knocked my heels off with their pledge to purchase new computers for the library! The senior gift will give me the leverage to order a KIC Scanner machine and implement a printing system in the library for student use.

Speaking of library use, the Bishop Reverdy C. Ransom Library was packed out for the 5th Annual Bishop Vinton R. Anderson Ecumenical Institute on The Life and Work of the Late Bishop Vinton R. Anderson and His Impact on the Legacy on the Ecumenical Movement on May 20th as part of Commencement Week Activities. The keynote was Dr. Gayraud Wilmore, Internationally acclaimed scholar and theologian of the history of the African-American church and black theology, The lecture respondents were Rev. Dr. Louis-Charles Harvey, Presiding Elder of the Potomac District, Washington Annual Conference and  Mr. John Thomas III, Coordinator of Youth and Young Adults for the World Methodist Council.

We had not had an opportunity to see how the library functioned as large public meeting space until the lecture. Professors and students regularly use the library's two group meeting rooms for class and intensives but the open meeting area just in front the stacks normally doesn't get much play. It was extremely fulfilling to see the space filled and hear lecture guests gushing over how complimentary the library was to the "feel" of the event due to Bishop Anderson's work to get the library built in 2009. I will absolutely be working on public programming to bring more people (Friends of Payne, Wilberforce University Students and community groups) into the space. In my development of a library and archives policy I created a meeting space policy and form (more on writing policies and procedures in another post).

Dr. Wilmore

Packed House!!!

Dr. Harvey

From Wilberforce to the World Council of Churches: Curating the Bishop Vinton R. Anderson Exhibit

When I was being interviewed for the gig here at Payne, I was told that I would have an exclusive opportunity to curate the personal collection of Bishop Vinton Randolp Anderson, deceased A.M.E. bishop and president of the World Council of Churches. The best part of that opportunity for me was hearing that his robes would be gifted to the seminary and prominent displayed in an exhibit on site. I was all in.

In preparation for Commencement Week I was charged with curating a small exhibit on the life of Bishop Anderson using what "artifacts" were already available in the archive (aside from his robe personal materials had not yet been donated). There wasn't much to work with, so I got creative. A display case was moved from the administration building over the Mitchell-Anderson Building where the display would be located within the Bishop Vinton R. Anderson Ecumenical Institute.

After re-reading Bishop Anderson's bio I thought about documenting his path as a student of Wilberforce University and Payne. This part was fairly easy, Wilberforce yearbooks and Payne catalogs were in abundance between our two institutions (shout out Mrs. Brown, Wilberforce Archivist!). Next I thought about his candidacy and run for Bishop and naturally looked to the boxes of the Christian Recorder on our shelves. Below is the panel text I created for the display along with pictures. I really really really enjoy exhibit design and didn't realize how much I missed curating displays since leaving the Duke Divinity School Library.

The Legacy of Bishop Vinton Randolph Anderson at Payne Theological Seminary

Bishop Anderson, elected to the episcopacy in 1972, was a distinguished pastor, writer, ecumenist, liturgist and leader in African Methodism and throughout the world.

The exhibit, "From Wilberforce to the World Council of Churches," recounts Anderson’s early academic career, campaign for the episcopacy, ecumenical involvements and chronicles his continued contributions to the administration, campus construction and growth of Payne Theological Seminary.
 An elected and consecrated African Methodist Episcopal Bishop, Anderson was actively involved in ecumenical affairs, serving as President of the World Council of Churches from 1991-1998, leading over 560 million members and 330 denominations in interfaith dialogue and collaboration. During his distinguished two decade tenure as Chairman of the Board at Payne, Bishop Anderson was committed to renovating the Mitchell-Anderson Building and at the forefront of the effort to build the Bishop Reverdy Cassius Ransom Memorial Library. His witness for ecumenism in theological education led to the founding of The Bishop Vinton R. Anderson Ecumenical Institute at Payne in 2011. The Institute promotes programs of education, advocacy, and service that address critically important social needs and offers opportunity for the Church to witness through common faith expressions developed from the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Anderson migrated from Bermuda where he was born in Somerset, on July 11, 1927 to the United States in 1947 at twenty years old to attend Wilberforce University where he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts with Honors. Anderson strengthened his religious knowledge as he gained his Masters of Divinity from Payne Theological Seminary in 1952. As seen in the Wilberforce University Forcean Yearbooks on display, Bishop Anderson was a member of the joint choral group the Payne Singers from 1948-1951.

