ALA Humanities in Action Grant to help BMRC at UChicago Library expand knowledge of Black historical collections among local history teachers
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) at the University of Chicago Library has been selected as one of 200 libraries nationwide to receive an award from the American Library Association’s American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries.
The competitive award comes with a $10,000 grant that will help the BMRC expand knowledge about Black historical collections at Chicagoland libraries, museums, universities and cultural heritage organizations and help fulfill the BMRC’s mission to connect all who seek to document, share, understand and preserve Black experiences.
The BMRC's grant initiative, “Tools for Exploration & Sharing Chicago’s African American Archival Gems” will provide training needed to encourage local Chicago Public School history teachers to explore and use archival documents from BMRC member institutions in their classrooms and in the development of student history fair projects. “We are excited to partner with Chicago Metro History Day (CMHD), the local affiliate of National History Day, as well as academic scholars and archivists within the BMRC network to develop immersive summer workshops for teachers,” said Marcia Walker-McWilliams, Executive Director of the Black Metropolis Research Consortium.
Recognizing that the BMRC could have greater impact on the younger generation, the BMRC will work in partnership with CMHD to increase awareness of and engagement with BMRC resources among high school teachers and their students. "Each year, CMHD helps thousands of students from more than 50 schools across the greater Chicago area research historical topics and turn their conclusions into historical arguments," said Crystal Johnson, manager of Chicago Metro History Day. "Our students and teachers rely on CMHD to connect them to local historical institutions where they can find the stories they wish to research and the sources they need to tell these stories persuasively. We work closely with partners like the BMRC to raise awareness of their collections and guide students in how to use them for historical research. Chicago is uniquely fortunate to hold some of the country’s most historically significant collections in African American history." Chicago Metro History Day is sponsored by the Chicago History Museum, a BMRC member institution.
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium is a Chicago-based membership association of libraries, universities, museums, community-based archives, government archives and other cultural heritage organizations, all of which contain historical records relevant to Black history and culture. The BMRC is a unit within the University of Chicago Library and the University of Chicago serves as host institution and fiscal agent.
“It isn’t enough to preserve our archival collections and make them available to researchers; we need to excite school-age children about the history of their community and activate these collections in new ways” said Elisabeth M. Long, Interim Director and University Librarian at the University of Chicago Library. “We are invested in civic collaborations like this one that expand knowledge throughout the community, especially those that value and increase an understanding of diversity and its role in the rich and complex history of our city. I am delighted that this ALA grant will allow us to connect with Chicago Public School teachers and students in neighborhoods throughout Chicago and facilitate their use of our collections and those of all the BMRC member organizations.”
American Rescue Plan: Humanities Grants for Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Libraries were chosen with an emphasis on reaching historically underserved and/or rural communities.
