Brenda S. Banks Travel Award: Tracy Drake

Tracy Drake, archival specialist at the Chicago Public Library’s Vivian G. Harsh Research Center, is a 2019 recipient of the Brenda S. Banks Travel Award given by the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The award recognizes and acknowledges individuals of color, such as those of African, Asian, Latinx, Native American, Alaska Native, or Pacific Islander descent, and who have demonstrated professional archival experience.

In her position, Drake has worked to provide equitable access to the stories of marginalized communities, specifically those of Black Chicago, through the development of inclusive collection policies and public programming.  At the 2019 Joint Annual Meeting, she will be a session panelist for “No Ordinary Pain: Invisible Labor and Trauma, Radical Empathy, and Self-Care in Archival Work,” which will examine the emotional labor that archivists contend with in their work.

In her statement, Drake wrote: “The commitment to highlighting diverse voices and promoting equity at my institution and in the larger archival profession begins with building inclusive collection development policies and public programming which amplifies those voices. As well as producing scholarship, presentations focused on anti-racism for information professionals, and recruiting and retaining diverse candidates in the field.”