Amistad is committed to collecting, preserving, and providing open access to original materials that
reference the social and cultural importance of America's ethnic and racial history,
the African Diaspora, human relations, and civil rights.
A Thank You for a Wonderful Evening
Anniversary celebration recognized honorees and New Orleans' musical history
Dear Friend of Amistad,
On behalf of the Amistad Research Center's Board of Directors and staff, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for supporting The Soundtrack of New Orleans, Amistad's 52nd Anniversary celebration. Friday night was truly magical!
The immense planning required for such an undertaking would not have been possible without the generosity of supporters like you.Because of your continued commitment to the mission and vision of Amistad, impactful programs such as Conversations in Color, Amistad on the Go, and curated exhibitions are created for the children and general community of New Orleans.The archives, which constitute Amistad's overall mission, continue to be preserved for future generations of people across the world to access.
Events like The Soundtrack of New Orleans illustrate how important it is to celebrate the rich cultural legacy of New Orleans. We thank you for taking this journey with us and look forward to seeing you next year!
With sincere gratitude,
Kara Tucina Olidge, PhD
Executive Director
Grant to Support Preservation of Sound Recordings
Recordings at Risk program to expand linguistic study
An example of Lorenzo Dow Turner's wire field recordings and notes.
Amistad has received a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources' Recordings at Risk program to digitize original field recordings of African American academic and linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner, known as the "Father of Gullah Studies." Information about the collection is available via the online finding aid. You can read more about Amistad's project and explore the full list of recently funded projects via the link below.
Time to get your research in as we begin to wind down 2018
With the holiday season fast approaching, Amistad would like to remind researchers of upcoming hours of operation. The Center will be closed November 22-24 for Thanksgiving. The Center will be open through December 19 and then will be closed from December 20 through January 6, 2019. We start the new year on January 7.
Information on Amistad's hours of operation and planning your visit can be viewed via the link below.
Mark your calendars for lectures, conversations, and more
The Amistad Research Center has a number of exciting programming events on the horizon. This Thursday, October 11,
Amistad and
Ace Hotel New Orleans present The Messiah of Ancestral House Music and Yoruba Records chief Osúnlade for his debut DJ set at Three Keys, alongside Los Angeles-based underground cultural movement scholar and DJ, Lynnée Denise.
On October 23, Amistad will host scholar and author Keith Weldon Medley for a talk entitled "Black Life in Old New Orleans at the Amistad Research Center," which is held in conjunction with the Amistad Research Center's recognition of the 300th anniversary of the city of New Orleans and is supported in part by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Details for these events are available via Amistad's Eventbrite page. Information for additional 2018 programs is forthcoming.
Exhibitions Recognize Important Aspect of City's History
Amistad leading efforts to recognize New Orleans' African American history
Photograph of the Seventh Ward Civic League, 1930
Due to its popularity, Amistad is extending the run of its current exhibition, "Things We Do For Ourselves: African American Civic Leadership in the Crescent City," through October. Our final exhibition of the New Orleans tricentennial year will focus on the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans and its ties to the larger movement. That exhibition will run from November 5 through February 28, 2019. Both exhibitions are held in the Center's Exhibition Gallery and Reading Room.
And don't forget to visit the exhibition "African Heritage of New Orleans: 300 Years in the Making" currently on view at the Historic New Orleans Collection. The exhibition is sponsored by the New Orleans Arts & Culture Coalition, of which Amistad is a charter member.
We are pleased to announce that
Christopher Harter has been named Deputy Director of the Amistad Research Center. Christopher joined the Amistad staff in 2007 and served as Director of Library and Reference Services since 2008. He is also currently serving on the Scholarships Committee and the Exhibition Awards Committee of the Rare Book and Manuscript Section of the
of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.
Phillip Cunningham of the Library and Reference Services Department will be speaking at the annual meeting of the Louisiana Archives & Manuscripts Association. He is speaking as part of a panel on LGBTQ Archives in New Orleans. The panel will explore how New Orleans archives build relationships with activists and organizations in the LGBTQ community.
Archivist Jasmaine Talley passed the Certified Archivist Exam in August 2018, which demonstrates expertise and knowledge of archival practices and management. She also applied to and received the Louisiana Archives & Manuscript Association's Marie Windell Continuing Education Scholarship to attend the 2019 annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists in Austin, Texas.