The robe on display is a gift from Mrs. Vivienne L. Anderson, wife of Bishop Vinton R. Anderson. Embroidered in gold lettering inside the robe is the text “Robes of Faith for Bishop Vinton Anderson (AME Church Crest) 1972”.  Robes of Faith, Inc. was selected to design and create the exclusive Vestments worn by the Bishops of the AME Church worn by the Presiding Elders and the General Officers of the AMEC. The color purple marks and defines the ceremony and protocol of the church. Purple symbolizes Authority & Kingship (Judges 8:26) Wealth (Acts 16:14 & Proverbs 31:22) Royalty (Esther 8:15) and is also the liturgical color for Seasons of Advent and Lent.
Along with photographs of Bishop Anderson and Mrs. Anderson at the November 13, 2008 tribute celebrating his legacy and leadership as Chairman of the Board, Bishop Anderson speaking at past Founder’s Day events and the installation of Dr. Leah Fitchue as President of Payne Theological Seminary, four original copies of The Christian Recorder featuring articles about his road to the episcopacy are also featured.

Exhibit design and display: Shaneé Yvette Murrain, Seminary Archivist
Gifts: Robe, Vivienne L. Anderson, 2014
Loans: 3 yearbooks, Wilberforce University Archives 2015

Dr. Fitchue, Bishop McKinley Young and the Anderson Family viewing the display

The Development Team shared Bishop's enthusiasm, this picture is good evidence

Mother's Day Brunch at the Dayton Art Institute and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

Joy and I with the talking store clerk robot ($)

One of the primary reasons I accepted the archivist position at Payne in January was the opportunity it afforded me to work with local cultural heritage organizations. Since moving to Ohio, I've quickly learned that Wilberforce has a small but extremely rich community of historians who are passionate about the preservation of African American History.
I met Joy G. Kinard, Ph.D. Superintendent, Colonel Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument while attending the Colonel Charles Young Birthday Commemoration at the National Afro American Museum. We spent Mother's Day attending service at my home church, touring the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park where her office is located and dining on delectable candied bacon at the Dayton Art Institute's Annual Mother Day's Brunch.

Dayton Aviation Heritage NHP consists of five sites that tell the stories of Wilbur Wright, Orville Wright, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. Coming from North Carolina I was just certain that all that the Wright Brother's history was the legacy of the Tarheel state. Clearly I was misinformed. While walking through the Wright-Dunbar Intrepretive Center, I learned that the Wright Brother's built their aircraft in Ohio where they were born, raised, owned multiple non-aviation related businesses (bicycles!) and died, but traveled to North Carolina to launch due to the favorable humidity and flying weather. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport and all those First In Flight NC license plates are a bit deceptive. Glad I now know the truth!

I'm making it my business to visit the Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial  in the next few weeks. I remember first reading Dunbar's poem We Wear the Mask in 5th grade. I don't recall the context in which it was taught but I remember being confused yet deeply comforted by the imagery of the pain in pretending.

Joy considering the offerings in the replica 3rd Street Market Exhibit 

The Bacon. My God!

The Dayton Art Institute knows how to throw a good brunch!

Greene County Records Center and Archives and "The Book of Negroes"

On March 30, I visited the Greene County Records and Archives in Xenia, Ohio to tour the facility, meet with archivist, Robin Heise and look up some of the early deed records for Payne Theological Seminary and Wilberforce University.

According to the dates I shared with Robin, the Articles of Incorporation 1894 should have been the jackpot for us, unfortunately there was no record. All the Greene County staff was able to find were deeds for Wilberforce purchasing various lots of land.  It didn't appear that any of the deeds that are attached, have anything to do with Payne Theological Seminary.

Holding the Emancipation of Free Blacks 1805-1845

Though my quest for original deed records for Payne were fruitless, Robin shared an amazing document that is top five on my list of "Most Amazing Things I've Ever Held". I asked Robin what her favorite record in the archive was and her eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree. She opened up one of the compact shelves behind us in the clerk of courts room and carefully unboxed a nondescript blue hardcover book. She placed it carefully on the table and let me read the cover, The Greene County Clerk of Courts Emancipation Record of Free Blacks 1805-1845. Absolutely incredible! Within the first few pages I read the handwritten names, ages, physical descriptions, places of origin, and anecdotal accounts of Free Blacks who found a home in Ohio (Ohio was admitted into the union as a free state in 1803). As I read a short paragraph about a young boy around the age of 8 named John, I immediately thought of the BET miniseries The Book of Negroes that I binge watched the previous weekend. 

The Book of Negroes is a miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Lawrence Hill. The six-part miniseries derives its origins from the historical document Book of Negroes and tells the story of a woman forcefully brought to South Carolina from West Africa at the time of the American Revolution. Clement Virgo and Hill collaborated on writing the miniseries, with Virgo also directing. It premiered on BET in the United States on February 16, 2015.

