Diversity Award: Christopher E. Haley

Christopher E. Haley, director of research, education, and outreach at the Maryland State Archives and founder of the Legacy of Slavery Program in Maryland, is the 2024 recipient of the Diversity Award given by the Society of American Archivists (SAA). The award recognizes outstanding contributions in advancing diversity within the archives profession, SAA, or the archival record. 

With over thirty years of experience working with the historical records of African Americans in Maryland and beyond, Haley has made a profound impact on access to these records. As the founder and director of the Legacy of Slavery Program, he supervised the creation of a public database with over half a million fields of searchable metadata from census records, newspapers, court documents, manumissions, certificates of freedom, pardon papers, jail and penitentiary records, and cadastral maps. This database provides one location for researchers, scholars, genealogists, and more to locate primary sources on Black Marylanders that were previously inaccessible. Not only did Haley oversee the digitization of thousands of records and newspapers, as well as 111 original and microfilm volumes of manumissions and certificates of freedom, but he and his program also published resource guides for public use. Researching African American Families at The Maryland State Archives and the Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland serve as important tools for researchers seeking to make the best use of archival resources to reveal diverse stories. 

One of Haley’s nominators notes that he has made lasting contributions outside of the archives by meeting researchers, scholars, students, and more where they are. He worked extensively in education by partnering with administrative boards to develop course curricula and team-taught courses at the University of Maryland, and he partnered with the iSchool master’s program and the University of Maryland to make data about enslavement fully accessible and available for analysis by archivists and researchers. He is the longstanding director of the Utopia Film Festival and is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker for his work on Unmarked about African American cemeteries. His impact on future generations will last beyond his career. Another nominator states, “Chris always uses his voice to speak for diversity and inclusion, not just to call for it, but also to provide guidance and leadership allowing others to do the same.”

The Diversity Award was established in 2011. Previous recipients include Julie Varee, Gregory Hinton, and SAA Fellow Rebecca Hankins.