Describing efforts to uncover the largely undocumented history of African Americans in southern Illinois, this case study demonstrates how universities and activists can empower local communities to preserve and share their heritage. The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) of Southern Illinois University's Morris Library, SIU faculty, and community partners have substantially increased knowledge about many extraordinary individuals and communities by actively pursuing digitization of correspondence and images collected by families and organizations and conducting oral histories and preservation workshops. New plans for a coordinating center aim to radically expand revitalization efforts.
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