Memorial Resolution in Honor of Brenda Banks

Whereas, Brenda Banks, served as President and CEO of Banks Archives Consultants; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, attended Spelman College earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1971; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, received a Master’s in Library and Information Science with a concentration in archival management from Clark Atlanta University in 1982; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, in 1972 began as an assistant archivist at the Georgia Department of Archives and History where she was the only African American professional and worked her way to Deputy Director of the Georgia Archives, where she was the project manager for the planning and construction of the new Georgia Archives building. Her expertise led her to lead the management review of the National Archives and Records Administration transition team for the Clinton-Gore Administration; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, in 1987 was the co-author and co-director for the NEH grant that formally established the archives program at Spelman College; and stayed as the archival consultant from 1986 to 1996 and was responsible for planning the move of the archives from the Giles Center to the Cosby Center; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, from 1999-2005 Banks administered and coordinated a nationwide archives education and training program for HBCUs, where she brought in $500,000 in grants from the NEH to support this effort, and she served as the Board Chair for the Georgia Archives Institute; and  

Whereas, Brenda Banks, taught “Administration and Use of Historical Archives” at Georgia State University in the Heritage Preservation Program, participated in community archives workshops; and 

Whereas, Brenda Banks, lent her gifts for forty-four years to the archival profession and to the nation as the managing archivist for the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection, project manager for SOLINET’s Gulf Coast Academic Library Recovery Project, senior project archivist for the Audre Lorde Collection at Spelman College; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, further lent her gifts, as the President of the Society of Georgia Archivists (1988-1989) and the Society of American Archivists (1995-1996), the oldest and largest national archival professional association in North America; a diligent member of the Task Force on Minorities, chairing The Diversity Task Force and Committee, and founding the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, was awarded several honors including Fellow of the Society of American Archivists, Archives Advocacy Award (Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board), Society of American Archivists Council Exemplary Award, Fellow of the Society of Georgia Archivists, Beta Phi Mu, and featured in Black Enterprise and Ebony magazines; and

Whereas, Brenda Banks, throughout her career was a leader of professionalism; and was effective and vocal when necessary to promote diversity and fairness. She was dedicated to preserving the history of African Americans in the United States, encouraging the profession to address the changing demographic of the country and its impact on archives, and mentoring a new generation of archivists; now therefore be it

Resolved, that the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable of the Society of American Archivists, on behalf of its members, recognizes the notable achievements and distinguished career of Brenda Banks and finds comfort knowing she served her alma mater and the profession well until the end; and be it further

Resolved, that the roundtable expresses its sincere sympathy to the family of Brenda Banks, that we place a copy of this resolution in the permanent archives of the Society of American Archivists, and that we also submit a copy of this resolution to the family of Brenda Banks in order to show her loved ones and colleagues the high esteem in which we hold her life and her legacy.

 Respectfully submitted,

The Officers and Members of the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable, Society of American Archivists