The main character Aminata Diallo is recruited by Sir John Clarkson to help register names of Black British Loyalists in a ledger known as The Book of Negroes, granting them freedom and passage to Nova Scotia. Aminata is an archivist, a keeper of the record. In the one of the final episodes of the miniseries we see Aminata reunite with a baby she delivered (she was trained in midwifery by her mother prior to capture, a profession which sustained her and offered special privileges throughout servitude) as she is taking names and stories in the book. The presidential theme of Society of American Archivist Kathleen Roe is "Year of Living Dangerously for Archives." Archivists across the world were challenged by Roe via social media to think about why we are archivists. Colleen McFarland Rademaker's reflection resonates deeply with me as I think of Aminata and the Emancipation of Free Blacks 1805-1845, "I am an archivist because I love facilitating relationships across time, between the living and the dead. I find archival work to be deeply spiritual because of the sense of connectedness that permeates the archives." 

In addition to the Emancipation of Free Blacks 1805-1845, following records are available for research at the Greene County Archives: Tax Records 1806-1930, Common Pleas Court Records 1804-1957, Naturalizations (incomplete) 1822-1958, Engineer Maps, 1870-1970, Survey Records, 1792-1995, Birth/Deaths, 1869-1909, Marriages, 1803-2009, Wills and Estate Cases, 1803-1997

  

Combing carefully through the Emancipation of Free Blacks

Every Ohio Archive has a propeller or some other assorted plane part...if not a whole plane. 

1894 Deed of Records

Greene County Map

Grant Writing and Archival Management Software: Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board Grant Award 2015

I wrote a grant proposal. I wrote a grant proposal within the first two months of becoming Seminary Archivist at Payne. It was fully funded.

On March 13, 2015, the Archives at Payne Theological Seminary was notified that the Arrangement and Description of the Payne African Methodist Episcopal Church Archive proposal submitted to the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) was one of 20 applications fully funded. The project will focus on processing two special collections: the Bishop Reverdy C. Ransom and George A. Singleton Collection. Grant monies will go towards the purchase of Proficio Elements archival management software and preservation measures to facilitate future use by researchers without further damage.

This project will focus on two special collections: the Bishop Reverdy C. Ransom and the George A. Singleton Collections. The materials provides a rich resource for African American research and are the most accessible collections for current research use due to their organization and good physical condition. The Ransom collection is fascinating in that it chronicles the life and ministry of Bishop Ransom (1924-1952) and also shares details of Payne Theological Seminary and Wilberforce University during their struggles to remain institutions of higher learning during the 1940’s.

Both collections were unprocessed and unorganized prior to the construction of the archive facility in 2009, but were rehoused in 2013, when a number of Payne graduate student interns from the Payne Theological Seminary students with no formal training in archives and records management inventoried them. This was done as part of a concerted effort to put the archive in some recognizable order, facilitate a future intellectual assessment, and provide immediate access to researchers. Some of the material was foldered and standard preservation measures were taken. Since several of the Ransom letters were deteriorating, many were placed in Mylar sleeves to facilitate future use by researchers without further damage. The remainder of the collection was processed according to a basic‐level processing guidelines: materials were placed in half-Hollinger boxes, arrangement work within individual folders is not complete, and fasteners have not been removed collection materials.

My rationale for purchasing the software follows:

As our investment in the institutional archive– specifically, the Payne Theological Seminary and A.M. E. Church Digital Archive– grows, I anticipate increased use of the collections by scholars, students and the community and believe it is crucial to have an item level knowledge of the PTS archival holdings.

I propose we purchase the Proficio Elements Software from Re: discovery for managing museum and library collections as I think it will allow us to have an accurate account of the extent of our collection and help ensure that we can answer user research requests.

After consulting with Paul Daniels, Head of Arts and Archives, Luther Seminary, Christopher Poet, Archivist, Bishop Payne Library, Virginia Theological Seminary, PTS' in house IT specialist, and participating in an hour long webinar demonstration of the software, I think Proficio Elements is the best choice for Payne. With this choice Payne skips the prohibitive costs and tech support specifications of many collection development systems. Proficio allows us to manage and catalog our collection, create digital images, online records and finding aids and also run reports.

With Re: discovery Payne can update to the full Proficio at a later date should our needs change as the collection grows to include a variety of artifacts and digital formats. The software also includes a module for the library. That way, Payne can keep things simple with a single, comprehensive knowledge management system for our entire library program.

OHRAB’s regrant funding program is supported by funds obtained from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Through OHRAB’s regrant application process, funding is provided to institutions and local groups to assist in the preservation of archives and historic collections.

http://www.payne.edu/files/2733/File/NEWS%20RELEASE%20-OHRAB%20Grant--.pdf