History center, UHV Library host Black history display, request contributions
The Victoria Regional History Center and the University of Houston-Victoria Library plan to honor Black History Month by hosting a historical display featuring pictures and information from the region. In addition, the center is searching for any additional photographs or information about Black history in the area that residents can share.
“The Victoria region has a long, proud history, and the Victoria Regional History Center wants to be able to share as much of those stories as possible,” said Brittany Rodriguez, archivist and special collections librarian. “The center is always proud to offer the community a glimpse into the past. This year, we took some feedback from people who attended last year’s display and made some changes for this year.”
The Black History Month display will be on the third-floor landing in the UHV Library inside UHV University Commons, 3006 N. Ben Wilson St. The display is free and open to the public. The Victoria Regional History Center is a joint collaboration between UHV and Victoria College.
In addition to the display, the history center is requesting that area residents observe Black History Month by adding to the center’s collection of resources and information about Black history in the Crossroads, Rodriguez said. That will allow the center to expand their collection for future exhibits and research for the community.
“Our collection comes from donations from individuals and community organizations,” Rodriguez said. “The more we can expand our collection, the better we can serve those who want to learn about the history of our area.”
In particular, the center is hoping to fill gaps in its collection including pictures and information about leaders in the Black community, Black-owned businesses and segregated schools. Specific subjects include yearbooks and other resources from the F.W. Gross School and Victoria Colored School; pictures and resources about Palestine Baptist Church, Mount Salem Baptist Church, Mount Cavalry Baptist Church; and pictures and information about community leaders and individuals including, but not limited to, A.D. Sheffield, Harold Cade, Agnes Jewett, Dorothy Harris and J.H. Wilkins.
Items can be donated as physical copies, or the center’s staff can scan the resources and return the original to the owner. Items also can be submitted digitally at https://library.uhv.edu/BHM-exhibit. For more information about submissions, please contact the Victoria Regional History Center at 361-570- 4175 or email the center’s research assistant, Kevin Oliver, at oliverkb1@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.