National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center(Wilberforce,Ohio)Collections Archival Storage

FAIN: PG-258458-18

Ohio History Connection (Columbus, OH 43211-2474)
Linda Collins (Project Director: May 2017 to March 2021)

The purchase of preservation supplies for rehousing collections maintained by the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC) in Wilberforce, Ohio, a city that is the home of two historically black universities: Wilberforce University and Central State University.  The NAAMCC is one of the country’s first museums dedicated to preserving and presenting African American history and culture on a national scale.  Opened in 1988, the center holds 350 manuscript collections and over 9,000 artifacts, artworks, and photographs.  Collection highlights include the papers of civil rights activist Anna Hedgeman, one of the organizers of the March on Washington; politician James McGee, the first African American mayor of Dayton; and author Alex Haley, best known for his novel Roots.

This grant request proposes to fund the purchase of archival supplies needed to improve the preservation of selected collections at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center (NAAMCC) in Wilberforce, Ohio. NAAMCC holds a wide range of documents, photographs, and other archival materials that document African American history. The grant funds will be used to preserve these collections: The Anna Arnold Hedgeman Collection Anna Hedgeman was a civil rights activist, educator and politician. Hedgeman was one of the three lead organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. The Alex Haley Collection Alex Haley is most famous for his family history novel Roots, however he was a prolific author and journalist. The James H. McGee Collection James McGee was an alumnus of both Wilberforce and Ohio State Universities and was the first African American mayor of Dayton, Ohio.