Steering Committee Meeting, July 14, 2023

Steering Committee Meeting, July 14, 2023

In attendance: Colin Post, Katja Herring, Natalie Worsham, Dane Flansburgh, Susan Tucker

The Steering Committee met on July 14 and discussed the following items:

1. Annual meeting of Section -Susan and Dane noted the excellence of the invited speaker but the disappointment at low attendance. Forty-two people registered while only 18 attended. We have made known to SAA that meetings should not be held on holidays, in this case, Juneteenth.  We still hope to do a project on the history of Juneteenth collection with one repository in Texas.

2. Reponses of prize winners – Susan reported that both winners of the awards, Geoffrey Yeo, for the member award, and Cristina Roldan, for non-member, wrote enthusiastic emails about their happiness in getting such recognition. SAA donated books to be sent to each of them; they chose the book and we facilitated it getting to them, though SAA paid postage.  Susan also sent a bookplate to be placed in the book. Their responses will be gathered in a folder on the Dropbox and also deposited on the microsite or otherwise included in records passed of the Section to the SAA collection at University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. 

3. College and University Project-Susan reported on needs for the College and University Section Project come September. The first will be for Dane and others to work with College and University Section in being part of one of their online chats/interviews. We will also arrange for a edit-a- thon with a number of members working on completing the Division One schools and adding information about those institutions working with the Slavery Project.

4. In New Business, we discussed Dane’s attendance at the Council meeting during SAA to learn what he can of the year long process in deciding if the Section is viable, as currently operating. There are currently three categories of sections: ones that are not functioning and will become discussion groups, ones that are being considered as to the need for them within the overall Society, and ones that are functioning well. AHS is in the middle category.  Susan will ask Krystal  or another Council member for that explanation in writing. We will also begin to collect questions from members about the Section and its value to them and others. Colin mentioned that the Section has established programs: the newsletter, the bibliography, the awards, and this year, the lecture—all attesting to the Section’s viability. 

5. In other new business, we discussed the need for a committee on the microsite, a co-editor for the newsletter, and perhaps also a committee for the newsletter, and the work of the early career member next year.