Enhancing Access and Research Possibilities through Critical Engagement with Historical Data

FAIN: PW-285172-22

Florida International University Board of Trustees (Miami, FL 33199-2516)
Jamie Rogers (Project Director: July 2021 to present)
Rhia Rae (Co Project Director: March 2024 to present)

Enhanced access to the papers of Dana A. Dorsey, who, as Miami’s first Black millionaire, developed the city’s Colored Town (present day Overtown) in the early twentieth century. This work would include transcription, georeferencing, and creating tabular data from the 291 records and 620 pages of legal documents that constitute the collection. 

This project aims to develop a set of preliminary data resources, based on the Dana A. Dorsey Papers held at FIU, that will expand our understanding of the interpersonal networks and investment by and for Miami’s Black community during the pre-redlining era. These resources will include (1) full transcripts of Dorsey’s financial papers, (2) a geospatial dataset plotting the properties involved in his financial transactions, as well as (3) a data set derived from his papers consisting of details about his transactions and, most importantly, the individuals involved. The core values of this work are centered on addressing the significant gaps in the historical record, critical engagement in data collection processes that are rooted in humanity through the histories of individuals, and the establishing of a model for future collaborative human centered data work.

Associated Products

The Dana A. Dorsey Papers Enhancing Access and Research Possibilities through Critical Engagement with Historical Data (Web Resource)
Title: The Dana A. Dorsey Papers Enhancing Access and Research Possibilities through Critical Engagement with Historical Data
Author: Jamie Rogers
Author: Rhia Rae
Author: Jill Krefft
Author: Molly Castro
Abstract: Dana A. Dorsey (1868 - 1940) was regarded as a successful Black businessman of his time and known as the first Black millionaire in Miami. This initiative aims to enhance access to the information found in the papers of Dana A. Dorsey, to highlight community building and make the stories of Black lives more discoverable, and to better understand the roles of civic groups, trade groups, and community alliances in the paths of success for Black people in this community.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/86ee1e8760dc43d0abc7e7afcf8cd808
Primary URL Description: StoryMaps URL

FIU receives $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (Radio/Audio Broadcast or Recording)
Title: FIU receives $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Producer: WLRN
Abstract: Christine DiMattei report on WLRN National Public Radio NPR media story about the grant award
Date: 4/26/2022
Primary URL: https://soundcloud.com/wlrn/1004-am-fiu-recieves-50000-grant-from-the-national-endowment-for-the-humanities?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fwlrn%252F1004-am-fiu-recieves-50000-
Primary URL Description: Soundcloud link to WLRN
Access Model: open access
Format: Radio
Format: Web

FIU awarded National Endowment for the Humanities grant to highlight contributions of Miami’s Black residents (Article)
Title: FIU awarded National Endowment for the Humanities grant to highlight contributions of Miami’s Black residents
Author: Adriana Harris
Abstract: The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the FIU Libraries a grant to create best practices for working with data and documents from marginalized communities, with the goal of providing access to the history of Black Miami.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://news.fiu.edu/2022/fiu-awarded-national-endowment-for-the-humanities-grant-to-highlight-contributions-of-miamis-black-residents
Primary URL Description: FIU News URL
Access Model: open access
Format: Newspaper
Publisher: Florida International University

FIU awarded NEH grant to highlight history of Miami’s Black residents (Article)
Title: FIU awarded NEH grant to highlight history of Miami’s Black residents
Author: Community News Releases
Abstract: The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has awarded the FIU Libraries a grant to create best practices for working with data and documents from marginalized communities, with the goal of providing access to the history of Black Miami.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://communitynewspapers.com/kendallgazette/fiu-awarded-neh-grant-to-highlight-history-of-miamis-black-residents/
Access Model: open access
Format: Newspaper
Publisher: Miami's Community News

FIU Awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Grant (Article)
Title: FIU Awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Grant
Author: Jamie Rogers
Abstract: The Libraries at Florida International University (FIU) have been awarded a grant through the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities to highlight the historical contributions of Miami’s Black residents. Through this planning grant, Enhancing Access and Research Possibilities through Critical Engagement with Historical Data, the FIU Libraries aim to work with others in the South Florida archives community to collectively build best practices for identifying, organizing, and sharing the historical data of marginalized communities.
Year: 2022
Primary URL: https://southflarchives.wordpress.com/2022/05/14/sfac-news-springsummer2022/
Primary URL Description: South Florida Archives Collective quarterly newsletter , Spring/Summer 2022 Issue 3
Access Model: open access
Format: Other
Publisher: South Florida Archives Collective

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