The Role of Vernacular Archives in Preserving Black American History

• In Event: Black Studies and Knowledge as Building Blocks for A Global Future

Abstract

This paper examines the role of vernacular archives in shaping Black American historical memory through a familial and personal lens. What began as an effort to collect, organize, digitize, and preserve my family’s photographs expanded into the discovery of a broader archive left behind by my late grandmother. Alongside photographs, the collection includes letters, work badges, and Social Security cards that situate my family within larger historical narratives such as the Great Migration, industrial labor eras, and a time when mailed photographs served as a primary means of maintaining connection across distance.
By engaging these everyday artifacts, this paper explores how vernacular archives document Black life beyond formal institutional records, capturing moments of intimacy, labor, resilience, and joy. These materials illuminate lived experiences often overlooked within dominant archival practices and challenge conventional notions of historical value. The paper further considers what it means to move from personal possession to archival stewardship, asking how these stories can be preserved, contextualized, and shared while maintaining their cultural and emotional integrity.
To help frame my work, I explore the writings of authors like Tina Campt and Deborah Willis, who examine American Black identities through photography, as well as archivists and memory workers like Zakiya Collier. Grounded in Black Studies and archival thought, this work positions vernacular archives as vital sites of resistance, memory, and self-definition. Ultimately, the paper argues that preserving everyday Black artifacts is an act of liberation that affirms Black presence in history and the importance of community-centered archival practices.

Author

• Miya Jefferson, DePaul University