Africana Studies 101: Introduction to Africana Studies

20th Century College Resources

Archival Materials

Archival materials are the institutional records of Davidson College from its establishment in 1837 to the present day. Included within the collections are president's office records, academic department files, and student organization records. Listed below is a selection of relevant collections related to the Black experience at Davidson. Collections are organized by record group, along with a brief description of the collection's contents, and are hyperlinked to the collection's digital finding aid.

Appendix 16 of the Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Concerns, also known as Project 87.

Presidential Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Concerns, 1984-85 (RG 2-4-1)

Description: This committee was established to take a critical look at the environment which the college provides for black students (and students of other racial/ethnic groups) and the experience which that environment affords them. Records include the committee's final report.

Digitized? Yes - reports; View digitized copies.

Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), Committee on Pluralism (RG 3-1-2-006)

Description: The Committee on Pluralism was established in 1986 to develop and implement a program during freshman orientation that will enhance cooperation, interaction, and understanding between the races, as outlined in the Task Force Report on Racial/Ethnic Concerns. 

Digitized? Yes- email archives@davidson.edu for more information.

Alumni Relations, Programs and Publications (RG 5-4-3)

Description: The Office of Alumni Relations is responsible for overseeing activities related to alumni programs including Homecoming, reunions, publications, and alumni chapter events. Included in these records are copies of newsletters for Black alumni (1990-2001) and a file about the "Homecoming 50+ Years of Integration" event in 2012.

Digitized? Yes - some. Email archives@davidson.edu for more information.

Student Government Association, Records from Diversity Coordinating Committee (RG 12-4)

Description: This collection consists of records from SGA, including information on student clubs and organizations, meeting minutes from various SGA committees, and documents related to campus life and policy decisions. Included are records from the Diversity Coordinating Committee.

Digitized? Yes- email archives@davidson.edu for more information.

Black Student Coalition Records, 1972 – 2011 (RG 12-30)

Description:  The Black Student Coalition was founded in 1967 "to establish and maintain a spirit of solidarity among the black students of Davidson College." Included in this collection is a copy of the organization's charter, constitution, and printed material. Also included is a letter to Kappa Alpha fraternity requesting that they not flaunt their "Old South" practice and a newspaper article about the black population at Davidson.

Digitized? Yes -some View digitized copy. 

Oral History and Interview

Archives, Special Collections & Community is fortunate to have many oral histories in our collection.

The Oral History Association (OHA) defines oral history as “a method of recording and preserving oral testimony and the product of that process. It begins with an audio or video recording of a first person account made by an interviewer with an interviewee (also referred to as narrator), both of whom have the conscious intention of creating a permanent record to contribute to an understanding of the past.”

Oral histories are distinct from interviews in that oral histories focus on lengthy testimonies on past events rather than purely contemporary experiences, as well as the form's emphasis on the "narrator as expert." In an oral history interview, you are asking questions to further the narrator's dialog and personal realizations rather than only accumulating information you deem relevant.

In 2009, there were five interviews conducted with Black alumni, including Lenny McAllister (’93), Janet Stovall (’85), Leslie Brown (’69), Rasheedah Hasan (’96), Derry Harper (’76). Audio and transcripts from these interviews can be found here.

Davidsoniana Files

Davidsoniana Files, also knows as "D-Files," primarily contain secondary source information and are housed in Archives and Special Collections. This includes newspaper articles, scanned memos, brochures and pamphlets, memorial speeches, and booklets. These files also hold scans of primary documents, such as diaries and letters, from other institutions.

Titles of relevant D-Files include:

• Music - History - Dixie
• Periodicals – In the Black
• Race Relations at Davidson - articles on history of racial interactions at Davidson College