“Until the lion tells his side of the story, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” (African proverb)
In observance and celebration of Black History Month, we are having different events taking place around the metro area. In speaking of our history, we have in our community a huge archive of letters, books, periodicals, manuscripts, and narratives that speak volumes about our history as African Americans and those of us who are African born. It is the Archie Givens, Sr. Collection of African American Literature, one of the largest collections of its kind in the U.S., located in the Elmer Andersen Library on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank campus.
In 1985, University of Minnesota professor John S. Wright, Claudia Wallace-Gardner, the Givens family, and a Patrons Council of Black community leaders came together to acquire what is now known as the Givens Collection, named after Archie Givens, Sr., a successful Black entrepreneur in the Twin Cities who was strong in his support for higher education as it pertained to African American young people.
Through partnership with the community, the University of Minnesota, and the Givens Foundation, the collection today is phenomenal. The building the collection is housed in is an architectural wonder, built into the Mississippi River bluffs. Caverns on the lower level are kept at a lower temperature to protect the paper quality of the older collections as well as providing an intake area for the initial contributions. The upper levels house the research center and office areas, and exhibition areas for the respective archival collections housed in the library. From Enlightened Age books to dinosaur bones to architectural archives to Black history, this research library has it.
I had the good pleasure of taking a tour of the facility with Givens Collection curator and performing artist Davu Underwood Seru. One of the books in the collection was a first edition of the first book published in the U.S. by an African American–Phillis Wheatley’s “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral” in 1773. Holding that book in my hands had me in awe. I read letters by Countee Cullen, Sojourner Truth’s narrative from 1850, transcripts of letters from former slaves, original works from the Harlem Renaissance, and periodicals from the Black Panther Party. Trust and believe, this is barely scratching the surface of this amazing collection’s past and present bodies of work.
As curator, Seru is committed to finding ways for the community to have access to and connect with this rich, vital source of research and history. One means is the Givens Conference Room, which will provide space for exhibitions and literary events. Another is Umbra Search (umbrasearch.org), a free database of Black history resource materials from libraries and archives across the U.S. Third, this collection is open to the public, with the lions and lionesses of the opening proverb ready to share their stories with you.
For more information about the Givens Collection, please contact Davu Seru at (612) 624-8812 or givens@umn.edu to schedule a tour. We are descended from kings and queens—and griots.
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
