The archive, by room

Portals

Eight rooms of the archive. Every record lives in one; most reach into several.

History & Migration

3 records · Movements, eras, and turning points

The Great MigrationThe Great Migration was the movement of approximately six million African Americans out of the rural South and…Verified record

JuneteenthJuneteenth (June 19) is the oldest nationally observed commemoration of the end of slavery in the United State…Verified record

CowboyThe cowboy is an American figure with African roots. Cattle work in what became the United States began in ens…Verified record

Language & Speech

2 records · How we talk, kept with the Dictionary

African American Vernacular EnglishAfrican American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a rule-governed variety of English spoken by many Black American…Verified record

Boy (term of address)For most of American history, boy addressed to a Black man was not a description of age. It was an instrument:…Verified record

Music & Sound

5 records · From the field holler to the 808

The Chitlin’ CircuitThe Chitlin’ Circuit was the network of theaters, clubs, and juke joints across the East, South, and Midwest w…In review

Country MusicCountry music's instrumentation, repertoire, and style are inseparable from Black Southern music. The banjo de…Verified record

House MusicHouse music was built in Black gay Chicago at the turn of the 1980s, named for the Warehouse, the club where F…Verified record

TechnoTechno was invented by three Black high-school friends from Belleville, Michigan: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, an…Verified record

The Military Cadence CallThe marching cadence of the United States military, the call-and-response chant of every boot camp in the coun…In review

Faith & the Church

1 records · The oldest institution we own

The Black ChurchThe Black Church is the collective name for the historically Black Christian denominations and congregations o…Stub

Food & Foodways

1 records · The table, the recipe, the memory

Soul FoodSoul food is the cuisine of Black America: West African technique and memory, adapted through slavery and the …Stub

Movement & Politics

0 records · Organizing, law, and power

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Arts & Letters

1 records · The page, the stage, the canvas

The Harlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance was the flowering of Black literature, art, music, and thought centered on the Harlem n…Verified record

Institutions & Schools

1 records · What we built to keep us

Historically Black Colleges & UniversitiesHistorically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education established before 1…Verified record