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Thank you to all of our excellent candidates for standing in the 2020 Archivists and Archives of Color Section election. Please take some time to review their candidate statements and get to know them so you can make an informed choice.
You will be voting for:
[1] Vice Chair/Chair-Elect (two-year term)
[3] Steering Committee members (two-year term).
[1] Web Liason (one year term)
[1] Newsletter Editor (one year term)
Ballots will be managed by SAA staff through Survey Monkey; keep an eye on your inbox for when the ballot opens!
The following candidates are running for the Vice Chair/Chair-Elect position:
Tracy Drake
Archivist, Reed College
Tracy Drake is an archivist at Reed College, focused on acquiring, preserving, and providing access to the historical and cultural records of the college. As an information professional, Tracy strives to provide equitable access to the stories of the Black experience. She believes in confronting difficult topics in our collective historical record while encouraging community archival practice. A graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a BS in African American Studies, an MA in history from Roosevelt University, and an MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2019, she was chosen as the recipient of the SAA Brenda S. Banks travel award. Also, in 2018, she was chosen as a member of the American Library Association class of Emerging Leaders. Her scholarship and research focus on anti-racism in society and information.
Since entering the field in 2015, I have spent my professional career dedicated to the acquisition, processing, and preservation of collections that highlight the experiences and culture of marginalized communities and voices. As a member of the Blackivists collective, I have taken this commitment directly to those communities. Diligently working outside of the institution to empower communities to document and preserve their narratives. My role as both an archivist within the institution and as a member of the Blackivists collective has taught me about what it takes to be a leader in the archives field working to promote radical, liberatory change in the information profession. These skills have prepared me to lead the Archivists and Archives of Color Roundtable and develop strategic goals to guide the committee into the future.
Steering Committee Member Candidates
The following candidates are running for the section steering committee:
Brittany Newberry
Processing Archivist, Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
Brittany Newberry is a Processing Archivist at the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library. Brittany holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a minor in American Ethnic Studies from Wake Forest University. She received a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons College. She is a member of the Society of American Archivists and the Society of Georgia Archivists. Brittany is a steering committee member for the Society of American Archivists, Archivists and Archives of Color Section. She is a member of the Society of American Archivists Membership Committee, where she serves as the chair of the Career Development Subcommittee. Brittany is the Assistant Communications Director for the Society of Georgia Archivists. She serves as vice chair of the ArchivesSpace User Advisory Council, member and chair of the Testing sub-team, and as an ArchivesSpace trainer. Her research and professional interests include African American archives, Academic or Research archives, and Social Justice, Diversity and Archival Activism.
I am interested in becoming a steering committee member for the Archivists and Archives of Color section in order to continue my service to the section. Over the past two years, I have been responsible for promoting the work and accomplishments of AAC members via social media. This work has been valuable to me as a member, to our members, and to those outside of our membership. With a greater social media presence, the AAC has been able to support and advocate for archivists and archives of color. I have been able to identify ways to engage our members, but I know that we can do more. I would like to continue as a steering committee member to find avenues for engaging and promoting our membership. I would like to use our social media presence to not only distribute information, but to spark discussion and bring issues of the section to the forefront. I feel that our social media is and will continue to be a valuable resource for our section.
Haian Abdirahman
Archivist, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
My name is Haian Abdirahman and I am the Archivist for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. I manage the Foundation’s institutional archives, coordinating appraisal, arrangement, and description of physical and born-digital records, as well as performing archival reference and staff engagement. I graduated with a Master of Science in Information Studies and Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin, and was a 2015-2017 fellow in the ARL/SAA Mosaic program.
I would like to serve on the AAC Steering Committee because I believe our section provides a powerful space for archivists of color to gather and support one another. My favorite moments at SAA annual have come from AAC section meetings. Like many other members, I am the only person of color in my department and am sustained by connections I have made with Black and Brown peers in the field. I’m interested in expanding opportunities for AAC to engage members throughout the year, particularly through virtual or in-person events organized regionally. Our section’s work is important, and I would be happy for the opportunity to serve in advancing that work.
