Grant would endow permanent African-American archivist at Wilson Library

Wilson Library’s Southern Historical Collection might soon have a permanent archivist for its African American Collections.

The library must raise $1.5 million by July 31, 2020 to match a $500,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to endow the position.

“The challenge grant is trying to get the public and donors and enthusiastic supporters that come from the community to fund the project,” said Katja Zelljadt, director of the Office of Challenge Grants at the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The African American Collections and Outreach archivist collects the history of underrepresented individuals through documents, artifacts and outreach projects, said Chaitra Powell, the current African American Collections and Outreach archivist.

Powell said the position had been vacant for about a year before she was hired in 2014. She said the loss of the position would have negative effects on African-American communities.

“I think the impact would be huge, because you’re dealing with populations that have not always been embraced by institutions like UNC. And for us to be there engaging with them, learning about their histories, we’re basically saying UNC cares,” Powell said. “If they lose this position, they might begin to doubt UNC’s commitment to this work.”

Powell said since records can be lost and first-person accounts are harder to come by, the archivist position is necessary to create a comprehensive history.

“We really need to maintain the momentum by engaging folks,” Powell said. “The communication needs to go both ways for it to work. And if you take away this position, the communication might drop off.”

Powell said many of the communities she works with were surprised when she took interest in their stories.

“They always wonder ‘Why do you care about what happened to us? Why does my perspective matter?’ We’re constantly having to explain that your truth is a part of American history, your experience is a part of American history,” she said.

Zelljadt said people at the National Endowment for the Humanities liked how those working with the Southern Historical Collection interact with African-American communities.

“The idea that the endowment would support the position of an African Americans Collections and Outreach archivist would really ensure that the history of African-American life in this region wouldn’t be forgotten,” she said.

Once the library raises the money to receive the grant, there will be a $2 million endowment to maintain the archivist position, said William Ferris, associate director for the Center for the Study of the American South at UNC and former chairperson for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Ferris said the National Endowment for the Humanities gives out about $140 million in grants each year, and it doesn’t award challenge grants over $500,000.

“There are very few challenge grants given at this level. Also, there are very few institutions that can raise a million and a half dollars. It reflects positively on the University,” Ferris said.

Zelljadt said most organizations applying for challenge grants don’t receive them.

“Only 17 percent of those who applied to the grant received funding,” she said.

Ferris said the grant affirms the significance of the work the Southern Historical Collection, the largest archive on the American South in the world, is doing.

“It’s a very big feather in the cap of UNC,” he said.

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