From Family Heirlooms to the National Mall: Sharing Mary Church Terrell's Legacy

My presentation focuses on the exciting collaboration between scholars, archivists, curators, and a devoted family to preserve and make accessible the life of racial justice advocate, Mary Church Terrell (1863-1954). A colleague from Mississippi State University and I conducted a research trip for our books on the Terrell family to Highland Beach, Maryland. We worked with the family to save Terrell’s papers for posterity by donating them to a good archive. We identified Oberlin as the best location because it was Mollie Church’s alma mater (1884) and has a well-reputed archive. A conference call with the heads of the library, the archive, and the departments of History, Africana Studies, and Gender and Women’s Studies led to their enthusiastic acceptance of the family’s generous gift.

The Terrell family also has a fascinating collection of artifacts such as her silver tea set and her husband’s ink stand and gavel from when he served as the first black municipal court judge in Washington, D. C. With the family’s consent, I contacted the Smithsonian Institution’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum’s curator met with the family, viewed the artifacts, and began the process of acquiring pieces for its collection. These artifacts will help the museum tell the story of the lives of elite blacks in Washington, D.C. This public history collaboration has enriched our ability to share the life of a prominent black woman and her family and to place it with the context of the era’s popular culture.