ASU Black Collections expands to document Arizona black history

Jessica Salow, Assistant Archivist, Black Collections ASU Library, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss ASU’s Black Collections.

“It is collection of community-driven archival practices,” Salow said. “We are really dedicated in ensuring that all communities, that includes inside ASU and outside ASU that surrounds our campuses, has a collection that’s dedicated to their stories, their memory, their history here in Arizona.”

Since 2021, ASU’s Library has housed a repository of Black Collections, thanks to a generous grant.

Black Collections is now focused on creating a robust community collection dedicated to documenting the experiences of Black people living and thriving in Arizona. They have also asked community members to contribute their own stories.

Black Collections sparked after Dr. Crow launched initiatives regarding black faculty and students at ASU in 2020. At that time, community-driven archives were interested in expanding. Black Collections received funding from ASU’s Listen, Invest, Facilitate, and Teach (LIFT) Initiative.

“We really are at a point where we can really take things in any direction that we want and have the flexibility to be anywhere,” Salow said.

Salow wants everybody in the black or African-American community in Arizona to contact Black Collections to help preserve their memory.

“We also have the ability to give you free archival supplies or teach you how to do these particular things we as professionally trained archivists, know how to do,” Salow said.