This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through ephemera and material objects, including maps, blueprints, audiovisual materials, newspaper articles, buttons, collectibles, memorabilia, clothing and accessories, scrapbooks, speeches, photographs, brochures, and posters.
Date Modified
2025-09-14
About This Record
The HCAC public history focused digital archive cataloging is an ongoing process, and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. We welcome your comments and feedback if you have more information to share about an item featured on the site, please contact us at: HCAC-DigiTeam@si.edu
Elzena Harris moved to the Jackson area in 1892 when she was 4 years old. She became a member of the Lynch Street C.M.E. Church in 1909 when it was organized. The purpose of this interview was to discuss the function of the church in the community. The transcript contains handwritten edits and is incomplete.
Elzena Harris moved to the Jackson area in 1892 when she was 4 years old. She was the youngest of twelve children and she talks about her childhood, mentioning the games they would play. Ms. Harris also discusses her education from grade school through college at Jackson State. The transcript contains handwritten edits and is incomplete.
Elsie Slaughter was a years-long homeowner in the Farish Street District. She talks about her parents' background and occupations and her education. She discusses how White people were able to buy large amounts of property in the district by paying delinquent property taxes and how this was a different experience from most Black property owners.
Ellie Steward attended Lane College in Tennessee and returned to Benton County, Mississippi, in 1966 to become director of the county’s first Head Start program. She discusses the training she and others received in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as well as some of the prejudice she experienced when applying for the position of director.
Native Jacksonian, Elizabeth Thames discusses her experiences as the owner of Boot's Flower Shop on Farish Street, where she worked over 25 years as designer, manager and owner. She talks about the effect of the Civil Rights Movement on the general welfare of the people in the district as well as the effects on her business.
In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Elizabeth Montgomery Shelton discusses her experiences as a student in the class of 1971. She was a disciple of Professor Carroll Harris Simms and discusses learning to create clay sculptures from him. She went on to teach in Houston public schools for 37 years after her graduation from Texas Southern.
Edward Lee moved to the Farish Street District in 1925 and went on to own businesses in the district including The Crystal Palace restaurant and lounge and the Edward Lee Hotel. Mr. Lee talks about his experiences with owning businesses in the district and gives advice to future Black business owners. Transcript is edited with handwritten notes.
Edward Lee moved to the Farish Street District in 1925 and went on to own several restaurants in the area. He also booked and promoted dances and concerts for clubs and dance halls in the district. Mr. Lee talks about his education, life on a farm, family, and his youth. The transcript is heavily edited with handwritten notes.
Edna Jordan Morris was born in 1908 in Pachuta, Mississippi. She retired in 1973 after a 25 year teaching career. Ms. Morgan talks about her childhood and the games she played, her education, and church experiences. She also talks about her memories of encounters with White people. The transcript contains handwritten edits
Eddie Smith was founder and first director of Institute of Community Services Head Start program that originated in Marshall County, Mississippi, through Rust College. He talks about how he first got involved with the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) and Head Start and his work organizing since the Civil Rights Movement.
Ed Perry served as a Democrat in the Mississippi Legislature from 1968-2000, later serving as House Clerk for 4 years. In this interview Mr. Perry discusses his educational background and how he landed in the Mississippi government and his experiences working with Robert Clark.
Mr. McElroy was born in 1891 and was a lifelong resident of Clinton. He talks about being the son of a former slave and discusses the oral traditions around the Clinton Riot as well as his education and childhood.
Earnest Crawford moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1940 to work for the Coca-Cola company and retired from there in 1965. Mr. Crawford talks about his experience sharecropping and his time spent as an airplane mechanic instructor during World War II. Only a biography, a summary, and an index are included.
This is a brochure for Jones’ senior art exhibition. The culmination of the Texas Southern art curriculum is a senior exhibition where students showcase artwork created over the course of their undergraduate studies. The brochure features a portrait of Jones, a brief biography, a catalog of the artwork featured in the exhibition, and several photos of his paintings, designs, weavings, and sculptures.