Tamara Rayan
Archivist/Research Assistant, Alternative Toronto
I am a second generation Palestinian-Canadian and a settler. I have a background in music performance and ethnomusicology, but in the last few years have shifted my focus to archives. In November I will be graduating from the University of Toronto’s Master of Information Studies program specializing in Archives and Records Management after the completion of my thesis, which looks at the ways archival memory has been implicit in furthering Israeli settler colonialism since the Six Day War. My research interests in general are focused on the ways in which minority, marginalized, and racialized groups document and preserve their cultural heritage in the face of social pressure, colonialism, assimilation, and political oppression. As a working professional I am the ARL/SAA Mosaic Fellow completing an archives internship at York University Archives and Special Collections. I am also the Archivist/Research Assistant for Alternative Toronto, a participatory, digital archive that documents Toronto’s countercultural, queer, trans, and activist histories from the 80s and 90s.
As a student at the University of Toronto iSchool, it did not take long for me and my BIPOC colleagues to realize that we were grossly underrepresented within our student body. Moreover, we noticed a lack of critical race perspective in our Faculty, curriculum, and the profession as a whole. The iSchool’s lack of awareness of the need for racial equity made us concerned about the professional field that we were being prepared for. Wanting to confront these injustices, we decided to create the Diversity Working Group and nurture an intellectual, professional and social safe space and network for like-minded BIPOC and ally students and alumni of the Faculty of Information. Our aim has been to provide an alternative avenue through which iSchool students can engage in discussion about how colonialism and Eurocentric biases have shaped professional practice and the workforce in the gallery, library, archives and museum professions, and to eventually affect changes within iSchool curricula in order to ensure that all future graduates from the iSchool will be aware of and ready to identify racial inequity within their professions. I am interested in becoming a Steering Committee Member because I hope to continue this work outside of the University of Toronto on a larger scale, by working to advocate for the support and greater representation of BIPOCs in the archival profession.
Donna Edgar
Project Archivist, Chicago History Museum
My name is Donna Edgar and I would like to be considered for the position as a member of the steering committee for the Archivists and Archives of Color section of the Society of American Archivists. Currently, I’m working as a project archivist at the Chicago History Museum on the Sun-Times photo collection. After a 20 plus year career at Ford Motor Company, I decided to change careers and enrolled in the MLIS program at Dominican University. While obtaining my degree I interned at the Chicago State Archives and special collections and the Center for Black Music Research at Columbia University. After I graduated in 2018 with a Masters in Library and Information Science and certification in Digital Curation I worked as a project archivist at Rotary International and the Ghost Army Legacy project. I currently serve on the Delta Sigma Theta Heritage and Archive Committee of the Chicago Alumnae Chapter, and I’m in the beginning stages of creating an archive for St. Columbanus Church. In addition to being a member of the Society of American Archivists, I am also a member of Chicago Area Archivist.
I am interested in taking on a more active role within the Society of American Archivists, particularly as a member of the steering committee for the Archivists and Archives of Color section. If selected as a member of the committee I will work to help achieve the AAC’s mission of addressing concerns of archivist of color and promoting the preservation of archival materials of people of color. One thing that I am most passionate about is the preservation and accessibility of archives focused on people of color. At the Chicago History Museum like many historical institutions over the years there has been little focus on collecting and retaining artifacts regarding the contributions of people of color. Now more than ever it is important that “the history of now” is documented and preserved to provide an accurate account from all points of view for future generations.
Web Liaison Candidates
The following candidates are running for Web Liaison:
Zakiya Collier
Digital Archivist, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
My name is Zakiya Collier. In 2019, I received a Master of Library and Information Science with an accompanying Certificate in Archives and Records Management from Long Island University, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Media, Culture, and Communication from New York University. Currently, I am the Digital Archivist at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library. My duties involve curating web archives that document Black life throughout the African diaspora. Prior to my current role, I was a Project Archivist at the Weeksville Heritage Center and a Graduate Fellow at the Barnard Archives and Special Collections. In both roles, I employed praxes that more ethically, inclusively, and equitably centered marginalized and underrepresented identities in the archive, ensuring visibility throughout finding aids, catalog records, datasets, and other digital spaces.
I am interested in serving in a leadership capacity for the Archivists and Archives of Color Section (AAC) because I am passionate about co-creating spaces that center the preservation and access of collections documenting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). As an early-career archivist, I understand the importance of the accessibility to information related to events, scholarship, and opportunities to collaborate with fellow members of AAC. Equally, I understand the value of service both within the profession and communities of color. It is in this vein that I would like to be considered for the Web Liaison role. I am particularly interested in this role as it will afford me the opportunity to use my experiences, skills, and networks to ensure AAC has the best digital representation of its commitment to supporting the preservation work of archivists and donors of color and sustaining archives that prioritize the care of BIPOC collections.
