Listen as Special Collections Librarian Deborah Dandridge narrates a tour of highlights from the Kansas Collection of regional African American history, starting with early settlers.

In 1985, in cooperation with the African and African American Studies department, the Kansas Collection greatly expanded a collecting program designed to increase opportunities for researchers interested in state and regional African American history. The program has amassed significant resources for African American studies in this region. The legacy of early Black settlers is reflected in the records of schools, businesses, churches and clubs, and the papers of families and individuals.

In 1985, in cooperation with the African and African American Studies department, the Kansas Collection greatly expanded a collecting program designed to increase opportunities for researchers interested in state and regional African American history. The program has amassed significant resources for African American studies in this region. The legacy of early Black settlers is reflected in the records of schools, businesses, churches and clubs, and the papers of families and individuals.

In 1985, in cooperation with the African and African American Studies department, the Kansas Collection greatly expanded a collecting program designed to increase opportunities for researchers interested in state and regional African American history. The program has amassed significant resources for African American studies in this region. The legacy of early Black settlers is reflected in the records of schools, businesses, churches and clubs, and the papers of families and individuals.

Gift benefits researchers using the African American collection at KU Libraries

A new gift to the University of Kansas Libraries will benefit scholars who study the African American materials in Spencer Research Library’s Kansas Collection.

The $30,000 gift, made by KU Associate Professor of Education Sandra Gautt, will support the Alyce Hunley Whayne Visiting Scholars Fund. The fund covers travel expenses for visiting scholars and graduate students conducting research of the collection.

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Gautt, who served as KU’s vice provost for faculty development from 2002-2006, made the gift in honor of her mother, Alyce Whayne.

“Several years ago, my mother and I decided to donate our family papers and memorabilia to KU Libraries,” said Gautt. “This process helped me see the value of these items beyond a single family’s history. I began to understand that they showed how people lived at a certain point in time, and how that might be helpful to researchers.”

When her mother passed away, Gautt said she struggled to find a proper way to memorialize her. “I wanted a gift that had both longevity and impact,” said Gautt. “One day, as I was recalling how fond she was of sharing the story of our family history, I thought, ‘What better way to honor her than by making that history more accessible to scholars?’”

Deborah Dandridge, KU Libraries’ field archivist, explained that the African-American Experience archives are one of the largest archival resources on the subject in Kansas. “With more than a thousand manuscripts and photographs, these unique materials provide a wealth of historical information about leadership, social activism, education, and business from an African American perspective,” said Dandridge.

The collection represents items donated from communities across the state. It reveals how African-Americans achieved and contributed to Kansas history from the era of segregation through the post-1954 Brown vs. Board of Education years. The gift will be managed by KU Endowment Association, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.