The African American Life in Memphis, Tennessee collection touches on the vast contributions of African Americans in the Bluff City. The papers address the early struggles of African American and reflect the rich and productive lives they have led...
Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, or Freedmen’s Bureau as it was commonly known, in March 1865 as the end of the Civil War drew near. An agency of the War Department, the Freedmen’s Bureau had two main...
Man holding cane pole seated with woman & two children in front of grass structure. Text on front: Home Sweet Home -- Text on back: Tennessee "scenery" of 1892 -- by Walter E. Angier, C.E. -- W. Estelle Angier -- Wheaton, Ill. 1962
September 29, 1968 edition of "The Kansas City Star," aimed at describing the positive impact African Americans have had on the development of the United States.
Special edition section of "The Commercial Appeal" newspaper celebrating the contribution of African Americans to the Memphis community, and the nation collectively.
African Americans; Elks; Lee, George W.; coronation;
George W. Lee (front row, second left) is pictured as part of a large group of African Americans dressed formally (some wearing furs) in an outdoor setting in what appears to be the aftermath of some type of coronation.
African Americans; baseball; Birmingham Black Barons; business; death; entertainment; funeral homes; public service; recreation; sports;
Thomas Henry Hayes, Jr., was born in Covington, Tennessee in 1902. His father, Thomas H. Hayes, Sr., founded T.H. Hayes Funeral Home, which was the oldest African American-owned business in Memphis when his son joined as funeral director in 1928....
African Americans; agriculture; clubs; cotton; dentists; entertainment; mayors; police; public service; race; recreation; social life; women;
Dr. Ransom Q. Venson was a native of Rapides Parish, Louisiana. In 1912 he graduated from Meharry Medical School in Nashville and then moved to Memphis to establish a dental practice in this city. In 1934, he married Ethyl B. Horton, a native...
John Timothy “J.T.” Trezevant was born in 1814 and came to Memphis when he was twenty one years old. J.T. became a lawyer in 1836 and served as the second mayor of South Memphis in 1847. He also achieved prominence as a railroad builder. In...
Maxine Atkins was born in 1929, the youngest of the three children of Joseph and Georgia Rounds Atkins. Maxine graduated from Booker T. Washington High School at age 15 in 1945. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Spelman...
Hallelujah!, a film released in 1929, was the first all-black musical and was intended to be a dramatic portrayal of the lives of poor African Americans in the South. The producer and director, King Vidor, filmed on location in Memphis and...