Bernadette Birzer
Archivist, Newcomb Archives and Vorloff Collection at Tulane University
My name is Bernadette Birzer. I am currently the Archivist for Collection Management and Digital Initiatives at Newcomb Archives and Vorfoff Collection at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. My responsibilities include the management of archival and special collections materials and the management of digital collections and the long-term preservation of digital archives. I received my MLIS and a graduate certificate specializing in archives and special collections from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2012. I am also a Certified archivist via the Academy of Certified Archivists.
I am interested in becoming more involved in the Archivists and Archives of Color Section of the Society of American Archivists as a way to network, connect, and participate within the archival profession. As an archivist and librarian of color, I want to become more involved in organizations that support and represent diversity and inclusion. For two years I have had the pleasure of being the editor of the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association's (LAMA) Newsletter, so, I would be thrilled to be considered for the AAC's Newsletter Editor role. However, I would also be excited to be considered for the Web Liaison role. I would be happy to be considered for either position.
Amy C. Vo
Cold War Collections Project Archivist, New York University
My name is Amy C. Vo, and I am currently the Cold War Collections Project Archivist at New York University and the Newsletter Editor for SAA's Archivists and Archives of Color Section. With archival description as one of the primary responsibilities of my current role, I stay current on the discussions and efforts in the field regarding inclusivity, representation, and descriptive standards. In continuing my work as AAC’s Newsletter Editor, I can continue to spotlight the work of archivists of color, and participate in and advocate for our community. I have been in the archives field for the past five years, working and interning at municipal government archives, academic special collections, historical societies, and house museums in Texas, New Jersey, and New York. During these years as a new professional, my experiences pushed me toward more deeply engaging with discussions and research about labor practices in the archives field, their impact on the retention of underrepresented archivists, and the personal and institutional tolls that short-term and contract positions inflict.
Chaundria Campos
Library Specialist/MLIS student, Valdosta State University
Chaun Campos is a Library Specialist and MLIS student at Valdosta State University. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she served in the United States Army for six years and received her B.A in Anthropology from Augusta University. As a lover of fine arts, Chaun exhibited and created art in the city of Augusta for three years before pursuing her goals in the field of information science in 2018. Currently residing in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Chaun is working towards completing her graduate program and supporting the local arts community. She aspires to become an art librarian and enjoys long walks in parks with her husband and two dogs.
Hello! I’m Chaun Campos. I received my Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Augusta University and I’m currently an MLIS student at Valdosta State University. I also work full-time as a Library Specialist in Georgia. My love of human culture and preservation led me to pursue a career in information science. I have had the pleasure of working and conducting research with the Army Corps of Engineer’s Veteran’s Curation Program, where I was able to develop a sense of what publishing and presenting in the world of historical archaeology is like. I am also awaiting the publication of a personal narrative in a work focused on the experiences of information professionals with mental illness within their careers. Writing has been a way for me to express myself and share invaluable information with my peers, mentors, and the public.
As an African American woman with a deep love of arts, culture, and various other forms of expression, I feel that I could serve the Archivists and Archives of Color section of the Society of American Archivists well as the Newsletter Editor. My fondness for writing has afforded me multiple opportunities and accolades in the past including being appointed as a Co-Moderator in the Art Libraries Society of North America’s Students and New Professionals section, a travel award from the same organization, publication in information science literature, and an academic scholarship from the United States Army to pursue my undergraduate major.
Bernadette Birzer
Archivist, Newcomb Archives and Vorloff Collection at Tulane University
My name is Bernadette Birzer. I am currently the Archivist for Collection Management and Digital Initiatives at Newcomb Archives and Vorfoff Collection at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. My responsibilities include the management of archival and special collections materials and the management of digital collections and the long-term preservation of digital archives. I received my MLIS and a graduate certificate specializing in archives and special collections from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2012. I am also a Certified archivist via the Academy of Certified Archivists.
I am interested in becoming more involved in the Archivists and Archives of Color Section of the Society of American Archivists as a way to network, connect, and participate within the archival profession. As an archivist and librarian of color, I want to become more involved in organizations that support and represent diversity and inclusion. For two years I have had the pleasure of being the editor of the Louisiana Archives and Manuscripts Association's (LAMA) Newsletter, so, I would be thrilled to be considered for the AAC's Newsletter Editor role. However, I would also be excited to be considered for the Web Liaison role. I would be happy to be considered for either position.
