Black Archives Of Mid-America Inc

THE MISSION OF THE BLACK ARCHIVES OF MID-AMERICA IS TO COLLECT, PRESERVE, AND MAKE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC MATERIALS DOCUMENTING THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL HISTORIES OF PERSONS OF AFRICAN DESCENT IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI REGION. THE BLACK ARCHIVES OF MID-AMERICA IS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE AND PROVIDES ACCESS TO ITS COLLECTIONS FOR RESEARCH, EXHIBITION, AND PUBLICATIONS TO HONOR OUR COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE AND TO CATALYZE PUBLIC AWARENESS.

COVID 19 SHUT DOWN MOST OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. WITH MANDATES FROM THE MAYOR, COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND THE GOVERNOR, MOST MUSEUMS WERE FOR THE MOST PART CLOSED. THE BLACK ARCHIVES OF MID-AMERICA IS A BIT UNUSUAL IN THAT WE WERE FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE SOME OF OUR OPERATIONS. FOOT TRAFFIC, OF COURSE, WAS LESSENED, BUT THE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE MAKING RESEARCH REQUESTS VIA TELEPHONE OR ON-LINE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY. THE MOMENTUM NEVER SLOWED. WE SAW REQUESTS INCREASE FROM ABOUT 5 PER WEEK TO OVER 15 WEEKLY. STUDENTS LITERALLY FROM AROUND THE WORLD WERE FORCED TO RESORT TO ON-LINE ASSIGNMENTS, AND THE BLACK ARCHIVES SURFACED AS A PRIME RESOURCE. WE HELPED STUDENTS IN CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA, HOLLAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. LOCALLY, A NUMBER (25) RESIDENTS PARTICIPATED IN AN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT ABOUT THEIR LIVES DURING AND AFTER GENTRIFICATION ON BEACON HILL, ONCE A PROMINENT BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD. RESIDENTS CAME INTO THE RECORDING STUDIO AT THE BLACK ARCHIVES WHERE THEY WERE ISOLATED IN THE SOUND STUDIO AND INTERVIEWED. WE PRACTICED STRICT COVID PROTOCOLS AS THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF OUR COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT TO US. IN ADDITION TO THE 25 RESIDENTS WHO WERE ASKED BY US TO PARTICIPATE, ONCE WORD REACHED OTHERS ABOUT THIS PROJECT, WE HAD MANY REQUESTS FROM OTHERS WHO WANTED THEIR STORIES CAPTURED FOR HISTORY. WE ARE ACTIVELY TRYING TO RAISE FUNDS TO CONTINUE THIS PROJECT. THE ARCHIVES COLLECTION SPACE IS A SAFE SPACE FOR ALL DURING THIS AGE OF COVID. WE HAVE HAD THE ROOM DISINFECTED SEVERAL TIMES AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE, ALL PERSONS VISITING AND VOLUNTEERING IN THIS PLACE MUST WEAR MASKS. FOUR REGULAR VOLUNTEERS CONTINUED TO HELP US IN THE COLLECTIONS. WE DID NOT ACTIVELY RECRUIT OTHERS AS WE ARE FIXED ON MAKING SURE THAT THE BLACK ARCHIVES DOES NOT BECOME A SPREADER OF THE VIRUS. WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN WE CAN OPEN OUR DOORS AND ACCEPT MANY MORE VOLUNTEERS.