History center seeks contributions for Black History Month display
As Black History Month approaches, the Victoria Regional History Center is setting up a historical display, and they’d like to add some fresh items to the collection.
The Black History Month display will be on the third-floor landing in the UHV Library within 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.
“We put a lot of work into the collection to create last year’s display, and we are looking forward to seeing it grow even more this year,” said Brittany Rodriguez, archivist and special collections librarian. “We are proud to be able to offer this look back into Victoria’s history and the impact of the black community in our area.”
The display will showcase a collection of photos depicting Victoria’s black community throughout history, as well as programs and pamphlets from schools, churches and other community organizations. The display focuses on several different categories: civic outreach, education, church and ministry, cowboys and ranching, athletics, and faces of the community, such as businesses and organizations.
This year, the history center is inviting the community to share any photos or materials they might have that could grow the collection. Photos can be digitally scanned into the collection if the donors wish to keep the original. In particular, the center hopes to add to the cowboys and ranching area as well as photos and information about black-owned businesses and community organizations.
In addition to the materials, the center needs as much information as possible about the subjects of the photos or other materials that are being donated. Photos should include information such as the identity of the people in the photo, if the photo is of a special event or occasion, background information about any businesses that might be featured, which schools the people in the photos attended, and if the people are locals or visiting the area in the photos.
Items can be submitted by bringing them to the Victoria Regional History Center or by scanning and emailing them to the center’s research assistant, Kevin Oliver, at oliverkb1@uhv.edu. Items received by Jan. 26 may be added to this year’s display. For more information about submissions, please contact the Victoria Regional History Center at 361-570- 4175 or email Oliver.
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.