In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Earl Jones, Jr. discusses his experience as a student who graduated in 1996. During his first period of study at TSU, Jones painted a mural reflecting on environmentalism and racism—these themes continue into his current works. Nowadays, Jones primarily creates intricate wood carvings.
Dr. W.E. Miller was a physician and surgeon. He was born in 1903 and attended Smith Robertson School from 1908-1913. Dr. Miller talks about his time at Smith Robertson School and the community around the school, recounting the activities that were available for young people at the time. The transcript is edited with handwritten notes.
Dr. Robert Smith was founder of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, a Civil Rights Movement organization that fought for better treatment of African Americans in the 1960s. Dr. Smith continued this work as the Head Start medical director in the early days of the program. He talks about his responsibilities and experiences in that position.
Dr. Rejohnna Brown was working as a teacher in the Delta region of Mississippi when she left her job in the summer of 1965 to join a group that were the forerunners to the region’s first Head Start program, which became known as the Mid Delta Education Association. Dr. Brown decided to do this work because of the poverty she witnessed in the area.
Dr. Lee Williams was a homeowner in the Farish Street District from 1924-1954 and worked as Vice President of Administration at Jackson State University. He talks about his time as a student at Smith Robertson School and Lanier high School. He discusses the effects of segregation on the district and also the current efforts to revitalize the area.
Dr. Jim Hendrick's involvement with activism led him to work with Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) to offer medical examinations for Head Start students. He talks about recruiting other doctors as well as some of the medical conditions he saw during these exams. Incomplete, Side B of the recording is missing.
A copy of a photograph of Dr. Jessie Bryant Mosley, Dr. Alferdteen Harrison, and Mayor Dale Danks, Jr. at the Smith Robertson Neighborhood Folklife Festival, April 9-11, 1983. The festival was a grant sponsored event held on the grounds of the Smith Robertson Museum to celebrate the history and culture of the Farish Street Historic District.
Dr. David White was the first Black optometrist in the state of Mississippi when he moved onto Farish Street in 1951. He talks about how his first White customers came during the Civil Rights Movement as there was an active meeting place for activists above his business.
Dr. David White was the first Black optometrist in the state of Mississippi when he moved onto Farish Street in 1951. He talks about Farish Street before and after integration: Black businesses became less prosperous after integration as some Black customers went to white owned businesses. He also talks about his involvement with the NAACP.
Dr. Albert Briton was the medical director for Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) and Head Start from the start of the program, brought in by director John Mudd because white physicians in the state were refusing to work in the program. Dr. Briton talks about his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement leading him to work with CDGM.
Dr. Aaron Shirley began his work with Head Start while working with the Freedom Schools during Freedom Summer in 1964; many of those schools became part of Child Development Group (CDGM). Dr. Shirley talks about his role as a medical services provider for Head Start programs all over Mississippi as part of a team of Black doctors.
Dolly Smith moved to Jackson with her family in 1919 or 1920 when she was a little girl. She says the “Good Old Days” were the times when things weren't as expensive. She reminisces on her childhood and what life was like during the Great Depression and talks about Black owned businesses, race relations, and music in Jackson.
A newspaper article from The New York Times about the testimony of defense witness Dr. David Spain during the trial of Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. He testified that the scar from a bullet hole on the body of Shakur shows that her arm was raised high in the direction of the gun that shot her.
A newspaper article from The Topeka Capital Journal about the cross-examination of expert witness William Lamson by defense attorney Gary Sebelius. Lamson testified about the demographics of Topeka schools and gave analysis on school district boundaries, the placement of portable buildings at schools, and more.
This is a brochure for Curnell’s senior art exhibition. The culmination of the Texas Southern art curriculum is a senior exhibition where students showcase artwork created over the course of their undergraduate studies. The brochure features a photo of Curnell, a brief biography, a catalog of the artwork featured in the exhibition, and photos of several of her artworks and designs.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about testimony in the Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard) trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper. The prosecution objected to Shakur taking a photograph of her daughter to the stand for her testimony, and the judge upheld the objection on the grounds he felt it might sway the jury.
